My birds dont like spending time outside the cage

SaltandPepper

New member
Oct 25, 2020
6
0
Parrots
Salt, female budgie
Pepper, male budgie
I have two budgies, salt and pepper. I've had them for nearly 2 years and I first took them out of the cage nearly a year ago. Since then, I have been taking them out and training them and giving them seeds almost every day. But they always go back inside after 15-20 minutes. I know they need more out of cage time, but they'd rather go back inside. How can I encourage them to stay outside and excercise and play for longer?

Note: I dont have any toys they play with outside of the cage. I tried introducing some, but they got so terrified. Also, they were very unsocalisalised when I first got them. I made the mistake of getting them from a pet shop.
 

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, Salt, and Pepper!

After two years your budgies are likely "cage bound" and more comfortable inside than out. Your challenge is to create a safe and comfortable environment for them to become curious. Building trust is key to attempting to coax them out for more stimulation and quality of life. This thread may help: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

If they are motivated by food, try placing favorite items in a dish wherever you wish them to go. If you have a playstand, attempt this near the cage for security and progressively move to greater distance. You'll want to make sure the room is quiet with no distractions or hazards.

All of this said, I am not familiar with budgies and hope other members can give targeted advice!
 

BellaTheLemonBirb

New member
Oct 26, 2020
9
0
Parrots
Bella - Female yellow pied cockatiel
This is a very hard mistake to fix. With birds (Budgies especially) you should put them in their cage hours after you get them. You need to interact with them and spend time with them, or else they will become cage-bound. It is even harder when you get your birds as a pair. The birds bond to each other and get used to interaction with birds instead of humans. You especially see this with a male and a female budgie, like Salt and Pepper. I had to deal with the same thing when I had budgies. I made many mistakes and our relationship was horrible. I would recommend having their cage door open and let them come out as they please. Once they come out, reward them with millet and their favorite treats. If they have millet in their cage or normal diet then this isn't an effective method. (You should only give your bird millet during training; a budgie's diet should be 40% veggies 30% pellets, 10% seeds, and 10% fruits, nuts, and grains)

I really hope this helped! I have a few videos that would help with your situation. Good luck! :)

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8fYYeLmboc&t=453s"]How to Bond With and Tame Your Parrot | Gaining the Trust of a New Bird - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1U833mbz_o"]What NOT to Do When Training a Scared Bird and What to Do Instead! | How to Tame a Parrot - YouTube[/ame]
 
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SaltandPepper

New member
Oct 25, 2020
6
0
Parrots
Salt, female budgie
Pepper, male budgie
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Thank you! I dont know if I will ever be able to cure them of their 'cage-bound-ness' but I will try and encourage to spend more time outside the cage, hopefully I can get them to spend at least an hour per day, that would be good.

The promblem is I cant keep the door to their cage open all the time, because the room they stay in has too many dangers. When I take them out, I take the cage upstairs to my bed room


Also how much time is it recommended for a budgie to spend outside a cage per day?
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Do they have a hut or any shadowy spaces in their cage? If so, this could also be playing into this behavior.
 

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