puzzled, a society that does not fly

[ac12]

I have a male society finch that I have not seen fly in a year.
He will hop up to the perches (I have 2 perches arranged so he can hop from the lower to the upper), but will flap his wings and climb the wire mesh side of the cage to go direct to the upper perch or the nest.
I "though" he flew when in the smaller breeding cage, but maybe he hopped then as well.

I've heard of zebras that don't fly, but not societies that don't fly.
Any thoughts?

Because of his not flying, I'm not sure that I want to breed him, in case that "non-flying" gets passed on.

[Sally]

That is really strange, though I'm thinking it might be because of an injury early in life rather than a genetic flaw. He certainly seems to have learned to cope with his disability, it is amazing how well these birds can adapt.

[Angela&Shalamar]

How old is he? I have a male society that isn't flighted but in his case it is the result of getting his leg caught in the nest and hanging upside down for an unknown length of time. He was treated by a vet but has never flown since. He's otherwise happy. He's older I"m guessing 6ish as I got him off craiglist. If your not sure what the deal is I wouldn't breed from him. I also wouldn't personally use him for breeding as that takes a lot of energy out of them and I'd worry he wouldn't be up to it but that's my opinion on the matter. Even for "hobby" breeding it's best to breed the healthiest and best you have.

[ac12]

I think he is about 3 years old now.
I got him from PetSmart, so he could have a prior injury.

[lovezebs]

ac12
Does he flap his wings at all, or stretch them out? Have you ever had the opportunity to give him a quick exam, as in holding him and spreading one wing out, then the other to see what the problem might be?

~Elana~

[ac12]

Elana
He does flap his wings.
- As he climbs the wire mesh to the top perch or nest.
- As he hops up to the perches.

I had never thought to examine his wings.
But then I would not know what I was looking for.

[lovezebs]

ac12
If you get someone to help you, maybe take a few picture, you could post the pictures here. Then some of our expert finchers could look and maybe figure out what's wrong.

I was wondering what size cage/flight he's in. Does he have other birds with him? If he's on the upper perch, does he hop, climb down like a budgie, or does he manage to glide down?

I just find this curious and puzzled by what could be wrong with him....

Good luck with your little Socie.

~Elana~

[ac12]

Elana
He hops down.
But I can see him hesistating when he does that. He looks down, then leans forward and back, then backs off. It takes him a while to get down. Kinda like a controlled fall/hop. Definitely NOT flying.
Where as his cagemate justs flys to the other end of the 32 inch long cage.

[lovezebs]

ac12
If there is nothing physically wrong with him, is it possible that he was injured as a fledgling and never learned to fly, healed up, but still never learned ? I mean, is that even possible?

~Elana~

[Zebrafincher]

Finches can break their wings very easily. I had one of my star finches who did so when he was a year old. It healed (he was in a hospital cage for six weeks) but he was never able to fly again. He had a modified cage, with shorter, fatter perches he could get around on. Fruit lived to a ripe age of seven. He was a very sweet bird. This might have happend to your bird, but they do adapt really well. Good luck

Kind Regards

Zebrafincher
Proud owner of:
*Kevin aka “The Old Man” – very cranky canary – 13 years old and rules the Roost!
*Beaky aka “Beaky Beak” the Zebrafinch – 1 year old – and a real, real cutie!!!
*Merlin aka “Merl” the Starfinch – 3 ½ years old – and “bossy as anything for such a small fry!”