What to do when they won't go back in the cage

As I wrote yesterday, Gloria decided to investigate her new cage. She liked it, staying in all day and showing no desire to go back into her old one. I opened the nesting box door and she climbed right out and onto the play top. She seemed to love it up there, flapping and playing like I've never seen her do. I imagine it's quite the feeling of freedom after being in the cage! The nesting box door was a nice way for her to get out as the cage door is too big and she won't go out that way with cats around.

That being said---Gloria still doesn't get on my hand or a stick so when bed time rolled around she seemed to think she was going to stay up on the play top. This was a problem. All attempts to bribe her back into her cage failed. Part of it, I think is that she is a bit klutzy and I'm not sure she figured out climbing backward over the play top rail to the little door. I lifted the play top off of the cage and held it to the open cage door but she proceeded to climb to the top of the cage again. After many attempts, I finally had to towel her and put her in the cage. I had never done that before and hated doing it. She was squawking and grabbed my hand with her beak. I found it interesting that the grab wasn't hard--probably an attempt to balance herself--as she didn't break the skin or bruise so I actually see this as progress (having been bitten the first week we had her). I guess it really wasn't a bite--more of a safety grab on her part.

Anyway--(sorry for the length of this--I want to do right by my old girl and need advice) I'd like to be able to let her out and wonder how to proceed. She zips up and down the ladders on the play top so I thought I might get a bird ladder and attach it to the side of the cage, extending up past the play top rail so she can see it to climb down. Any other advice would be very helpful as I'm a bit apprehensive of letting her out today.

One more thing--the play top seems to be a great place for stick training. She has always pushed a stick away and reacted very negatively to it. Last night, I held the stick as an extension of the play top perch and offered her pine nuts--first getting one foot on the stick then after the third or fourth time, having her actually go about 3 or 4 inches onto the stick. If I moved the stick, she got scared. I guess I need to just work with this for a while and not lift the stick with her on it.

Thanks for any help!

IMO you did the right thing by toweling her and putting her inside. No harm done.

I really LOVE your cage and how you set it up!



Perhaps you could try to attach a boing from the playtop so that she can use it to easily climb back inside? Just an idea. Doesn't have to be rope, could be sisal, too.

I'd let her right back out today, and if you must, towel her again to put her back in her cage if she refuses.

I agree with Wendy.

You did the right thing by toweling her.
And next time, try showing her the towel, and stepping her up instead.

Give her a choice:

It's time for bed. Are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?

You might be pleasantly surprised at how nice and easily she steps up at that point.

I had to do that with my CAG when he gets that stubborn "I don't feel like it" streak going.

"Do I have to get my towel?" Is a phrase he knows in context. When he misbehaves... it usually calms him right down.

Awesome cage and set up. Toweling is just fine. She will soon learn.

Dopey said:

Awesome cage and set up. Toweling is just fine. She will soon learn.

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YEAH.

I forgot to mention, I really like that cage set up. All of mine, except Maggie, are in play tops as well.

I have a drop down door and release him to let him walk in himself if I have to use the towel. He fuffs (hisses) me but he's in safe and sound.

Have you a separate playstand/tree you could move nearer as an aid to getting in?

No separate play stand. Perhaps at a later date. All the ready made ones are too low. I have cats and wanted her to be high up. I can pick this play stand up off of the top which is what I did last night. She just grabbed onto the cage and climbed back up to the top of the cage Perhaps if I held the play stand lower that might help.

I'll let her out again today and we'll see what happens. She acted terrified of the towel, by the way. I don't know what her experiences have been with that. She has never stepped up for me. Don't know what her history is with this. I'm still amazed at how she didn't break my skin when she latched on. I'm really thinking it wasn't a "bite" but rather just holding on for safety since she didn't have anything under her feet.

Maybe a rope boingy would help. This is the first time she's had a rope perch at all (I put two different sizes in the cage) and she seems to like them. The java wood ones are a bit fat and she's not real sure footed on them so I wove the rope ones through so she could latch on to them. She spent 30 years in a cage with just two metal horizontal perches so this type of environment is still new to her. She seems to have been a well loved bird but I'm not sure how much attention she got as her mom got older. Thanks for the suggestions!

Definitely show him the towel. I toweled Buddy once and since as soon as I show him the towel hitch is when he doesn't want to cooperate, he runs to step up on my hand.

Great suggestions above for making it easier for Gloria to get back inside of the cage. Just in case the problem isn't with ability to get back in so much as desire, I'll tell you what I did.

95% of my birds' meals are offered inside of their cages. (The other 5% being treats and such.) This way, they came to view the inside of their cages as a good place where they can expect food when they're hungry. (I offer 2 main meals a day, and don't free feed.) Building on this, you can let her out of her cage between meals and, for the most part, have her go back in when it's time to eat. Hunger would be her incentive. Let her see the bowl and then put it in the cage.

In addition, you can work on her target and step up training in the meantime so that eventually you won't be constrained to a window between meals.

Btw, be careful with your cats and make sure Gloria's out time is supervised. They can climb up the sides of that cage quick as lightning if ever they're feeling particularly predatory. You likely already know this, but just putting it out there anyway.

Thanks! Good suggestions. I've been free feeding but Im thinking that her seed/pellet dish may be a good motivator if I take it out during the day. That's what prompted her to go in the new cage to begin with.

As far as my cats go, there's one that I worry about. If I'm not sitting right near the cage, then that cat goes upstairs as we have pocket doors to close off the stairway. She's young and has a strong prey drive. The other two are sort of old and usually aren't in the same room. I don't trust any of them though. One of the old guys was hanging out in the room yesterday when she was out and he got carried to the bathroom with me whenever I'd go.

Today I'll try putting the play stand perch up to the cage door to see if she makes the transition. I also won't put anything in the dishes on the stand. She did eat up there yesterday. I'd like her to eat in the cage.

My Amazon hates stepping up. He will do it if he gets in a jam (e.g., accidentally lands on the floor) but won't do it regularly. Still working on it.

But anyway, I can get him back into his cage, just by patting his favorite perch (inside the cage). I pat it a few times and show him a food reward that he only gets for this specific behavior (a honey nut cheerio). I also pull out his cage cover and slowly, gently start to put it on the cage. He scoots inside at this point and then gets praise and his nightly cheerio.

I agree, don't feed her outside the cage. She'll figure out how to get in and out. Couple of hours before bed time, shut the door to her food, she'll go in once you open the door back.

All three of ours have a shorter perch, either rope or concrete, attached to the door just above the half way mark. When the door is open for playtimes, they'll often go and rest on that perch...then I just have to shut the door and they're away

I have a short concrete perch in her old cage that I was thinking of putting on the door. I'll have to do that. It's the perfect size.