Why go cage less?

[JerseyWendy]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So very, VERY well said, Tab!! :emoticonc :worship2:

With all my fids being fully flighted, and taking FULL advantage of their new found freedom, they NEVER stay on their Java trees for long. The kitchen counter has become a play area for them as well, so I make sure I always have bird friendly/safe items lined up for them to explore and mess around with.

My "bird room" may look like a zoo to some since there are 4 huge cages in there, but I honestly don't care what others think of my home décor. :21:

 

[cstambaugh]

If your bird sits on the same perch all day every day then like Tab said, yes something is wrong. You have raised a stick potato!
90% of the people on here are already "cageless" in a sense. Just because you literally own a cage, and its part of your setup, doesnt mean you arent already cageless.
I think what we mean by cageless is that you arent shutting your parrot into a box 99% of the time. He is allowed to roam and do what he wants outside of a 30x40x70 (for macs) area. If you have a cage and always leave the door open, thats cageless.
If your bird wants anything in the world to get out of his cage and cannot, thats caged.

Zeus is trained to stay on his main perch when he's on his main perch. He is only on his main perch when I feel its necessary. Honestly the only time I feel its necessary is when I'm gone for awhile and I dont want him to get bored or hungry. His toys and food are at his main perch. But when I'm home, he's mostly out and about in random spots around the house. He has a mobile t-bar that is never in the same spot day to day. He LOVES second story windows, I have a balcony overlooking the living room that he goes wild over. He gets to sit up there 15' above everyone else watching everyone below. I could go on and on. He would never get to experience any of these if he werent a cageless bird.
For the record, I do still actually own a cage. Its in the garage completely empty. I keep it around for just in case you never know type deals.

 

[cstambaugh]

NO ONE can provide the right environment for a bird in their house, i just try and give Fargo as many different things to play on so he doesn't get bored sitting in one spot.

I think you're pretty darn close! I knew Fargo had a nice setup, but wow! Those pic blew me away. I'm sure there are macaws in the wild that are jealous of Fargo!

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Over the years I have found that macaws tend to stay where you put them. Not always sure why. Greenwings especially (we have 5). (Greys and 'toos almost always wander off a stand immediately). However, if they can reach another place in the house without flying or using the floor, they will move around and play all day. You have to be careful about keeping a macaw on a stand, because their feet aren't as active and less climbing plus lots of similar perch sizes tends to weaken their feet over time. Oh, and if they can reach a wall, go ahead and kiss it goodbye

 

[JerseyWendy]

... Oh, and if they can reach a wall, go ahead and kiss it goodbye

Walls...blinds....screen...wood trim....ANYTHING reachable, chewable, and/or bendable will most definitely be history. :54:

 

[Jumpingtadpoles]

LOVE your reply, tab!
I'm hoping to include our bird a little of everywhere and everything we do. It's cage will be in the kitchen, but there will be a play stand in the upstairs and downstairs living room. I spend a lot of my time in my bedroom, and haven't decided how I will accommodate them in there. I'm hoping to just have them chill on the bed while I'm in there, but we will figure that out once we have a bird.
While I would love a room like yours, it's not feasible for our life style, though we have talked bout making an outdoor enclosure, so maybe if we ever do that we can make it a giant play gym like your room :-D

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Muffin is in his cage when he feels the need to chew and play, and there's lots of safe ways for him to do that there. It's also where his food and water is, so that's where he goes. He's a very tiny bird (cockatiel), and he has a large flight cage, so he has lots of freedom to explore and play in there. We also have the cage in a room where he can constantly see others, or be near us, and that makes him happy too.

We do take him out for cuddles and company, but I believe in a healthy balance between cage time and cageless time. If we go on vacation, he'll have to be in a cage more often at a border, so he has to get used to being in a cage as well.

 

[BACON]

I dont understand, in the wild, birds fly from tree to tree..

They dont sit on the one perch...

They aren't trained to just sit on one gym..

So how can anyone say, teaching a bird to stay on one gym only, any better for the bird?!?!?



I would rather a bird who flies around the room, plays on all the gyms... and go in his cage for 2 hours a day...

Rather than a bird who doesn't have a cage, but he spends his day just sitting on one gym?


I know Fargo is much happier with his whole room rather than just being taught to stay on that gym ^




If you teach your bird to just stay on one gym, isn't that basically exactly the same as a cage? Just without bars? :S


Just like, if i had to live in a specific area, it wouldn't bother me if it had walls/bars or even a hedge around it... It is still one tiny area i am stuck in....




NO ONE can provide the right environment for a bird in their house, i just try and give Fargo as many different things to play on so he doesn't get bored sitting in one spot.

Tab..... You're brilliant

Very well said. I wish I was able to provide a simular setup for blue as Fargo has. How perfect is it!!?!