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Cockatiel does not want to fly

Recently my 20 year old cockatiel does not want to fly. I leave the cage door open when I am at home, and he used to come out and fly around. I try to encourage him to fly but with no success. At a check up recently my avian vet said he was a bit overweight - he only weighs 4ozs. I am trying to reduce his weight and have cut out the usual cockatiel mix with sunflower seed, oats, etc., I have been giving him canary seed along with budgie seed, I buy the packet of budgie seed for the added vitamins. He doesn`t always take the apple,carrot,brocolli I put in his cage but will always take a cornflake, I only give him one a day. I checked his weight and he is still the same. What is best to do so that he gets some exercise?

A cockatiel that weighs 4 ounces is approximately 120 grrams. Very likely, your bird is overweight, as you have suggested. I would recommend that you work with your veterinarian to formulate a weight reduction plan that incorporates enrichment of activity (foraging, etc) in combination with a functional reduction of calorie consumption per day. It is probably a bit too intrusive and less appropriate to “force” your bird to fly, as stated.

About Brian Speer, DVM

Avian veterinarian Dr. Brian Speer was raised in a small town on California’s coast. He received his BS in Biology from California Polytechnic State University in 1978, and his DVM degree from the University of California at Davis in 1983.

An active member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV), Dr. Speer is a much sought after guest speaker and has presented at numerous conferences in the avicultural and zoological communities both within the United States and abroad. He is well published in the AAV annual proceedings, has served as guest editor for the journal Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine, the Veterinary Clinics of North America, and authored chapters in several recent veterinary medical texts on pet bird, avicultural and ratite medical topics. In 1995 he co-authored the extensive avicultural reference, The Large Macaws, and helped to co-author Birds for Dummies in 1999.

Since 1989, Dr, Speer has run a “bird’s only” practice in the San Francisco Bay area and is the President and Director of The Medical Center for Birds. He is a consultant for The Veterinary Information Network (Avian Medical Boards) and the Maui Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. In 2003 he was the recipient of the Lafeber award for excellence in private practice of avian medicine and surgery and in 2006, was named Speaker of the Year for the North American Veterinary Conference.