Is falling off perch normal?

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

My Carlos fell off his perch and hit the bottom of his cage... he appears fine, he got back up but I am worried... Is he okay? This has made the 3rd time he's fallen, two times he fell when I went to buy him a few days back. :O I don't want to lose him, I am freaking out... I am such a worry wort.

JerseyWendy · Feb 10, 2016

Was he playing? Climbing around? My Sam sometimes falls when he gets carried away with a toy. He's never worse for the wear though.

Now if Carlos falls for absolutely no apparent reason, then I would highly recommend getting him to an avian vet ASAP.

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

He was on his perch and he saw me and opened his mouth as if to bite, but he like fell off and hit the bottom but it didn't seem that hard at least I hope not anyway. He got back up and started playing and eating as if nothing happened, but I am worried. Then again when I first got him and the lady was selling him to me, he got scared and fell... So this must not be the first time. Also the little girl the lady had said when he falls she picks him up. :O

I just don't want to lose him and I worry so much over all my babies.

JerseyWendy · Feb 10, 2016

What type of perch(es) is he falling off of? Does he have all his toes and nails? Does he have a good, firm grip?

I understand why he may fall off if he gets scared, and tries to get away in a hurry. Just move around him slowly until he's comfy and at ease in his cage and new home.

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

Yes he has all toes and nails, the perches are natural wood for big birds. He usually have firm grip. Do you think he's okay?

JerseyWendy · Feb 10, 2016

Yes, I think he should be all right.

How long have you had Carlos? Is he tame? Will he step on your hand (yet)?

Like I said, my goofy DYH sometimes takes a tumble. He always lands on his feet, always climbs right back up and continues playing rather rough (mostly dangling by one toe nail - upside down :30

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

He is tame and he does step up, but he has been acting weird as if he don't want to leave his cage... He wants to bite me if I try to get him out, so I am at a loss for what to do. I love him so I could never abandon him but, I want him to be able to play out sometimes...
When he falls I think not positive but it looked like he landed on his side, I worry too much...

JerseyWendy · Feb 10, 2016

My best advice would be to take him out as much as possible. Then close the cage so he can't go right back in. Some Amazons can become a tad bit obsessed with their cage, not wanting to come out, as they can do as they please in there. It's also called 'cage aggression'. You are taking him out of his comfort zone, and he may act out.

Rewards (via treats) work wonders.

Teaching him the basic 'step up' and 'step down' is also important.

A play area away from the cage may be a good idea. We have lots of DIY ideas on here. Let me see if I can find some: Check out this thread, there are links within. http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/59899-diy-training-stand.html

As for Carlos falling, keep a close eye on him. If he seems unbalanced, weak, drowsy, or off in any way, get him to an avian vet.

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

Thank you, I lowered his perches and toys so incase he does happen to fall he will be way less likely to get hurt. See when I bought him the ladies little daughter perhaps around 5 years old said that when Carlos falls she would pick him up, so he has fell prior. Anyway I was giving him a shower because he smelled like urine from his old home and I noticed when he would try to fly that one wing drooped over the other. Upon taking him out and giving him a closer look I noticed one wing just don't match the other, I wonder if it's cracked or broke from repeated falls from his past family? Either way he appears healthy other than that, so I will be taking him to a vet ASAP, my husband said that Carlos seems happy but he agreed a vet is what we should do. I will get Carlos a complete physical.

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

PS. My bird has been shivering lately sometimes, is this a concern? thanks.

littleredhen77 · Feb 10, 2016

im not of much help but i would like to send good vibes your way! i really hope your bird checks out ok at the vets! the only falling experience i have has been occasional night frights with my cockatiel Jake, and once or twice when something has scared him off his perch. there has been 2 times over the past 18 years where hes fallen and i think he gave himself a slight concussion, i held him while he got over what seemed like dizziness. but after 10 minutes or so hes been back to his normal self! also, i dont know what youre referring to when you say his wings do not match, is it more than just the tips over-lapping?

regardless, i really hope everything works out ok for you! hopefully hes just scared easily and once he gets used to your home he wont fall so much!

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

It's hard to explain but one wing appears full and rounded normally, whereas the other one has a slight indent like a bend in it, it's hard to explain. I don't think this is new, because the lady said he fell many times which made me sad to hear. I don't think they had the money to take him to the vet at all, but I plan to get him an appointment asap.

wrench13 · Feb 10, 2016

On the wing, might just be a poorly done clipping. The vet will tell you. Try not to worry so much, parrots pick up on our vibes.

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

You're right I should definitely relax, I been worried since I got him.

littleredhen77 · Feb 10, 2016

indeed you should try to relax, if his falling has been happening for awhile, and he seems to be able to hold his wing ok and isnt in pain, then just focus on making him happy and getting him used to his new loving home

please update with whatever they tell you! best of luck!

JosephNAsenath · Feb 10, 2016

Thanks for all the quick replies it means a lot! I will definitely keep you all posted! If all goes according to plan I hope I can get him a vet appointment first thing tomorrow! If I do I will let everyone know the details!

henpecked · Feb 11, 2016

Welcome to the forum. How old is he? Yes, falling can be a sign of health issues in older birds.

JosephNAsenath · Feb 11, 2016

Mini update; I got an appointment for a vet today, so this is good news and hopefully the checkup turns out good. It's about $60 for the checkup, anything else will cost additional. So I am gathering up money now and preparing everything. It's all worth it to know what may be wrong, hopefully nothing of course.

Keep Carlos in your thoughts.

PS. Joseph is only 7 years old so he is pretty young for a amazon.

JerseyWendy · Feb 11, 2016

WOW, that's pretty awesome that you got him in so quickly. Is this an exotics vet or an avian specialist?

One more question: The person you bought Carlos from, was she absolutely certain of his age? Did she have a hatch certificate? I'm only asking because unfortunately many people sell large parrots and falsify their age. Since it's next to impossible to visually tell a parrot's age, they get away with it.

How big of a cage is Carlos in? Is the bar spacing appropriate for him? Many well meaning people stick their larger birds in a flight cage meant for smaller birds. Even though the cage 'may' be big enough for a larger bird, the thickness of the cage bars, and the craftsmanship of those flight cages are not meant to be occupied by larger birds.

Birdman666 · Feb 11, 2016

It's hard to say.

I don't know your bird the way you do.

Falling off a perch can be a sign of a neurological problem, or it could be just a leaned a bit too far when lunging and lost my balance issue... (Nobody saw that! I'm pretending it didn't happen.)

Is his weight holding steady? Is he eating and drinking normally? Are there any other signs of illness? If so, I'd call a vet. If not, I'd keep an eye on it, but wouldn't worry too much.

Is falling off perch normal?

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