# 15 year old cockatiel not flying well anymore



## Belle (Nov 26, 2010)

I am the owner of a 15 year old lutino cockatiel. His behavior has been the same, very cuddly, affectionate, wants attention from me and my mother. 

Lately though, he's been unable to fly very well. He's about as clumsy as he was when he was a baby bird.

When we first got him at 12 weeks old, his wings were clipped and I wanted him to be able to fly around, so I worked with him and trained him to fly around the room and land on his cage after each "lap". Also, I was able to take him into other rooms of the house and he was always able to navigate his way back to his cage or his "tree". So he's always been a good flyer.

I've become increasingly concerned, because I remember reading in a book about well...15 years ago when I got him that once they start wanting to walk instead of fly it means they are getting old.

I'm wondering if it's bad for me to work with him and try to coax him to keep flying around, or if I should clip his wings to keep him from hurting himself.

I know that when I'm away at college, my mom doesn't take him out very much, and the last time I was home about 2 months ago, he was flying around just fine. 

Thanks in advance for any help.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It would be a good idea to have an exam with an avian vet to see if there are any health issues. Of course it's also possible that his wing muscles are weak because he hasn't been getting out much lately.


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## HAJiME (Sep 20, 2009)

Mine are about 10 years old, and if they don't come out for a while, it's as if they forget how to land. Sounds kind of similar?

I guess it's a case of whenever you are around him, maybe get him to stretch his wings before getting him to fly - by having him on your finger and gently moving it up and down to get him to flap to stay balanced. Like a little birdy training session.


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