society that can't fly

alwaysfullofjoy · Post by **alwaysfullofjoy** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:24 pm

Let start with Mo is not a breeder. I got him for a companion for my other society after I lost my hen (cat attack my fault I didn't take the cat to bed with me like I always do). When I picked him out he was in a small cage with several other birds. We had been messing with them (trying to catch different ones) so when he was easy to catch I noted it but thought he was just tired. I brought him home and he has been in a small breeder cage for a month. The cage is only 14" high so I never noticed a problem.

This weekend I put both societies in the big flight. Took note that Mo was on the bottom of the cage. Said something to hubby, he inturn puts Mo up on the hook on the plant in the cage. Mo set there for two hours. I went in and opened the cage door and he took off. I'm sure what he thought was a take off more like an ungraceful fall. I really started looking at him. Why I didn't notice this sooner I don't know. His wings are like stubs. The feathers are there and fully formed but very short. It almost looks like someone cliped his wings but there is no way that happened.

I'm leaving him in the flight with the other birds. They don't pick on him. We made him a ramp so he can get up off of the cage floor. He does "hop" better than he did three days ago but no flight. He isn't out of shap his wings are just short. If I notice that he is having a hard time I will take him out of the flight but for now he is happy. He sings to me everytime I see him.

Question is there somthing I can do for him to help his feathers grow in right or am I just SOL and the little guy will always be special? Like I said he is happy and over all health is good. It is just sad having a bird that can't get enough lift to get more than eight inches off the ground.

Any thoughts?

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:52 pm

I wonder if this bird has recently completed a hard molt. Is it only the wing feathers or are the tail feathers short also? One of my canary hens lost all her tail feathers last time she molted and as they grew in they were stubby. She had a hard time flying til they grew back completely.

That's my 2 cents.

alwaysfullofjoy · Post by **alwaysfullofjoy** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:08 pm

His tail is a little short and maybe it was just a hard molt. He has been in my care for over a month now and he hasn't molted in the time he has been with me. Maybe he had just completed on and is still in the process of regrowing the new feathers.

He did make it from his ramp to the silo feeder. I have a smaller platform type feeder closer to the ground but haven't seen him use it. Today I saw him make it from the ramp to the swing about a foot away. He's been eye balling the swing. I think he's going to try a jump to it next. He makes his way up the wire mesh to be closer to it but its a moving target he's not ready to try that yet. He is getting around better the longer he is in there. He is adapting and its not an overly huge flight cage.

I'm just going to have to give him some time and see how it goes.

Thank you for the imput.

TammyS · Post by **TammyS** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:06 am

I have noticed with some birds that it does take awhile for them to adjust moving from a smaller cage to a larger cage. They need time to build up strength to reach the higher perches in the flight.

Just make sure that you have food and water accessible to them in the lower parts of the cage and in time they will be able to fly up to the top perch.

Plus, if the bird is missing some of its tail feathers, it may still be completing it's molt - which may also explain its inability to fly well. It is sometimes hard to tell when Society finches are molting - except for the abundance of small feathers in the cage.

alwaysfullofjoy · Post by **alwaysfullofjoy** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:14 pm

Little update on Mo. He still is flightless but does get around the cage quite well now. It took him a while and a shop vac to get him to go to the perches from the cage side. I was cleaning the cage and he was on his ramp and got scard and he made it to one of the upper perches. There was no lift just one hell of a jump.

His feathers are in bad shape because he goes all over the cage on the sides of it. I don't think that my societies are molting right now. They are in a large flight though so it would be hard to tell. I haven't seen any small feathers outside of the zebra feathers.

We have desided that if Mo never flies thats fine. He seems to be a very happy little bird that just can't go every where the other birds go. He has a plant that he plays with in the bottom of the cage and it is a lot of fun to watch him climb all over it. Its a very large fern. The other birds have no problems with him. In fact they never give him hell he is able to sit with anyone in the flight without getting booted off the perch. None of the other birds get this treatment.

We will see maybe he will molt again and beautiful fully formed feathers will be there. I'll keep you posted.