I let Ringo out for a fly about tonight and now he is sitting on my center light refusing to get in and every time I approach him he flies about and then lands back in the same place!! I am now ready to go to bed and he has no intention of going back despite putting his favorite foods in his cage!! He in't hand tame so won't step up to my hand.
Thanks
Hayley
Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Moderator: Mods
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Maybe you can take away all the food, put the lights out, go to bed and just get up with the dawn's early light? Put the food in the cage and step back with your fingers crossed?
-MissK
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
He'll go back in eventually.. the fact that you're trying to make him go in is why he won't go...
I -still- have this trouble with my bird that I've had for 2 years... difference is your bird is scared whereas mine is just a brat.
I think food is the key though... and it was probably a bit too soon to let him out. But it's done, ... so... again... food.. he's not gonna dive right in.. he's probably mostly scared right now.. you're gonna have to let him spend the night out.. figure out where he's going to post up for the night.. put a towel or whatever under him to collect the waste (or be prepared to clean up tomorrow).. and put an abundance of his very favorite stuff in that cage and just leave him be
I -still- have this trouble with my bird that I've had for 2 years... difference is your bird is scared whereas mine is just a brat.
I think food is the key though... and it was probably a bit too soon to let him out. But it's done, ... so... again... food.. he's not gonna dive right in.. he's probably mostly scared right now.. you're gonna have to let him spend the night out.. figure out where he's going to post up for the night.. put a towel or whatever under him to collect the waste (or be prepared to clean up tomorrow).. and put an abundance of his very favorite stuff in that cage and just leave him be
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
I would like to suggest that everyone with a not-so-tame bird lets their bird learn a separate-from-human cue for "treats are a-comin'!" so they can use that cue to call the bird into the cage remotely.
I know that wasn't really clear, so please let my example speak for me:
Rocky loves safflower seeds. Rocky eats from stainless steel dishes. When I drop a safflower seed into the stainless steel dish, it makes a lovely plink type sound. After I put several seeds in the bowl, I can jiggle it and get a nice shakey/rattley sound. This sound gets Rocky's attention almost every time -- I can't count the time he noticed a helium balloon and turned into a ceramic bird on the spot. NOW I know what a bird who's really hiding for his life in plain sight looks like. It was spooky how he just stopped moving in mid action. But I digress.
Even if Rocky is not wanting to return to his cage and won't step up, he will almost always respond to the safflower seeds shaking in the cup. I tell him I'm putting a treat in the cup, do that, give it a couple good shakes, place it in the cage and stand back. My next move is adding more treats to the cup and shutting the door.
I know that wasn't really clear, so please let my example speak for me:
Rocky loves safflower seeds. Rocky eats from stainless steel dishes. When I drop a safflower seed into the stainless steel dish, it makes a lovely plink type sound. After I put several seeds in the bowl, I can jiggle it and get a nice shakey/rattley sound. This sound gets Rocky's attention almost every time -- I can't count the time he noticed a helium balloon and turned into a ceramic bird on the spot. NOW I know what a bird who's really hiding for his life in plain sight looks like. It was spooky how he just stopped moving in mid action. But I digress.
Even if Rocky is not wanting to return to his cage and won't step up, he will almost always respond to the safflower seeds shaking in the cup. I tell him I'm putting a treat in the cup, do that, give it a couple good shakes, place it in the cage and stand back. My next move is adding more treats to the cup and shutting the door.
-MissK
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Okay this is a terrible method, but i have recently used it.... and I don't actually suggest it...
I was trying to get my bird to spend the night in his travel cage vs his day cage... (he hates the travel cage) ... to do so i actually had to turn out all the lights so it was pitch black in the house.
You have to understand the routine though... I turn out the lights around 10pm.. around 10:20pm he allows me to put him in his cage (no sooner.. it's like he knows what time it is) by having him step onto my finger from his "getting ready for bed" spot and then sending him to his cage. This is the only time of day that I can do this. Any other time and he calls foul and doesn't cooperate.
Anyway to get him into the travel cage I had all the lights turned out. This is also how i trained him to go to his current cage, which is a new cage. It took only two times for him to become 100% compliant (20 minutes after the lights are out)
I want to say a couple of very important things though.
1) I suspect this ultimately has a negative vibe to it so this is probably bad to even share.
2) keep a flash light handy. If he flies off in the dark he needs to see where he's going quickly.
in any case I suspect it may work in its own way across the board with birds... it's like how they will cover an animals head with a bag or a cloth to supposedly reduce stress.. maybe collecting your bird in the dark is the answer.... (find a better way, but in a pinch it might just work)
One other thing to think about... what if your house caught on fire? Mine did. And I was chasing an uncooperative bird around everywhere while smoke was filling up the room he was in... good times.
These birds have -got- to learn that they can be recalled to their cages at -any- moment.. not just when they want to.. or when a certain condition is met.. but at any time.
I was trying to get my bird to spend the night in his travel cage vs his day cage... (he hates the travel cage) ... to do so i actually had to turn out all the lights so it was pitch black in the house.
You have to understand the routine though... I turn out the lights around 10pm.. around 10:20pm he allows me to put him in his cage (no sooner.. it's like he knows what time it is) by having him step onto my finger from his "getting ready for bed" spot and then sending him to his cage. This is the only time of day that I can do this. Any other time and he calls foul and doesn't cooperate.
Anyway to get him into the travel cage I had all the lights turned out. This is also how i trained him to go to his current cage, which is a new cage. It took only two times for him to become 100% compliant (20 minutes after the lights are out)
I want to say a couple of very important things though.
1) I suspect this ultimately has a negative vibe to it so this is probably bad to even share.
2) keep a flash light handy. If he flies off in the dark he needs to see where he's going quickly.
in any case I suspect it may work in its own way across the board with birds... it's like how they will cover an animals head with a bag or a cloth to supposedly reduce stress.. maybe collecting your bird in the dark is the answer.... (find a better way, but in a pinch it might just work)
One other thing to think about... what if your house caught on fire? Mine did. And I was chasing an uncooperative bird around everywhere while smoke was filling up the room he was in... good times.
These birds have -got- to learn that they can be recalled to their cages at -any- moment.. not just when they want to.. or when a certain condition is met.. but at any time.
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
This will take time so isn't really a quick fix, but you should try stick training first. Our three adoptees/rescues won't let us touch them but will ride a stick all over the house. Weird...they are afraid of phalanges, but will ride a stick that appears kind of finger-like, but really long. Weird fids.
Anyway, that would be my suggestion.
Dana
Anyway, that would be my suggestion.
Dana
~Dana
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
So how did this turn out?
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hayleyandringo
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:39 am
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Hi All
Thank you for all your replies and support.
Well, I am pretty tired today as it was after 1am when I finally got him to co-operate! In the end I just left his cage open put a couple of grapes in and turned off the lights and whern I checked him at 4am he was back in again!!
I think it is safe to say that I will wait until he is more tame and less scared before I do that again!
He just seems so nervous at the moment but I am talking to him all the time, leaving the radio on for him when I am at work and he does pay attention to me.
But he does has a habit of turning his back on me and other people who walk up close to his cage and talk to him?
I know it will get better and takes time and patience!
By the way? Donovan What happened regarding the free flying parakeet and the house fire??
Dana your post made me laugh! I was trying everything to get him to step up to no avail but your right a big piece of wood compared to a digit does seem pretty different!!
Thanks everyone!
Hayley xx
Thank you for all your replies and support.
Well, I am pretty tired today as it was after 1am when I finally got him to co-operate! In the end I just left his cage open put a couple of grapes in and turned off the lights and whern I checked him at 4am he was back in again!!
I think it is safe to say that I will wait until he is more tame and less scared before I do that again!
He just seems so nervous at the moment but I am talking to him all the time, leaving the radio on for him when I am at work and he does pay attention to me.
But he does has a habit of turning his back on me and other people who walk up close to his cage and talk to him?
I know it will get better and takes time and patience!
By the way? Donovan What happened regarding the free flying parakeet and the house fire??
Dana your post made me laugh! I was trying everything to get him to step up to no avail but your right a big piece of wood compared to a digit does seem pretty different!!
Thanks everyone!
Hayley xx
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Well after he banged into a wall, fell behind an entertainment center and had half his tail feathers pulled out mid flight by me I finally caught him and shoved him into his cage and got him out and away from all the smoke.
To make things bad the smoke alarm was going nuts and the power went out so it was pretty chaotic
To make things bad the smoke alarm was going nuts and the power went out so it was pretty chaotic
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Ok, so ringo is obviously willing to go to his cage. I think you can continue this and he should learn the routine. Try just letting him out with no interaction. He might stay at his cage. Put some treats on top of the cage or wherever before he comes out. If he ends up flying off just let him do it without trying to catch him or make him do anything that he doesn't want to do. When bedtime is near just dim the lights and sounds. Chances are (as long as he can see) he'll go back to his cage pretty soon.
When he does, don't spring up to shut him in or he will avoid going into the cage at bedtime simply to avoid that moment you spring up to scare the crap out of him. So when he goes in give him time to relax and then casually go there to shut him in.
But first work on letting him come out without him having to worry about getting harassed.
When he does, don't spring up to shut him in or he will avoid going into the cage at bedtime simply to avoid that moment you spring up to scare the crap out of him. So when he goes in give him time to relax and then casually go there to shut him in.
But first work on letting him come out without him having to worry about getting harassed.
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
It is my understanding, as Rocky explained it to me, that when they turn their back on you it is to help them feel that you are not there.
-MissK
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hayleyandringo
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:39 am
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Ooh is that good or bad thing Missk?
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Well, I am going to say it's a good thing because it sends a clear message to the human and communication is always a good thing when it's coming from your bird. I suggest when the bird does it that you give him some space. My bird almost never does this anymore, and when he does it is always when I have kept him up too late. When I see it I just put down whatever I'm doing, shut off the light, and leave the room. In the past, before we had the relationship we have now, he did this more frequently. I even saw him do it once when I put him too close too soon next to a strange Ringneck at that Ringneck's house. Maybe you will be able to discover what prompts your bird to do this and then easy up on whatever that is. I bet your bird will also stop doing it as he gets more comfortable in your home.
-MissK
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
I'm curious Hayley, how long have you had this bird and how old is he?
I ask because I only had my bird for a few days and I let mine out today. I'm a novice with these birds and mine isn't hand tame either.
I ask because I only had my bird for a few days and I let mine out today. I'm a novice with these birds and mine isn't hand tame either.
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hayleyandringo
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:39 am
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
He is 7 months old. I have only had him a week so he is getting used to our crazy household!!
Re: Help Ringo won't go back in his cage!
Ah, I was told mine is 5months old so they're near enough the same age. Mine has been out the cage twice today, and went back in on his own accord both times to get to some apple I planted in his dish. I don't think he has flown before- one lap round the lounge and he was puffing like a pilchard. He was fairly clumsy at first too but he has the hang of landing now. I should spy on your progress so I can compare it to mine.