Should I let my bird sit on a high perch when he is outside of his cage?

Chiriceanu

New member
Aug 9, 2019
6
0
Parrots
A 3 month old male indian ringneck
Hi I got an indian ringneck 5 days ago and I have no experience with birds whatsoever. In those 5 days however he seems to have gotten somewhat used to his new house. He is very attentive when I speak to him and give him treats.

So I let him outside all day and he returns to his cage at night by himself. I didn't teach him this. My question however is if I should let him sit on my wardrobe while he is outside? His cage is at chest level but the top of his wardrobe is very high and I read somewhere that this can cause behavioral problems as he feels superior. What do you think?
 
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Chiriceanu

Chiriceanu

New member
Aug 9, 2019
6
0
Parrots
A 3 month old male indian ringneck
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This cleared things up, thank you.
 

SailBoat

Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2015
17,643
10,007
Western, Michigan
Parrots
DYH Amazon
They like it high for the feeling of safety!
And, a bit of over-Lording. :D straight on Humor there.

As the two of you build a trust bond, he will likely find more and more perch locations that are lower and more interesting to everyone. Since he returns to his cage for food and likely sleep, consider adding a stand perch with water and food near the sitting area that you commonly sit.
 

CallumConure

New member
Apr 10, 2019
132
7
Central Minnesota, USA
Parrots
Callum- GCC Hatchday: October 15th, 2016
(nonparrot friends include rats, a dog, and a few reptiles :))
Only problem with sitting up really high is it makes it difficult to get them to come down if you need them down for whatever reason. Callum's cage is already pretty high up off the ground, but when he sits on top of his cage, he's near the ceiling (which is about eight or nine feet tall).

I didn't let Callum sit up there until he could reliable step up and onto my hand when I needed him to. I don't think anything would ever be dangerous enough that he'd NEED to come down, but I'm just paranoid lol.

Also, depends if your bird is a biter or not. The higher up they are, the easier it to catch fingers and arms!
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
I never let my bird sit up too high because when I can just barely reach, I canā€™t offer a real stable hand to step on and then I have to get him down with a stick instead (a fact my significantly taller husband does not always think about when putting the bird on top of doors especially). But thatā€™s the only reason I donā€™t want him up too high. If he were flighted and could get himself down, I wouldnā€™t care at all.

Now when he was newly rescued, very angry and not trained at all, it was an entirely different story. I know people think height dominance is a myth, but in some birds, it can be an issue. When our bird was newly rescued, being up at eye level or taller than us did make him more of a jerk and gave him an extra boost of defiance. Much like the privilege of being allowed on the shoulder, the privilege of being allowed on taller surfaces was earned over time as he proved himself to be able to behave and step up when asked. Iā€™m one of the more laid back members in what I allow my bird to do and he has all day cage free freedom these days, but when he was new, I was extremely strict with him because thatā€™s what he needed at the time. If your bird is getting up high but isnā€™t causing any issues and is being a good boy, thereā€™s no reason to prevent it. If issues arise though, youā€™ll need to set stricter boundaries until that privilege is earned back. For now, it sounds like you have a well behaved bird and in your situation, thereā€™s no need to keep him lower than eye level.
 
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