After buddy spent a week in hospital some years ago, fighting death, she became quite scared of hands. She NEVER EVER bit, but she put up a big fuss and did laps of the back of the cage. Maybe this was because of the way myself or the vet handled her while she was sick (we had to do everything for her, she had severe paralysis), but I don't know. I am not going to speculate too much about what caused it, but something did and I had to fix it. I found she was only fearful of my hand while she was in the cage. Anywhere else, including the top of the cage, she couldn't care less if I went to pick her up....sound familiar? So, I figured, if I can get her to comfortably come out of the cage, then I can pick here up and no one has to get grumpy, it wasn't rocket science. My solution...Target Training. I started training the behaviour in her cage (she had done targeting before but it had been a long time). Everytime she nib'd the stick I gave her a reward. Over time, I got her to move closer and closer to the cage door and was able to guide her to the top of the cage and she would step up without a fuss. I did this every time I went to get here out, until one day, I went to her cage, opened it, turned around to pick up my target stick and when I turn back......guess who is coming out of the cage all by herself?
Thanks for the help Ben. Yeah i'v tried Target training, it didn't really work but then again I didn't real REALLY try. I'll give it a try though!
Some birds take a while to catch on, others will figure it out instantly.. You don't want to over-do the covering, but I can't think of a worse situation than a bird that is frightened (maybe by a cat/dog) and has nowhere to hide, because he feels vulnerable from all sides. Each bird is an individual and some may not feel as 'vulnerable' as others, you have to take it case by case. 
Actually I do this to Linky, although not quite as much of the cage is covered. In the morning when I wake up Buddy, I role her cage cover back so the back 1/4 or 1/3 is still covered. Buddy does not like being exposed 100% as she gets stressed, so I cover the back section and part of the sides to give her some security. It is actually quite important to provide your bird with a place that he can move to to feel more secure. You are correct in saying that they are born to be free, but also remember that we have taken that freedom from them and stuck them in cages, therefore, their 'territory' does have an end. This means they cannot fly from danger if they are frightened by something, so we must substitute their ability to fly away, with a place to feel secure. A cage cover is not always needed, placing the cage in a corner often works well too (many books suggest this)
I sincerely hope that you will afford a bigger cage soon, Peeps will be very grateful and I am sure you will see changes in his behavior within a couple of days. [
I have to agree to disagree with you on this one Ben. Covering a small cage like that and only leaving the front open is not good. Not only does the bird feel trapped but it also blocks out natural light. Dark cages cause behavioral problems and small cages cause even bigger behavioral problems. Covering a big cage is a completely different story but that was not what was discussed here. If you want to give the bird a hide then put a happy hut or something similar inside the cage.
Buddy's cage is big mos jong!
(Sterretjie is one of those birds who love being inside anything and everything)Buddy's cage is big mos jong!
Talking about a hut, I've build Sterretjie a tent last night, complete with a door and all. She LOVES it, I'll take some photos tonight.
) But since hunting season is in(I love to hunt white tailed deer)I will have to use the money to buy Ammunition and my liscence so i'll be a couple dollars short. Don't forget I spent a lot of money on Kiwi(it was SO worth it though!!) I have told my brothers that if they want to hold Peeps they will NOT do rubbing EVER and that they won't use it to get Peeps out of his cage. Instead I will start telling them to do what i'm doing(have Peeps come down to the lower dowel and step up onto your finger) I also have not done any rubbing and took that stupid sheet out of my room and hid it!
