favourite spot/perch

[Kateew26]

Hi all ...looking for a bit of advice really,my BFA minty seems to have a bit of an obsession with his swing..it was already in his cage when we took him on and his only other perch in the cage with him was chewed and shredded down to the size of a large toothpick !...since bringing him home we have of course replaced the perch and put a couple of new ones in as well.but I have noticed a couple of things ...he is on the swing 97% of the time except when eating or drinking ..I am presuming that he sees the swing as his 'safe' place ?..also when he is on the swing he is much more reluctant to interact with me and refuses to step up or let me give him a head scratch..which he will do if he is sitting on a main perch..if I want to get him out I have to wait for him to decide to come down to a main perch as he seems too huffy to approach while his on his swing ?!?...anyone else have this or similar problem and any advice on what to do much appreciated.... xxx

 

[Kateew26]

Would it be the wrong thing to take the swing out or better to leave it and work with him on it ?

 

[Captsteve]

How long have you had him? It may take a while for him to be really comfortable with you. (As in months)

I would leave the swing there because it is something he knows and is comfortable with. Avoid changing his cage too much for a while.

 

[antoinette]

Personally I would leave the swing it sounds like his "comfort" zone

Often when training Mishka over the weekend he sometimes prefers sitting on his swing than sitting on my lap.

 

[Kateew26]

Hi captsteve..ive not had him long so will take your advice ..

 

[Kateew26]

Thanks antoinette..the swing stays lol xx

 

[Megapixel]

If the swing is the highest perch the bird has or even if it's only slightly lower than the highest perch, I'd encourage him to perch elsewhere by lowering the swing significantly to make it less appealing. After some time, if that makes no difference in his behavior toward me, I'd just put the swing back where it was and let him enjoy it.

 

[Kateew26]

Hi megapixel...yes the swing is definenatly the highest perch he has...i mentioned in another post thst i also cannot get near him if he is on top of his cage (also alot higher than my face)..i havent had him long but am trying to build trust which is hard when they pick a high spot and react differently to when they are lower down.i have bought him a playstand which he does go on (when i can get him to step up) which is on a significantly lower level than his cage top)...so im hoping to use that as a tool for encouraging him to step up and gain more trust with him

 

[BruceV]

Sounds like my Simba. He has 3 perches in the cage, but stays on the cement perch which is the highest in the cage. I did put a foraging (?) cage near a lower perch so that he'll work from there. But even when I went to see him originally, he favored the one perch. And we got the cage from the foster mom, so he's very familiar with it.

 

[Kateew26]

Ive been reading your posts about simba..he is gorgeous xx