Hi all,
Thanks to the great info on this forum topic, our Congo African Grey started flying yesterday.
Despite having all her feathers, after years of falling like a rock and getting many minor injuries, she was convinced she couldn't fly.
Another factor is that even though I'm home all day and she's always out of her cage, she is super lazy and doesn't really play with toys. She just sits in one spot all day long other than a minute or two of clicker training. Since we got here, she has gone from 380 g to 424 g--she's definitely pudgy. (She eats Feeding Feathers mash, Harrison's, and a few seeds, nut pieces and yogurt). That's one reason I've been desperate for her to fly--so she can burn off some of those clicker-training treat calories.
I started yesterday using the two perch method on this forum, and moving them apart until she had to flap once to cross. After a few minutes, she was flying about 18 inches. Today, we worked up from 6" to about 3 feet. But it takes TONS of encouragement, food bribes waved in the air, etc. to get her to launch off the perch. After about ten practices, I quit for the day, not wanting her to be too tired and fall or not make it to the second perch.
How can I tell how much is too much when we're practicing? Should I keep going until she's panting? Until she refuses? Quit after just one or two short "hops"? How much should I expect from a bit fat bird that hasn't flown in 3 years? I had expected she could pretty much fly a mile right off the bat. In fact, will she only be able to fly a few feet a day at first? Or is she just jerking me around trying to hold out for the big bribes? In the first week would it be realistic to expect her to be able to fly around the whole apartment in flighted recalls, or is that months in the future?
Thanks,
Sharon