Ninja's new cage is making him cranky :(

[crimson]

I got a huge new cage for Ninja. Ever since he's been in it, he's become cage territorial and somewhat more aggressive...what the heck is going on??
he was the sweetest calmest bird before in his other cage.
Now he's up higher, and he has changed totally, I know it's only been 4-5 days, and he is still adjusting to it, but why the negative change??

I have a blanket on top of his cage, to protect the toes of the other birds that may land on his cage, and he seems ok with them being there. it's when they climb on the side he gets aggressive. I understand why he does it, and most of them have learned to stay away. He seems more agitated and I'm wondering if the other cage is better suited for him....but they climbed all over that one too.

In fact, in the mornings, I bring him out and he climbs right back into his cage I leave his door open but he just stays in there....before he was out the entire day, and seemed much more relaxed.
ever since I got this new cage, he doesn't want to come out of it.He is even screaming more, and he is LOUD!!! my family is getting very annoyed with his outbursts.
I'm not good at training guys, and this behaviour is perplexing to me....he's also killing my ears.

should I consider putting him back in his other cage?

 

[weco]

Hmmmm, reminds me of a teenaged girl that 'doesn't like a guy' but gets upset when she sees him talking to other girls.....don't know why that popped intomy head, but it was the first thought when I read your post.....I also thought it might remind someone of a teenaged boy with a new car he didn't want anybody sitting on the hood or trunk of, but you'd probably have to go back 50 years for that kind of an attitude.....today's teenagers are too 'entitlement' oriented & often don't take care of what they've got.....

Maybe you & Ninja are just going to have to sit down & have a serious Crimson-Ninja conversation.....

 

[Kalidasa]

Lol it sounds like he's feeling super-important and full of himself!

 

[Brisch]

sounds like you need a time out cage. I have one, its small, has no toys. and when my birds do something that is absolutely not allowed, they get to spend 5-10 minutes in the cage in the corner. they usually come out and dont have to be put back in for a couple weeks.

 

[antoinette]

Hmmmm, reminds me of a teenaged girl that 'doesn't like a guy' but gets upset when she sees him talking to other girls.....don't know why that popped intomy head, but it was the first thought when I read your post.....I also thought it might remind someone of a teenaged boy with a new car he didn't want anybody sitting on the hood or trunk of, but you'd probably have to go back 50 years for that kind of an attitude.....today's teenagers are too 'entitlement' oriented & often don't take care of what they've got.....

Maybe you & Ninja are just going to have to sit down & have a serious Crimson-Ninja conversation.....

You have got me in stitches OMG I can't stop laughing

 

[crimson]

Hmmmm, reminds me of a teenaged girl that 'doesn't like a guy' but gets upset when she sees him talking to other girls.....don't know why that popped intomy head, but it was the first thought when I read your post.....I also thought it might remind someone of a teenaged boy with a new car he didn't want anybody sitting on the hood or trunk of, but you'd probably have to go back 50 years for that kind of an attitude.....today's teenagers are too 'entitlement' oriented & often don't take care of what they've got.....

Maybe you & Ninja are just going to have to sit down & have a serious Crimson-Ninja conversation.....

.....yes Weco, he sounds like a spoiled little bird doesn't he?....thanks for the humour....the problem is if it were just me here, I can tolerate it, but only for so long. my son is autistic, and have to come up with a solution.
It will be 6 days today that he's been in it, and is adding a huge amount of stress into our family right now. Normally Ninja is pretty good, calls when someone comes into the room, and the odd scream throughout the day, but this new cage has turned him into a air raid siren at certain times during the day.
won't come out of the cage, etc...
so, my question is still the same, do I wait for him to settle in or should I put him back into his other cage?
I do appreciate your funny comments, it did make me laugh.

 

[crimson]

Lol it sounds like he's feeling super-important and full of himself!

That crossed my mind as well...when I look at him in his new cage, I'm wondering if it is too big for him, and he's feeling a bit unsure about it all.
It might explain why he won't come out for long, is screaming, etc...

 

[Brisch]

another thing I will do once in a while when my birds scream relentlessly is I cover them in the cage for a short period of time, with a very dark blanket. they calm down and most of the time they stop the yelling.

Also when you upgraded cages did you put all the same toys and perches in? Birds are afraid of change so if he got a new cage and new perches ect. he might be feeling intimidated

 

[crimson]

another thing I will do once in a while when my birds scream relentlessly is I cover them in the cage for a short period of time, with a very dark blanket. they calm down and most of the time they stop the yelling.

Also when you upgraded cages did you put all the same toys and perches in? Birds are afraid of change so if he got a new cage and new perches ect. he might be feeling intimidated

everything went from one cage to the other, in exactly the same way.
I'm going to try the blanket, I covered him yesterday, but he screamed more....just like a tantrum. my ears rang, he was so loud, but he eventually stopped.

 

[Brisch]

and maybe when you uncover him try to coax him out with a treat and a kiss or something, not sure what your bird likes. Every tells me how well rewards work with birds.......but my birds are so spoiled I dont know what they would consider a reward lol

 

[crimson]

and maybe when you uncover him try to coax him out with a treat and a kiss or something, not sure what your bird likes. Every tells me how well rewards work with birds.......but my birds are so spoiled I dont know what they would consider a reward lol

he always wants out of his cage, willingly steps up, but when I put him on a perch outside the cage, he climbs back in and stays there.
I've also noticed if he has come out of his cage(when I'm not in the room) and I come into the bedroom, he goes right back into his cage, almost like he's afraid now.
it's very clear that this new cage has triggered a different behaviour in him, that is why I am considering putting him back into his old one....or I can wait this out a little longer.

the only treats he takes are grapes and un-shelled organic sunflower seeds....and he decides if he wants it or not. he has come from a breeder environment so he has a lot of hidden secrets, and issues. but he is super tame,is not the type to bite, he would rather flight than bite.... and just loves hanging on my shoulder.
I just thought that maybe coming from a breeder environment, he may be use to smaller cages, and may not be adapting well to all of this space I'm spoiling him with

 

[Brisch]

Id say if you can take it, give him a little more time. is it possible to put the old cage next to the new cage? Maybe being close to the old cage will help? Hope he relaxes and accepts being spoiled for your sanity's sake. also maybe contact parrotlets.ca, she is a very reputable conure breeder in my area, she may have better incite on whats going on.

 

[weco]

everything went from one cage to the other, in exactly the same way.

But it's not the same, because it is in a different cage.....my birdsitter has 2 granddaughters that live with her & a couple of years ago the oldest one was going through whatever stage it is where girs dye their hair in strange colors & cuts...anyway she'd spent the weekend at a girlfriend's house & came home with wild pink hair...this was the summer & she had grandmother's approval, but not my birds.....when she came over to help her grandmother with the cages, all of them went wild & tried to bite her.....keep in mind that as her normal self, she was a favorite of all of them & when she did re-do her hair, she was again accepted.....

You might set the old cage next to the new one & if you let Ninja out on his own, maybe see what his choice is.....

 

[crimson]

weco, you are correct, I know and the bird knows it's not the same cage, I put all the same items in his new cage, in exactly the same way, so at least the interior would somewhat resemble his old cage.

his old cage is right beside his new one. It's a double stacker cage, and he was on the bottom, when I first brought him home.

right now there are cockatiels in his old cage, I don't have the luxury of keeping a cage empty for very long. with my babies hatching and growing, as quickly as one cage empties out it is filled with more birds.
if he remains the same, I can switch the birds around

what I decided to do today was put his food on the door with it left open, so he would have to come out of his cage if he wanted to eat.. it worked out fine. he seemed a bit more at ease today.

 

[weco]

what I decided to do today was put his food on the door with it left open, so he would have to come out of his cage if he wanted to eat.. it worked out fine. he seemed a bit more at ease today.

I hope it helps your son too........

 

[crimson]

what I decided to do today was put his food on the door with it left open, so he would have to come out of his cage if he wanted to eat.. it worked out fine. he seemed a bit more at ease today.

I hope it helps your son too........

me too weco, me too....

 

[ShellyBorg]

With your son to think of I think I would try moving back into the old cage with the new one set up next to it. See if that calms him down and let him play back and forth between cages until he moves into one or there other. My TAG has a small cage ( at least to me) but will not move into a bigger one. He likes his cage Thank you vary much!
My son has autism so I know where you are coming from. Its a juggle to keep kids and fids all happy.

 

[crimson]

With your son to think of I think I would try moving back into the old cage with the new one set up next to it. See if that calms him down and let him play back and forth between cages until he moves into one or there other. My TAG has a small cage ( at least to me) but will not move into a bigger one. He likes his cage Thank you vary much!
My son has autism so I know where you are coming from. Its a juggle to keep kids and fids all happy.

oh I agree!....his old cage is now got cockatiels in it. like I mentioned they can be moved, but I am going to take the 'wait and see approach' for a little while longer.
he was less aggressive yesterday with my birds(not chasing them to get off the cage)

you know, I can move my lovebirds, cockatiels, and conures without a second thought and they all adjust extremely well to their new cages, all the time.
I try not to move them, but have on a few occasions.
It really never occurred to me that it would upset Ninja the way it did....being a conure and all.

my husband made a comment last night about this situation: he said " I'd want out of the cage too if it were small, now that he's in the Taj Mahal he likes it so much, he doesn't want to come out! LOL....how simple is that...

 

[josiesmom]

When we upgraded Josie's cage, she kept falling because the bar spacing was a bit bigger. It took her some time to adjust, so maybe your guy just needs some more time. I'm a bad bird mommy I guess because I totally redid the interior of the cage...all new perches, toys, swing, boings..everything. She actually seemed quite happy with all the new stuff, it was just the bar spacing that messed her up. Hopefully, with a little more time, your fid will realize that bigger does mean better and come back to his old happy self. Good luck!

 

[crimson]

When we upgraded Josie's cage, she kept falling because the bar spacing was a bit bigger. It took her some time to adjust, so maybe your guy just needs some more time. I'm a bad bird mommy I guess because I totally redid the interior of the cage...all new perches, toys, swing, boings..everything. She actually seemed quite happy with all the new stuff, it was just the bar spacing that messed her up. Hopefully, with a little more time, your fid will realize that bigger does mean better and come back to his old happy self. Good luck!

today is a bit better, I also noticed yesterday, Ninja is starting to molt....no wonder he is cranky!...
now that is more like it, now I know what I'm dealing with.