african grey crash landing

Question
Hi, I have had my 13 week old African Grey for 5 days, the shop I bought him from had him out on a play stand for the day and he played there quite happily and did not try to fly away (he has had his wings clipped).  However, when I take him out at hime to put him on the play stand, he will try and fly down but crash lands. I am worried he is going to seriously injure himself and also worried that his wings may have been clipped too short (I can't tell).  Is there a way of training him to stay on the perch like he did on the pet shop or shoudl I let him fly down if he wants to? He seems quite happy with me and if anything will try to fly towards me if I am not stood near him.  Not sure if this is maybe an insecurity as he is in a new home and if he will grow out of it when he settles in.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Answer
Lyndsay, congratulations on your new companion! Thank you for caring this much too. Your grey is still pretty young and he may have been clipped too early rather than too much. We like to see a bird fledge (learn to fly) before clipping them because it helps with their confidence and 'emotional' development.
 It should still be fine as long as you try to avoid those crash landings. When you notice him ready to make a flight (he'll bob his head and hold his wings out slightly), try to get to him, hold your arm out and help him land there.  Our birds don't fly, but they 'think' they are - we get close enough so that they're "flight" is just a hop off the perch to our arm.
 
 Also, remember that when he was on his perch in the store, he had many challenges and interests with people coming in and out, other birds, etc.. A bird just standing on a perch will get awfully bored if there's nothing to do there and no challenges for their constantly developing and learning brains.
 African Greys are one of the very smartest birds in the bird kingdom! The smarter the bird, the more they need in their lives.  Puzzles, foraging, toys, chewing and so on.

 Take a look at my site and how we keep ours happy, plus the way their homes are set up

 www.4AnimalCare.org  (click on 'birds')

Again, congratulations!  Your new companion should be with you for 60+ years to come!