Ask Lafeber

My cockatiel suddenly has difficulty flying.

Hello, I am starting to notice that my cockatiel can’t fly well. Yesterday I noticed he was struggling to fly and was using more energy to fly. Today he isn’t flying at all and when he is, he can’t fly high, maybe 2 or 3 feet off the ground for a couple of seconds. He’s around 13/14 weeks old.

Hi,

Unfortunately it sounds like he is sick, and probably very sick. You need to take him to an avian vet as soon as possible to try to find out what is wrong and have him treated.

Take care,

Brenda