The need for out of cage experience?

I have read several times in several places that it is important that the parrot is given some time out of the cage each day. Does this apply to a new parrot who has not learned to step up? I would think "step up" is more important than getting outside of the cage. Otherwise, how does the parrot go back into the cage?

I guess I would like to hear more about why being outside of the cage is so important? If I am spending a lot of time with the parrot while she is inside the cage. She is not neglected or alone. She has already heard the complete reading of The Art of War by Sun Tzu. (OK, it is the thinnest book I own but it is a classic that applies to every day life.) Isn't the attention I m giving here enough? What consequences are there if I need a little time before I take her outside of the cage? :33:

Time outside of the cage is important because parrots aren't made to be confined 24/7. Yes work on step, but step up is a rather easy thing to teach a bird. Took less than an hour to teach Apollo it when he was a fresh baby.

But imagine if you were locked in your bedroom. You got all the food and water and what not you needed but you were never allowed to leave. You would go a little crazy wouldn't you?

Well, image yourself confined in a box, no new scenery, no real way to exercise, and only spoken to in a language you can't understand, no family or friends of your same species. When I imagine that I feel to guilty to leave them locked up.

I let my budgies out every day, and they don't step up. They go back into their cage on their own.

My rescue Penny took months to step up from inside her cage, but she would step up outside of her cage. I mostly let her out then work with her.

Maybe others have different ideas about training. But I would set up the top of the cage with toys, perches and treats dishes, and try working with them out of the cage.

ALL BIRDS NEED TIME OUT OF THE CAGE----THEY ARE BIRDS


In terms of when: it depends on the situation...out of cage time is huge (100% of the time), but you must also protect your new bird from his/herself/ the dangers in your home. A few hours a day is a bare minimum for birds in general...


It was a leap of faith for me---I got my bird (Umbrella Cockatoo) as an adult and she wouldn't step up for me, but I figured she would need to eat and drink at times. I let her come and go from her cage as she needed during the day and then at night, once she had established her cage as a "safe-place" (away from me and providing food etc), I shut off the lights and said "goodnight, love you, see you in the morning" repeatedly--I did this on a weekend, starting with the first day I had her home as an adult bird--not going to lie, it was super stressful not knowing when/if she would go in.... She always went in (but it wasn't the same time each night) and I shut the door+covered the cage. I did this for over 3 months without being able to pick up my flighted bird. She is totally awesome about going in and out now and she puts herself to bed around the same time each night without prompting (she also trusts me a ton now, and I her)....Obviously you know yours better than I do, so don't assume this is a sure thing, but do understand that you may have a few sleepless nights trying to figure out what works- birds must be allowed out. Make sure your environment is free of hazards and consider hanging a sheet with a shower tension rod if you need to confine the area further in order to prevent flying etc. Bottom line: birds need to feel free-ish...When I am home, mine is out (unless I cannot keep her safe, which is rare).

I tried to leave things up to my bird...You know, kind of like how "new age" parenting methods suggest that you can potty train a kid in one day if you spend the entire time with them while they aren't wearing a diaper...that level of devotion lol.

Parrots were always outside the cage, we're the only ones who try to change that. The bird is your friend not your prisoner

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Also--- a 2-5 year old child would never thrive in a cage, but a playpen may be used for short times---much as a crib may be used at night. A bird has the intelligence of a child and is built to fly...

I find it easier to train them to step-up and get them to trust you, when they are outside the cage and not clipped. Even if they don't step-up right away they go back into the cage on their own for the most part. Plus no one likes being lock up in a cage all day, they need time out as well and especially small birds which are usually more active like to fly around.

I agree--- cages are where people are bitten most. Away from the cage is more neutral (most often) and, therefore, makes training easier.
Lao Tzu might be a better philosopher for this experience--minus he whole training thing..lol..maybe a mix of the 2 philosophies would be helpful (Lao's and Sun's)...

OK, this is going to be a challenge as the bird's wings are clipped and the cage door sits 2.5 feet off the ground. I was told to get the biggest cage I could afford and I did. Today I did open the cage door while the cage was put next to a table that was almost flush with the cage door. I had the door open for about 2 hours but then I had to close it because I was leaving the room. She had no interest in leaving the cage during those 2 hours.

I do have a small perch on the table and will make that flush with the open cage tomorrow and see if she is interested in leaving the cage then. I will also open the cage top too. I am assuming that I should not force the bird to leave the cage, correct? This is a new home for her and it has only been 5 days since she got here. I think I let her make her own decisions unless I hear otherwise.

Thinking ahead, I do worry about getting her back in the cage. I do not believe she will step up for me right away. She needs to get more trust in me for that kind of training. So with no step up option, I guess toweling her to get back in her cage is my only option unless I hear other options here.

Maybe I am overthinking this? But I trusted the breeders advice and wish I would have thought more on the holding the frightened bird to the chest. I feel I took several steps back there.

Birds need exercise and interaction to stay stimulated. Cages tend to restrictive in terms of space and no matter how many toys you provide, out of cage time is necessary.

Out of cage, your bird will learn to interact with humans and become more comfortable over time. The longer you keep your bird bound to the cage, the more afraid they will be to leave it. Birds should have atleast 4 - 5 hours outside the cage, in the main area of the house, with plenty of interaction taking place.

The reason your bird doesn’t step up is because they may not trust you yet. They probably weren’t handled before / handled enough to trust humans or they may have had bad experiences before. It is important to give the bird time and space but still plenty of interaction. Building a bond with your bird is hardwork and requires patience and dedication.

Some birds quickly become comfortable with their humans and some birds take a lot of time. However, the level of bond you have with your bird should not affect / limit your bird to their cage.

You can try luring your bird back to the cage by showing them their food / treat and then placing it in the cage. If you’re afraid that they might get to places they shouldn’t, you can start by letting them out in a room with closed windows and closed door. Interact with them but don’t force them to interact with you. Carry out activities as you would and overtime, your bird should become comfortable around you.

I don’t recommend toweling her back to the cage. This can break trust with some birds and your bird may become terrified of you. Some birds go their cage on their own so maybe you can wait and see.

If hands are off limits, get the bird to step up for you on a perch. You can practice this inside the cage and then do this outside as well.

Training your bird also stimulates their brain and is great for bonding.

My rescue ringneck, Max, has been with me for almost 7 months and still does not step up for me but still gets out of cage time. He’s out all day and only in for bed. He’s afraid of hands / perches and will only step up on the travel cage he came with. My other bird, Honey the ‘tiel, understood step up in an hour and comes to me willingly.

Bottom line, each bird is different and takes their own time. Don’t give up!

Boki said:

OK, this is going to be a challenge as the bird's wings are clipped and the cage door sits 2.5 feet off the ground. I was told to get the biggest cage I could afford and I did. Today I did open the cage door while the cage was put next to a table that was almost flush with the cage door. I had the door open for about 2 hours but then I had to close it because I was leaving the room. She had no interest in leaving the cage during those 2 hours.

I do have a small perch on the table and will make that flush with the open cage tomorrow and see if she is interested in leaving the cage then. I will also open the cage top too. I am assuming that I should not force the bird to leave the cage, correct? This is a new home for her and it has only been 5 days since she got here. I think I let her make her own decisions unless I hear otherwise.

Thinking ahead, I do worry about getting her back in the cage. I do not believe she will step up for me right away. She needs to get more trust in me for that kind of training. So with no step up option, I guess toweling her to get back in her cage is my only option unless I hear other options here.

Maybe I am overthinking this? But I trusted the breeders advice and wish I would have thought more on the holding the frightened bird to the chest. I feel I took several steps back there.

Click to expand...

Initially, just leave the door open when you are around and let her get comfortable---don't push things. Do quiet stuff near her--- don't try to push contact etc. Birds take a long time to adjust. As she begins to trust you more, she will likely come out on her own. They should be given the opportunity it it can be done safely, but early on, I am not surprised that she stayed in (it is her "safe place" right now). Also--- even climbing on top of the cage is a step, so if she hasn't done that, then don't expect her to hop onto the table right away (that having been said, know that she could and be aware of the safety hazards). Lots of birds sit on top of their cages and that is still "out of cage" time, as they have a choice.

Not all birds are bursting at the seams to get out of the cage every opportunity they get
(I agree they need a lot out of the cage time-- getting rid of build up energy = getting rid of tension, making interaction with humans a lot easier)

You are doing great in giving yours the opportunity.



It took Sunny (my traumatized macaw) 3 months or so before she even got in the open-door-part of the cage and another to climb and sit on top, after doing that for about 3-4 months she decided to climb away from her cage on the ones next to hers.
She has been here almost a year and she is only now showing signs or wanting to climb maybe to the floor.


She cannot fly and is not afraid of the floor- she is just not ready to roam about by herself (she gets everywhere by hitching rides and leaning this way or that to "make her human explore with her" )


Your bird has been with you a short time and is still settling in- you just did a reset in behaviour towards her, that is also something she (?) needs to get used to.
Do not worrie...birdy will get there

My opinion. New bird, you can't easily control him, you stand to do more damage than good by letting him out into an environment where your only means of retrieving him and getting him back into the safety of his cage is toweling.

Keep him in his cage and work on building his trust so you can either get him to step up onto your hand, or as a stepping stone to that, onto a perch. Once you can at least retrieve him without toweling then you can let him out.

One thought, my experience with my birds has shown me that if my bird is on his cage and I turn off the lights (make it pretty dark), the bird will retreat to the safety of his cage. This may allow you to open the door in the evening and let him climb out onto the cage before he's trained to step up. Do it after dark so he goes back into the cage when the lights go out.

Boki, I'm glad you came here for help, because I really think you are over-thinking this whole thing...Yes, you absolutely HAVE TO get your bird out of the cage every single day for at least a few hours or more, otherwise he is going to become extremely bored and stressed very quickly, and this is how things like Plucking and Self-Mutilation start...They literally have the intelligence of a 3-4 year-old human child, and they aren't just "smart", they use logic and reasoning skills just like we do. They can understand what is going on, what is being said and what it means...Dogs can't do that, but you would never think of keeping a new puppy or dog locked-up in a tiny crate 24/7 would you? Think about that for a minute...

ParrotGenie said something that I agree with full-heartedly, and that is that it is SO MUCH EASIER to work with your bird, train your bird, and most of all bond with and earn the trust of your new bird OUTSIDE OF THEIR CAGE!!! In fact, I think it's nearly impossible to do it while they are inside of their cage, and you're actually fighting a losing battle if you try to work with your bird on anything at all including "stepping-up" while he is inside of his cage...Here's why:

***You've got a new, young bird that I'm assuming was not hand-raised but rather raised by his parent-birds, so he's not used to people or hands. Combine the fact that he's in a brand-new home with people he doesn't know. Think about that....it's scary, right? Well here's what you need to understand about birds...they are extremely territorial, even if they are the tamest pet parrot in the world who is completely bonded to their owner, they can still be horribly territorial about their "territories", which usually consist of their cage and/or some kind of play-stand or T-Stand. Take my almost 4 year-old Quaker Parrot, Lita...Lita was hand-raised and I brought her home when she was 12 weeks-old...I could handle her from the moment I put her in my truck for the hour drive home, and she sat on my shoulder the entire ride. I could scratch her, hold her, she stepped-up, she loved to snuggle right from the moment I met her...And now she's been with me and my flock/family for almost 4 years, and we are extremely bonded and close...And to this day if I put my hands inside of her cage while she's inside of it and try to get her to step-up or try to pick her up while she's inside of it, I will get my hand ripped apart!!! However, if I simply open up the door to Lita's cage and wait for her to come-out on her own, she comes to the door and immediately flies to y shoulder or hand, gives me a kiss, and off we go...Why? Because she is extremely territorial about "her territory"...That's her "safe space" and she doesn't want ANYONE inside of it, not even me...

Now back to your new baby parrot...You've only had him for what, a few days? He wasn't hand-raised so he's not used to people at all, which makes it even more stressful for him. So right now, his cage, or rather "his territory" is the only "safe space" he has, and when you put your hands inside of that cage he's not only scared of you because he doesn't know or trust you yet, but you're also not respecting "his territory"...So if you're trying to teach him to "step-up", which is one of the first things you want him to learn to do with you, but you're trying to get him to do it while he's inside of his cage, it's only going to make him more and more scared of you and distrusting of you and set you further and further back, because you're invading "his territory"...So not only do you need to let him out of his cage for at least a couple hours every single day for his physical and psychological health, but as ParrotGenie already mentioned, if you want to "Earn His Trust" and teach him to trust your hands and step-up for you, you need to do it OUTSIDE OF HIS "TERRITORY". So...respect his "territory" needs to be rule #1...

***Now, his wings are clipped, which in your situation might actually work to your advantage quite a bit, simply because you aren't comfortable handling him, he isn't hand-tamed, and the absolute WORST THING you can do when trying to earn the trust of a new, parent-raised, non hand-tamed bird is to chase the around a room, from window to window...i cringe every time someone in your situation tells us that they have "spent the last hour chasing my bird from window to window, all around the room with a towel"...All you are doing by chasing a new baby bird who is not hand-tamed all around a room just to get control of them is losing more and more of their trust and setting your progress further and further back...So in this situation, the fact that your bird's wings are clipped is a good thing, because you don't have to chase him...

****Your bird's wings will grow back-in fully to the point that he'll be able to fly again within about 2 months (assuming that they were clipped properly and weren't butchered or chopped off up into his Secondary-Flight Feathers)...So assuming that his wings were clipped properly by someone who knew what they were doing, that means that you have about 2 months before he'll be able to fully-fly again...So you need to take full-advantage of the 2 months or so that you have where he can't fly, and work with him every single day OUTSIDE OF HIS CAGE, so that by the time his wings grow back-in and he can fly again, he will at least be willingly stepping-up for you...He probably will not fully trust you yet at that point, but you should have made much progress by then...

****So, here's my first question for you...Have you tried simply opening-up the door to his cage and then waiting for him to venture-out of the cage on his own yet? Or have you been putting your hands inside of his cage every time you open the door up? If I were you, I would shut the door to the room you have his cage in, and then simply open-up the door to his cage, and then just chill and go about your business in the room, and wait for him to come out of his cage on his own, in his own time...Just open up the cage door and then step away but stay in the same room. Watch TV, read a book, listen to music, whatever, but do not put your hands inside of his cage anymore unless it is to change his food or water or to hang a new toy or clean it. That's it. From now on you need to totally respect his territory and STOP TRYING TO FORCE HIM TO COME OUT OR DO THINGS! "Forcing" a young, baby bird who is not hand-tamed to do ANYTHING is setting yourself up to fail automatically...And that actually goes for ALL birds, even tame ones...They are not dogs, they don't work like other pets....Think about what happens when you try to "Force" another person to do something; it doesn't usually go well, right? Well that's how it usually goes with birds too, you cannot "Force" them, just wait for them to do things on their own, and then REWARD THEM when they do.

***So here's where you need to start (and by the way, pretend like you just brought him home today, and "Hit the Reset Button" and start-over completely)...Shut the door to your room where his cage is, open-up the door or doors to his cage (all doors the cage has so he can see they are ALL open), softly and gently say "hello" to him and ask him to come out, and then go about your business in the room. And the second he comes out and stands on the cage-door or even just on the edge of the door, you need to verbally praise him and give immediately give him his favorite treat! Birds work on "Positive Reinforcement" only, meaning you need to reward them when they do what you want them to do instead of ever punishing or scolding them, that doesn't work and fails miserably. If you don't know what his favorite treat is yet, try things like an unshelled sunflower seed/kernel, or a little tiny bit of a cracker, or a little tiny bit of a piece of cereal, etc. Whatever his training-treats are they need to be something that he really, really loves, that are very small and that he can eat very quickly and move-on to the next thing (not something he has to sit and spend 10 minutes eating), and they need to be a very special treat that he ONLY GETS WHEN TRAINING/LEARNING AND HE DOES SOMETHING GOOD. THAT'S IT, YOU CAN'T GIVE IT TO HIM ANY OTHER TIME OR IT LOSES IT'S VALUE. So from this point forward, every single time you open up his cage door, when he comes to the cage door or comes out of the cage on his own, you MUST reward him with a "Training-Treat"...Keep plenty of "Training-Treats" in your pockets at all times when you're at home so you can reward him ever single time he does something you ask or that he's supposed to do...

So instead of starting-out working on "step-up", you need to simply train him to come out of the cage when you open the door....and once he gets to the point that he comes out of his cage automatically whenever you open the door, THEN you can work on "Step-Up" the same way, by respecting his "territory" and keeping your hands out of his cage except for food/water and cleaning, and only work with him on training outside of his cage...

Just to add something important that I forgot to mention above...Sometimes you can work with them when they are on top of their cages, as they will often climb up to the top of their cage on their own once they come out the door on their own; However, often that is still "their territory" and you can't do that either, so you have to get him to come out of his cage on his own and reward him every single time along with lots of verbal praise, and then get him off of his cage and onto something like a "Training Perch" or "Training Stand" that is away from his cage...and you can typically do this by using a wooden dowel-rod or something similar to have him step-up onto once he's out of his cage or sitting on the cage door, and then transferring him over to the "Training Perch" or "Training Stand" that is far away from his cage...Often it actually helps to remove the cage from the room after he's off of it if that's possible, or even cover the cage up with a large sheet so he can't see it and isn't focused on getting back to his "safe space"....So if you already have a little portable "perch" or play-stand for him that is separate from his cage, then that's where you want work on getting him to by using a wooden dowel-rod or something similar that he will willingly step-up onto when you slowly place it right above his feet and against his belly, the same place you will eventually put your finger for him to step-up onto...

If you don't have a portable "play-stand" or "T-stand", or some kind of portable perch for him that is separate from his cage, then that's something you need to either buy or you can easily and cheaply build one as well from PVC piping/fittings for a couple of dollars...Or if you can figure something else out to use as a "Training Perch" where you will eventually work with him on "stepping-up" that is totally separate and across the room from his cage, that's what you want to do, because once again, even after you get him to the point that he comes out of his cage immediately upon you opening the door and he climbs to the top of his cage, a lot of the time they are still very territorial about even being on top of their cages, and this makes working with them with your hands impossible; however, once you move them totally off and away from their cage, their "territory", then they have a totally different attitude and are not at all territorial or defensive...

For now, simply work on using Positive-Reinforcement, meaning both "Verbal Praise" and "Training Treats" to get him to come to the cage door whenever you open it, then outside of his cage whenever you open the door (like I said, usually they will climb to the top of their cage, unless his cage is one that has the doors that open forward and form a type of "porch" for him to stand on, in that case they often just come out and stand on their "porches"...either way, get him to the point that he comes out of his cage every time you open up the doors, and once that is automatic then the next step is transferring him away from his cage and onto a "Training Perch" or some kind of stand away from his cage, and from there you will again use both Verbal-Praise and lots of "Training Treats" to teach him to "step-up" onto your finger whenever you put it there for him...And throughout doing this every single day, you are by-default going to slowly earn his trust over-time, and bond with him over-time...And the more you work with him, spend time with him, talk to him gently, and reward him with his favorite Training-Treats, the stronger your bond with him will become...And this is how you teach him or train him to do anything and everything, you do it in steps, and you use nothing but "Positive Reinforcement" to reward him when he does what you ask him to do, meaning Verbal-Praise and tons of Training-Treats (which he only gets when training and at no other time, as they need to be very special)...And you need to start with small things and then train him larger and larger/more difficult things as you go...You cannot teach him to step-up onto your finger when he won't even come out of his cage on his own, and you cannot "Recall-Train" him to fly to you whenever you call him if he won't even step-up onto your finger...So small steps that build upon one another...

When our bird was new and hostile towards humans, we still let him out of his cage daily. When we needed him to go back, we'd toss in a treat and quickly close the door behind him. Wear some gloves if you're concerned your bird may bite you when you close the door. I still use this trick on occasion to this day when he's in a sufficiently foul mood

But yes, the avian community pretty much unanimously agrees the opportunity to leave the cage every day should always be at least offered. Whether the bird chooses to come out or not isn't the point, they still deserve the option to come out

It is funny that Noodles suggested Lao Tzu as I already moved on to that book next.

I will open top of cage and open the door today with a nearby perch on the table for 3 hours today. Again, I will not force the bird to leave.

I have tried step up with a perch in the cage. She was not interested.

Boki said:

It is funny that Noodles suggested Lao Tzu as I already moved on to that book next.

I will open top of cage and open the door today with a nearby perch on the table for 3 hours today. Again, I will not force the bird to leave.

I have tried step up with a perch in the cage. She was not interested.

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That's okay Boki, you've not even had him for a week yet, lol...It's going to take time...remember, this is a parent-raised bird that got little interaction with people, and he's in a new home with new people and only been there for less than a week...This is a marathon, not a sprint...It can literally take months and months to over a year to earn the trust of a bird.

And right now don't worry about the training-perch away from the cage, right now you need to focus on step #1, which is simply getting him to come to the cage door and eventually out of the cage on his own. That's it. Only when he's at the point where he automatically comes out of his cage as soon as you open the door every time should you move-on to step #2, which would be using a wooden dowel-rod/perch while he's already OUTSIDE of his cage to transfer him to the training perch away from his cage...Baby steps...

Any time you're at home and you're in your room where his cage is, shut the door and open up his cage. Keep your hands and all other perches/dowels out of his cage, just get into the habit of opening up all the doors to his cage whenever you're in your room. Shut the door to your room so it's quiet, open up all the cage doors, and talk to him gently every single day. He may come out tomorrow, he may not come out on his own for a month or two. But regardless this is step #1, and it's always at HIS PACE, not your pace, and if it takes him 6 months to feel comfortable enough to come out of his cage on his own whenever you open up his cage, then that's how long it takes...Just make sure you have lots of training-treats in your pocket and at your disposal before you do this, because if you open up his cage today and he happens to climb on out, and you don't have a training treat to reward him, then you've missed the opportunity to positively-reinforce the wanted-behavior...And use whatever it is that he seems to like to eat.

Start putting different foods inside of his cage, different fruits, veggies, different types of seeds and especially nuts. Usually it's a type of nut that works well as a training treat because they love them, and once you find the type of nut he loves more than anything else you simply cut them up into tiny little bits and use each little bit as an individual training-treat, so he can eat it quickly and so you can give him many training-treats without giving him a ton of nuts...Pine Nuts, Almonds, and Macadamia Nuts are usually the hits, as well as Brazil Nuts, Filberts, Walnuts, etc.

My bird gets scared of the top perch/open top, so you might just try opening the main cage door if 2 seems too much (unless you think your bird is okay with both being opened at once). Just a thought---as that will likely be the more common entry/exit route in the future.

Boki said:

OK, this is going to be a challenge as the bird's wings are clipped and the cage door sits 2.5 feet off the ground.

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I'd hang a thick natural-fiber rope from the cage to the floor.
That's how my wing-clipped GC gets up to and down from the perches placed around the house.

You want thick rope so the bird, when playing on the rope, doesn't get a wing or a leg broken by getting it tangled up in the rope.
Also natural rope should be safer if shredded pieces were swallowed.

They also make long wood birdie ladders.
You can cut a long one down to the perfect size.