Baxter is now refusing to go in his cage!

[GreatBlue320]

Hi Everyone!

Baxter and I used to have a routine for returning him to his cage. I would put him on his training stand, have him step up on my hand from there (with a pine nut incentive), and then place him on his boing in his cage. Never had a problem with it.

Then this past Sunday, it was Baxter bedtime. I started the whole "back-to-the-cage" routine, as usual. When I tried to place him on his boing in the cage, he crawled up my arm and sat on my shoulder. What the heck?

Baxter is target trained so I did a bit of targeting to get him to the inside of the door and then closed it. He was surprised.

Of course, this method is no longer working because birds are smart. He KNOWS if he slides down to the inside of the cage door that I'll shut him in.

I thought about the fact that I had recently rearranged his cage, putting in new toys and moving perches around. I did remove the perch he likes to sleep on. Thinking this may have caused his reluctance to go back to his cage, I returned the sleep perch to its previous location and made sure the toys around it were also the same.

Last night he was so insistent that I finally had to pick him up and put him in the cage. I don't like having to do this because I feel that he shouldn't be forced, but there is a limit to my patience and he HAS to return to his cage at times for his own safety!

Has anyone experience this problem? How did you handle it?

 

[chris-md]

Parker does this on occasion. I just force the issue, he doesn't have a choice, and move on. It's not every time, and he's back to normal the next time.

 

[GreatBlue320]

Thanks, Chris. Yeah, I think he will have to deal with being forced until he realizes he doesn't have a say in the matter. He was good during the day yesterday, at least. We shall see what today brings!

 

[Comment]

This sounds familiar to me... My cockatiel sometimes doesn't want to go inside the cage, usually this happens when we are putting her in earlier tan usual, but sometimes it's just because, we can't find a reason. It's like she still has some stuff to do. She never goes inside the cage on her own, although it is almost always open, she walks over it and climb it on the outside. If she doesn't want to go back to the cage flies over the A/C machine and look at us like "catch me if you can haha", but she flies back to us in some seconds (sometimes minutes).
If she is reluctant I usually take the food bowl out of the cage, she starts to eat and then put both the bowl and bird together inside. If this doesn't work I give her a little piece of millet (like a "flower", she loves it), while she is eating I put her inside and give her the remainig millet through the bars. It works better if the room is not very light, I switch off the lights right over the cage and leave the rest. Or close the curtain if it's during the day. I usually take a walk with her between attemps and go visit our bedroom or whatever, because she gets very nervous. Distraction maneuver we call it . Once I had to put a big piece of millet inside the cage, show her from the outside and then she went in willingly.
If she is very very very reluctant I grab her (I don't like it). It's been some months since last time I had to do it.

 

[Doublete]

Once in awhile Chiqui does this.
I explain to her I'll give her a treat once she's in her cage, and I always keep my word.

 

[Christinenc2000]

I got lucky with BB. Every night after going into cage i would give him a treat. Worked great . Well he hated James so I started letting James give him the last treat of the day. He comes home from work after sundown so timing was good. Now as soon as James comes in the door BB heads inside his cage and waits for the treat lol .

 

[GreatBlue320]

I got lucky with BB. Every night after going into cage i would give him a treat. Worked great . Well he hated James so I started letting James give him the last treat of the day. He comes home from work after sundown so timing was good. Now as soon as James comes in the door BB heads inside his cage and waits for the treat lol .

Oh, you did get lucky!!! Baxter was always very compliant with being put back in his cage. Just give him a pine nut and put him in - no problem. Now, not so much!

I might try putting him in and then giving him a treat. I did that last night after numerous attempts to get him in the old way and with doing touch training.

 

[wrench13]

When I owned a horse, Blue, he developed a habit of not wanting to leave the paddock.
First time he pulled this, i went gradually from tapping his rear flank with a ridding crop to gradually larger and larger items, winding breaking a good sized piece of wood over his backside ( not to worry, horses are amazing tough ). Nothing worked. He would get to the paddock doors and STOP!!! What worked was backing him out of the paddock. SO that was what we did every Sat and Sun morning, much to the delight of the other onlookers.

So my suggestion for a parrot that refuses to go into his cage - break a 2X4 over his head - JUST KIDDING. Just put them in tail first.

 

[Christinenc2000]

What about putting the Treat in the bowl ? He has to enter to eat. I had to stop feeding BB nuts outside of his cage. The dogs tried to eat any shell I could not get in time and someone told me they can really hurt a dog. So all nut treats are cage treats . I guess that's why it works so well for me .

 

[Flboy]

For JoJo, cage equals treat, unless timeout!

 

[scarf]

Garp NEVER wants to go into her cage. I mean ever. She hates it. The second she's in there she gives me big eyes and starts agitating to get out again. She would never eat or sleep if I didn't force her to go in sometimes. I swear she has ADD other people say their birds nap. I was like what??? Birds nap????
With Garp I never force her or grab her. But i do what I'd do with a naughty child. Calmly repeat until she knows she's beaten. If this means getting up on a stepladder to take her down from the curtain rail five times, I did that. I just calmly said come Garp, cage time. Mummy loves you. Over and over. If it really was impossible I'd dim the lights too. But she eventually learned that if I said cage time I meant it. She's pretty disciplined now. If she goes in first time I give her a treat. I always say good night mummy loves you. I think she understands.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi GreatBlue320 have you looked for things that may have spooked him whilst in his cage? We occasionally get a cat look in the back door, probably thinking ooh look dinner! Sometimes if it's windy (outside) that can be noisy and spook them. Perhaps something fell off the side in the same room or he just hates your cage redecoration lol. Be patient and reward and praise when he does go back normally, don't make it a big issue. If Plum usually won't go it's because he just hasn't said enough goodnights or had enough kisses.

 

[Birdman666]

Yeah, well, Maggie ripped the door off her cage to prevent it from ever closing again... so as problems go... AT LEAST YOU STILL HAVE A DOOR ON IT! :11:

I may be kidding... but I'm not making this up!

She also tore the food cup latches off. That way, she can eat on the patio without having to actually go INSIDE the cage... EVER.

I placed her favorite chew toy by the nest box door. That way she can also play with the toys inside the cage from outside the cage too!

(8 years in solitary apparently had a lasting impression!) She goes in for breakdown cleanings, about 3 hours once a week. Acts like she's gonna die, every time!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Shawna, I’m in total agreement here with Chris. You make him go in. I believe he’s ‘playing’ you, seeing how much he can get away with. And boy are they clever, and come up with new ways constantly, trying to outsmart us.

I know Baxter is well behaved and trained. Does he easily do the ‘step up’ and ‘step down’ (wherever that may be)? Perhaps try the up and down in the cage a few times. You know, make him step up from his perch in his cage, bring him out. Praise him. Then ‘step down’ back into the cage. You can take him right back out, of course.

 

[Birdman666]

Shawna, I’m in total agreement here with Chris. You make him go in. I believe he’s ‘playing’ you, seeing how much he can get away with. And boy are they clever, and come up with new ways constantly, trying to outsmart us.

I know Baxter is well behaved and trained. Does he easily do the ‘step up’ and ‘step down’ (wherever that may be)? Perhaps try the up and down in the cage a few times. You know, make him step up from his perch in his cage, bring him out. Praise him. Then ‘step down’ back into the cage. You can take him right back out, of course.

This of course is 100% solid advice...

 

[Ginnybird]

It sounds like you were giving him the treat after step-up but before cage? I'd first just try giving it to him after he goes in the cage instead (along with big praises and oogling).

I did that with Gin for the first month or two -- reserved her favorite treat for it, even. Quite a motivator, it turned out. Our routine has since morphed into: I sweet-talk her into stepping up, because she gets fluffed up at that time and doesn't always want to move. I set her on the cage, put a pre-bed snack in her dish and she climbs in for herself to get it while I'm cleaning. I no longer use her favorite treat, just something she likes.

YMMV... it's just what I'd try first.

 

[Kyoto]

I give Kyo a piece of almond to go in her cage. She is almost always eager to go in for her treat now in fact, sometimes she flies to her food bowl and waits for me to drop one in if it's close to bed time XD

 

[GreatBlue320]

Even when I give him treats, he refuses and I have to force him in - mostly at bedtime but sometimes during the day.

It's okay, we will get past this, I'm sure!

 

[ChocoboFun]

When Harvey doesn't want to go in his cage for bedtime, I just pick him upwith my hand around his wings so he can't fly off, then I make the toddler-style airplane sounds and 'fly' him around the room until i 'land' him on his boing. I will then slowly and calmly close the cage door.

After that, he just wants to make kissy noises until his eyes get heavy enough that he realizes how tired he is, and he starts grumbling 'night night'.