Hi all!
It's been a while since I've been on here and it's crazy and amazing to see all the Alex owners and the gorgeous pictures!
So I have a bit of a question, Bert will be 2 in October and I have had him (so the pet store said) since he was about 10 weeks old. When I bought him the store had clipped his wings way too high up and he has never been able to fly/glide, he just plummets and falls hard (which breaks my heart). Last year he tried to fly out of his cage (door is always open when I'm home) and crashed on the floor and broke one of his flight/blood feathers, a scene worthy of a horror movie ensued. Blood spattered up the walls as he flapped his wings, the more I freaked out, the more he freaked out (blood makes me feel faint and sick). It was awful! We took him to the vet and they put him under to pluck the rest of the feather as cauterizing didn't stop the bleeding. We were given pain relief for him, as a part of an effort to discourage him chewing/plucking the new feather coming through.
But since then he started barbering all the flight feathers on his right side and then started his left side. So now it's habit, he has no flight feathers at all, each moult the rest of the feather beneath his skin comes out, his new ones come in and he proceeds to chew them off. I know it's painful, there's blood and every now then a painful squawk as he flaps or rearranges his wings.
My point is, that he is so uncoordinated! He falls over all the time, when out of his cage he falls forward on to his beak, falls off perches, can't balance and I say to myself he's only young and he doesn't have the feathers which I know help with balance so maybe when he is older he will be more okay and coordinated. But I see younger Alex's and they are so agile and get around their cage so well, which Bert has never been able to.
So I guess I just want advice and opinions, I am beginning to think he is suffering from a permanent concussion. During the night when I'm in bed, it is not uncommon to hear a *flutter flutter flutter CLUNK* as he falls from a perch to the bottom of his cage.
I should also mention, he is still making all his sooky baby noises, with no signs of adult noises or saying words, he is curious but not busting out of his pants curious and not interested in training for treats, if he has to try hard, he usually just gives up. It seems he has the mentality of the 10 week old baby I bought home.
Mind you, I don't mind as much. He can stay my baby forever and it could never make me love him any less!
Sorry this is so long! But I would appreciate opinions and others experiences
None of this makes me second guess being his Mum, he totally lovable and one of a kind, but I am curious!
It's been a while since I've been on here and it's crazy and amazing to see all the Alex owners and the gorgeous pictures!
So I have a bit of a question, Bert will be 2 in October and I have had him (so the pet store said) since he was about 10 weeks old. When I bought him the store had clipped his wings way too high up and he has never been able to fly/glide, he just plummets and falls hard (which breaks my heart). Last year he tried to fly out of his cage (door is always open when I'm home) and crashed on the floor and broke one of his flight/blood feathers, a scene worthy of a horror movie ensued. Blood spattered up the walls as he flapped his wings, the more I freaked out, the more he freaked out (blood makes me feel faint and sick). It was awful! We took him to the vet and they put him under to pluck the rest of the feather as cauterizing didn't stop the bleeding. We were given pain relief for him, as a part of an effort to discourage him chewing/plucking the new feather coming through.
But since then he started barbering all the flight feathers on his right side and then started his left side. So now it's habit, he has no flight feathers at all, each moult the rest of the feather beneath his skin comes out, his new ones come in and he proceeds to chew them off. I know it's painful, there's blood and every now then a painful squawk as he flaps or rearranges his wings.
My point is, that he is so uncoordinated! He falls over all the time, when out of his cage he falls forward on to his beak, falls off perches, can't balance and I say to myself he's only young and he doesn't have the feathers which I know help with balance so maybe when he is older he will be more okay and coordinated. But I see younger Alex's and they are so agile and get around their cage so well, which Bert has never been able to.
So I guess I just want advice and opinions, I am beginning to think he is suffering from a permanent concussion. During the night when I'm in bed, it is not uncommon to hear a *flutter flutter flutter CLUNK* as he falls from a perch to the bottom of his cage.
I should also mention, he is still making all his sooky baby noises, with no signs of adult noises or saying words, he is curious but not busting out of his pants curious and not interested in training for treats, if he has to try hard, he usually just gives up. It seems he has the mentality of the 10 week old baby I bought home.
Mind you, I don't mind as much. He can stay my baby forever and it could never make me love him any less!
Sorry this is so long! But I would appreciate opinions and others experiences
None of this makes me second guess being his Mum, he totally lovable and one of a kind, but I am curious!
