Bedtime!!

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wannabe
Posts: 49
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:43 pm

Bedtime!!

Post by wannabe »

I'm having trouble getting my boy in his cage at night, he is in a new cage and new home as I adopted him.
I have succesfully got him in every night but not without a struggle,, finally he will step up on the right part of my hand so I can hold his feet gently and put him in...
Do you think this will get better as he gets used to us and he gets used to his new cage?
I removed anything I thought was scary in it and he will quite happily perch on it most of the day (just wont go in it).
I have loaded it up with treats the last two nights so that he knows when he gets put in that there are yummie veggies and fruits for him to have... he does love his food so I am hoping it will only be a matter of time before he will happily go in by himself...
What are my chances? lol
Right now I am at the place where I believe he should go in his cage at night our other bird is in his cage at night...
It is so hard though I feel bad having him fly off my head, arm whatever everytime I get him near the cage I do this basically until he's tired and steps up just right... I dont' want him to hate me over this.
Perhaps I need to give it time and not force him in??? (leave him out maybe all night until he decides he is ok with it enough to go in)
What do you think?
pinkdevil
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Location: Central West NSW Australia
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Post by pinkdevil »

I would just persevere with what you are doing with the food rewards for going into the cage. It will take time for him to associate the cage is a good place to be.

I guess like all birds, he will prefer to be out rather than in so just give him time, I am sure he will come around :)

When you put him back in his cage, do you leave the room so he is alone? If so, maybe you could try and sit with him and give him treats through the cage and chat to him so he doesn't feel everytime he is put to bed you leave him straight away. Don't know if that will work or not. Just an option.

Another thing, do you put him back in his cage everytime he is on your hand? He would remember everytime he is on you that you will put him back in the "dungeon" :lol: and take off. Or do you have the same routine at bedtime? I believe birds pick up on body language and your routine and know what is comming next. Maybe you could change what you do so that he doesn't know bedtime is comming :)

I feed my aviary birds there "afternoon snack" around 3-4pm. So when they hear that back door open around that time, it's on for young and old lol, yet I can go out there during the day and only the Sun Conures make their chants everyone else is quiet.
Maybe if it is possible you could vary "bedtime" time.

Dunno...just some suggestions you might like to try.

Good luck


:)
Lene
Posts: 289
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2007 7:33 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Post by Lene »

Most wild birds eat their main meal in the mornings... A good time to introduce new foods...

As for going into their cages at night, I would put them back several times during the day with a great treat, and let them back out straight away...

Also I would no teach them a cue that they're now going to stay there for several hours...

:D 8) :shock:
Cheers

Lene
wannabe
Posts: 49
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:43 pm

Post by wannabe »

Thanks for your responses!

His background is he used to be out of his cage when ever he wanted then the families circumstances changed and he was kept in the basement in his fairly small cage.
So naturally I guess now he has his freedom again the last thing he wants is to be in a cage again.
We have spent 1 hour trying to get him to step up again on our finger now that he was 'touched' by me holding him down he is having non of it.. :(
We then spent 2 hours to get him to step up on a (loose) perch and finally with food in one hand he was quite happy to not only step up on the stick but to move and eat on it as well as we walked around.
Then we got him over to the cage on the stick and after a few attempts he went in, we left the doors open and he got to eat his yummies he likes to whistle into the inside of a big bell we have in there too because it makes his voice sound more manly.. lol...
(I agree about the bulk of his meal definately should be in the morning which is why I hated stocking his cage up in the evening in the hopes he would go in)
So I think my next post might be how do I get him out of his cage..
:lol:

But seriously when he does decide to come out (he's still in and eating and checking things out) we will give him a half hour of free time and then try the stick and putting him back in again (door open)

I told my husband to go sit with him because he had abandoned him when he got him in (I was upstairs) so he is now sitting with him and having a chat....

Thanks everyone I know it takes time, luckily we have quiet a lot of time to give him so we should be good .... :D
wannabe
Posts: 49
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:43 pm

Post by wannabe »

Tonight he went in all by himself :D I think part of it may have been he has difficulty getting into it as the bars are vertical and his original little cage was horizonal, but I put a perch on the door sticking out (one of those with a bar screw) yesterday and so I am assuming he hopped on that and then in onto his apple branch... I wasn't there to witness the event though my son told me he was in his cage while I was making the beds.. wish I had seen it!!
Lene
Posts: 289
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2007 7:33 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Post by Lene »

Well done! Sometimes it's the smallest thing which makes all the difference...
Cheers

Lene
pinkdevil
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Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:35 pm
Location: Central West NSW Australia
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Post by pinkdevil »

Good one.

Glad all worked out in the end


:)
Amazonite
Posts: 390
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:31 pm

Post by Amazonite »

I think after a while he might tuck himself into his bed, when Amazon gets tired he goes to his cage and climbs onto a back rope when i go to bd i go the the cage and say night and start closing the door he runs up helps close the door and sits on a front rope he then puts his beak though the bars for his kiss, i kiss him and say night night baby again and then i turn off the light and go to bed.

So as someone said i guess a routine will get the better of them later on

Good luck, glad to see your making progress
Sharlene and Amazon
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