Getting used to sleep cage

[jm0]

I'm building a sleeping cage for my parrot. I've had him for over 6 months now, and in that time frame he has been living in my birdproofed living room. Without problems. I only had him in a cage for the first two weeks, and after that he has been living the free life in my apartment. It all started by him not wanting to go back into the cage at night by himself, so i got tired of chasing him around, and didn't want to break the bond we were building at the time. So i said "you know what, my little friend? Mi casa, es su casa!". And he has been a free bird ever since then.

I think that i know why he all of a sudden didn't want to go back into his cage, perhaps it was because i setup this natural branch perch in my window. So he thought "this is a nice roosting perch, I'm gonna sit here forever!".

But now that i think of it, there's a lot reasons why i choose to give him a sleeping cage. It's best for him. He gets his undisturbed 12 hours of sleep, because i can now cover the cage at night so he won't be bothered by a flickering television or other artificial light. When i watch TV at night, i can see him move slightly from time to time (not sleeping).

Therefore, i will ask for some advice or tips and tricks, on how to get him used to sleeping in a cage again. I'm doing everything that i possibly can, to make his new cage good and comfy. So he will associate the new cage with something positive and safe to be in. I'm also intensifying my "up/down" training inforced by a clicker, in the hope of making it more easy to get him into the cage voluntarily.

How should i go about this?

Any advice, is much appreciated!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

This is interesting. My Skittles is free-flighted, in that he is out of the cage 95% of the time (since he's out when I'm home and I'm home most of the time). But I've never had 'cage issues' with Skittles.

If I happen to need to leave for a little while to run an errand or go to an appt, Skitty doesn't give me a hard time whatsoever about going in his day cage. Then when I return, he will bug me to come out but once I open the door, he 'waits' for my hand to climb up on (despite having a perch right on the door, he's used to my hand.

Same thing in the morning when I take him out of his sleep cage.

So it baffles me this issue you have. I really don't have any helpful advice I'm afraid cause I have no idea, but I'll be curious to see what others think.

Good luck! Hope you can find some helpful solutions here!

 

[LordTriggs]

what I found with cages is to make the cage fun. Right now all he thinks is the cage is where fun stops, try putting him in the cage but leaving the door open a couple times during the day, also play with him in the cage.
Think of it this way, if you were let out of your room every day to go play and see people and what-not but when someone else decided they had enough despite you having fun they would just put you in your room. Quickly you'd not want to be in that room at all

 

[clark_conure]

My birds cage is in my bedroom and he's out of it most the time. When I go to work he generally sleeps inside the hutches of the headboard. Also I totally bird proofed the bedroom and even if he gets off the bed or cage he can get back on both. I have nightlights so he can see enough to get around if he wants too.

I don't have any cage issues with him but I think it's because when I am home and in bed to sleep his cage is so close. Maybe since you don't put him in most the time anyways...move it to your bedroom so he can see you sleep and sleep along with you.

One things birds hate is if they think they are missing out on an adventure...if your asleep they know nothing is going on and he might be fine going in the cage for the night since your right there.