Baby Conure Flying

[jane19]

I just got a sun conure recently. It is 8 weeks old and always wanting to hop on my shoulder from day one. Yesterday in attempt to find me in the house via trying to fly through a closed door ( I think that's what happened) it broke two tail feathers on a hard landing ( or just simply falling). I got a vet to pluck out the bleeding feathers now there is an empty patch on its bum

This is not going to stop it flying though, I believe if it has to learn to fly the hard way so be it. I could be one of those bad owners regarded by some but oh well, it would probably prefer die flying than stuck in a tiny cage (with other three birds without space to stretch its wings or even to preen!) for the rest of its life. I can just tell by how eager it wants to get onto my shoulder even after the painful experience at the vet

It's still a timid little thing. I hope it will gain some confidence once it can fly at a reasonable standard.

[Dbeguy]

I'm glad to hear your Conure hasn't lost any enthusiasm!
Hopefully you've already dealt with some of the worst hazards: ceiling fans, windows, mirrors, etc.

[janetafloat]

That's great that you're keeping your bird flighted. It's very young though and too young be left unsupervised, and you should be in the same room when it's out. It's just a baby and is bound to become anxious if you're out of sight and will try and fly after you.

[jane19]

>Dbeguy

My house is bird-proof. Already showed the new bird mirrors, walls, glasses etc. I always get the bird to tap on those things themselves when they first arrive (if they don't want to be near my hands I'll still tap and show them anyway). After that even my cockatiel won't fly into those when he's frightened. No hard-to-clean curtains or ceiling fans to poop on where birds are.

>janetafloat

The baby conure has been in quarantine room on the cage top unsupervised most of the time (I'm sure mother bird doesn't keep her eye on one fledgling 24/7). It only got better at flying and not much crashing today. It ate heaps after a whole day of exploring and chewing.
(*strongly suggest everyone to supervise your birds when they are not in the cage! Unless you are confident with you bird and have a strong heart.)
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So my next question is, I can't find much info on how a fledgling's flying skill should progress. So I'm not quite sure whether mine is ahead or behind? My cockatiel is a parent reared aviary bird, he came fully flighted and was pretty good at small space maneuvers. In comparison the baby conure is kinda retarded, only flies up (it can fly from my feet to my head) and unable to descend for more than 1m within 3m length which is limited by the size of the room, can't turn neither. And the breeder told me it could fly at 7 weeks... (I think he meant it could flap its wings and perhaps get some lift if its lucky) So really I have no frame of reference here on how it should progress according to its age/species etc. I would appreciate any help!