Clumbsy Baby

[mstomcat65]

Hi, it's been almost a week since I got my new baby. I have decided to call her Lacey. :) She has been doing really good, we can go by her cage and she tolerates that pretty well. She isn't interesting in stepping up yet in or out of her cage but does always want to get away from me either. I have been opening up her cage door to let her come out and play and just yesterday has figured out how to get to the top of the cage. She's pretty proud of herself too!! lol. My question is, at 4 months old when does the clumbsyness go away? I watch her like a hawk, but i'm also afraid she's going to get hurt too. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Marti

p.s. sorry if this seems like a silly question

[linda040899]

The clumsiness is usually gone once they can fly expertly. However, there could be other factors that can have an influence on her balance. Is she missing any nails? Have her nails been filed? Youngsters, especially babies, have sharp nails and those are used for gripping. If filed, it can affect balance. What is the diameter of her perches? For lovebirds, perch diameter is usually 1/2" or 5/8" but it's also good to have varying diameters so the feet are not always in the same gripping position.

You have her in a cage but how was she housed at place of purchase? Some pet shops use glass enclosures with very low perches. Transitioning from that to a cage can cause balance/gripping problems. Have her flight feathers been clipped? If so, both wings alike or just one. If just one, the other wing needs to be trimmed to match the already clipped one. Wings are used for balance.

You've only had her a week so I suspect it's a transitioning problem. We simply need to identify that so we can give you the best answer to your question. :)

[mstomcat65]

thanks linda.... I was thinking it was the perches also so I got some smaller ones for her. i'm happy to know my instinct was right :)

[linda040899]

I could see the larger diameter perch in your avatar and I had a feeling that was the problem. She is so cute!!!

[mstomcat65]

I again linda, I think the cage the girls gave with lacey is probably a cockatiel cage so probably why the perches are so big in there. I left one of the wood perches in there and bought a rope perch. Do you think this size is better for her? pic is below

http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/mstomcat1965/media/SAM_0197_zps7521e9b8.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

thanks :)

[linda040899]

The rope perch is better because she can at least grip it with her nails. Smooth wooden dowels can be slippery and if they are too big, balance is affected. If you want to get a Manzanita perch, make sure the surface is roughed up. Manzanita is really slick!!!!

Cage bar spacing for Tiels is 3/4". For lovebirds, that spacing is 1/2" or 5/8". The cage appears to be good but I'm judging her size against the barring. I've seen lovies slip through 3/4" bar spacing........