It’s time to get back in the cage
It is obvious that a pet parrot must have great freedom and spend a lot of time outside its cage. Conscientious owners ensure that their parrots do not spend their lives in prison, but rather provide them with additional territories, similar to those a parrot may have in the wild. By equipping your parrot with a play stand or a perch in a tree, you meet his needs for exercise and stimulation and help ensure a happier and more balanced parrot. You did that and you looked after your parrot’s needs, so you should have a well-behaved parrot, right? No, that’s not true.
Your beloved Paco may very well get into his cage most of the time, but other times, like a truculent child, he may balk and refuse to do what he is supposed to do.
The parrot has a mind and a will of its own
In reality, it happens that a parrot has to return to its cage. An owner may have to be away for a few hours, and the cage is the safest place for the bird when no humans are nearby to keep an eye on things.
Normally, a parrot willingly returns to its cage at night to perch, and if it is talkative, it may even ask to go to its cage when it feels sleepy, but trying to return a parrot to its cage during the day can be a whole other matter. The parrot may be in a bad mood and want to stay quiet, or he plays or washes with pleasure and does not want to be interrupted, or he likes to be close to his peers, content to be close to the daily activities of the house. You are now asking him to do something he does not want to do. And a parrot has a mind and a will of its own.
An owner should know a number of ways to get the cooperation of a parrot when he has to spend time in his cage. This article discusses effective methods for coping with a resistant bird.
Avoid cage time
A parrot recoils.
A parrot launches itself and clings to the side of the cage with its beak, clinging to the high cost of living.
A parrot lunges at you and threatens to attack
A parrot crawls on the back side outside its cage, so you can not reach it.
A parrot clings to the side of the opening of the cage door
A parrot bends down and bites your finger or hand
Some typical scenarios where a parrot tries to foil its owner’s plans
Now let’s look at some typical scenarios. For each situation, strategies will be proposed so that you are smarter than your parrot instead of being smarter than you.
Don’t bother me because I’m having a bad day
Body language
Your bird may have an occasional day off, and while you normally let it rest quietly and give it the choice of staying in its cage or resting on a perch, depending on your circumstances, you may need to put it back in a cage. If your bird doesn’t want to be disturbed, Mr. Grumpy can let you know by getting it out of its cage to warn you.
I’ll distract you by biting your hand
If I bite you, you’ll leave me alone!
If the suction doesn’t work, your bird can go up a notch, then down and hang on to a finger. A parrot should never be allowed to bite to avoid getting up and returning to its cage.
One way to get around this behavior is a method called double-handed swoop. Instead of offering a hand or a finger, you bring both hands under the belly of your parrot while asking the bird to come forward.
Paco engages in a two-handed descent
You stretch out a finger or hand that is quickly bitten. Paco tries to do it his way and make you back off.
Using the two-handed descent, your bird will be busy watching your hands coming from either side of its head, and while trying to process this information, it will obediently step forward.
The double blow is an extremely effective method to avoid being bitten.
You can’t force me! I’m going to hang on to the outside of my cage and hang on for life
Priority to the buttocks does not mean you have to hang on
An easy way to put a parrot back in its cage is to push it back. He doesn’t see where to hang on.
I’m going to hang on…
If you have managed to convince your reluctant bird, it can make one last effort to resist the urge to return to its cage. When you approach the open door of the cage, your smart parrot launches itself and grabs the side of the door with its beak, clinging tightly so that its body is anchored outside the cage.
You can avoid this contest of wills by setting up an effective method to put a parrot back in its cage. It is actually a question of putting the bird back in its cage. With the bird in hand, place the parrot so that it is facing the outside of the cage, with its back directed towards the open door of the cage. The parrot cannot see the opening, and therefore does not cling to the side. The return of a parrot to the cage is a safe and effective method of bringing a bird back to its quarters.
I will go anywhere except inside
A trick to attract Paco inside
* Place food inside the cage.
* Ignore the bird.
* Once he is inside the cage and is happy to investigate the food, close the door.
But… I want to stay on top of my cage!
In another scenario, a parrot may be perched on its cage, sitting quietly or dozing off. He is in his own area and quite happy sitting in an elevated position where he can monitor everything.
You approach and tell him to intervene. Rather than obeying, your bird moves back to the farthest upper corner, or it may even descend a few inches to the back of the cage. You follow him with your fingers, but he dodges your hand and shows remarkable acrobatics by climbing outside his cage. This “cage merry-go-round” continues indefinitely.
Tempting the bird with a treat, then pretending to ignore it
There is a simple trick to make your parrot voluntarily return to its cage. This involves placing a favorite treat in the cage and then walking away, seemingly ignoring the bird.
Now, a cunning parrot will likely keep a close eye on you after entering the cage so that you can evacuate quickly. He still has no intention of “having to” stay in his cage and only entered because he could not resist the food. But a parrot in this state of mind will move like lightning if it thinks you’re going to close the cage door, so it will look to see if you intend to “lock it up.”
A smart owner acts as if he is busy and seems to ignore the bird while slowly moving towards the cage, waiting for the parrot to become less vigilant. After the parrot is busy examining the food in his dish, the owner hurries to close the door of the cage. Mission accomplished.
Effective methods for putting a parrot back in its cage
The double blow avoids biting
Locking a parrot in a cage is effective
A new treat placed inside the cage can attract a parrot into its cage
Huh! I was smarter
Peaceful coexistence
In reality, living with an early parrot involves finding inventive methods to achieve compliance. A parrot is not only intelligent, but it can also be very, very determined. At all times, the owners need to treat their feathered friends with insight and kindness, while keeping the upper hand.
Questions and Answers
Question: How can I help my parrot relax in its cage? He does not eat or play with his toys.
Answer: Your parrot may need some time to sit quietly in its cage and get used to its surroundings. He may feel overwhelmed by so many new and strange things to watch.
If he still does not respond, try putting or tying food on top of the cage outside and opening the cage door for him. This might encourage him to get out of the cage and crawl upwards to investigate and nibble on food, which could help him relax. Food, especially the one your parrot likes, can help him associate enjoyable activity with his cage, so he may not find his cage as scary.
Methods for Putting Parrot Back Into Cage
SOURCE: Parrot Wizard
