Galah hates his cage

ellenwatson

New member
Mar 24, 2021
1
0
Canberra Australia
Parrots
Australian Galah named Meryl Cheep
Hope this is the right place to ask this question (new to the forum) I have a young, 3month old Galah that is very tame and used to being handled the only problem is that she hates going back into her cage.
She has plenty of toys and space but just prefers to be out with people. How do I train her to go back to her cage when she needs to. She3 will allow (loves) being petted but as soon as I walk her back towards her cage she fly's off and when I pick her up again she will start to bite.
She is very good at step up and I always give her a treat once she is back in her cage I also try and stick to a routine with the time in and out of the cage.

Any suggestions ?:white1:
 
Last edited:

SailBoat

Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2015
17,643
10,007
Western, Michigan
Parrots
DYH Amazon
Thank you for joining and welcome to Parrtforum.

Sounds like his cage is a bit too far out of the center of activities! As a result, why would he want to be hidden away from the action? Consider moving his a bit closer.

You can also, work on taking him to the cage and having him step down, stay for a bit and have him step-up and return to where you had been.

Could consider a bit longer out of the cage with a night cover?
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome to you and your young galah! Excellent advice above, they are very social and of course prefer your company!

Your strategy is correct, though she is attempting to train you by biting enroute to the cage. Have you offered a wide selection of toys that she may enjoy? How large is the cage - it is almost impossible to have one too large for a cockatoo provided the bar-spacing is safe. (very large "macaw" sized cages may have wide bar spacing leading to potential for head to squeeze through)
 

Betrisher

Well-known member
Jun 3, 2013
4,253
177
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Parrots
Dominic: Galah(RIP: 1981-2018); The Lovies: Four Blue Masked Lovebirds; Barney and Madge (The Beaks): Alexandrines; Miss Rosetta Stone: Little Corella
Teach your bird to target (ie. touch the end of a chopstick on command - instructions are among the stickies). Every time you have a training session, target your bird into and out of the cage again (you don't want her to learn that every time she targets inside the cage you'll slam the dungeon door on her). Reward her for going into the cage and for coming out again. Before long, all you'll need to do is point at the cage and she'll go in willingly.

Galahs are very easy to train. Mine learned all sorts of tricks simply by watching my Alexandrines as I trained them. Trick training is a lot more than getting your bird to do cute things on command. Sometimes, tricks can be vitally useful, like targetting back into the cage or away from danger, or holding up a foot to allow you to trim or file the claw. Check out our training section for lots of great ideas! :)
 

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