Cage Hopping

[davefv92c]

is there anything I can do to keep my Sun Conure from flying from cage while out he just loves to torment the Amazon,along with the U2 who flips to full attack mode when he decides to visit. I know if I don't keep a good eye while he is out he may get hurt because Lilly has been trying to get a hold of a toe or anything.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Yipes!
Scary!
Short of wing-clipping, I have no idea.
The Rb is also flighted and fearless.
It's a JOB to keep up with him...

 

[plumsmum2005]

Well obviously there is the dreaded wing clip but before we go there, if he is a little booger and courts trouble you should be supervising his out of cage time. It isnt only the birds that can be the cause of an injury to him, there are many other household things that may catch his eye and cause injury. Is he just going to the tops of their cages or sides as well? If just the tops you could place a cover as a barrier or you could just take him to where ever you are, make sure you have activities and a playstand or tree for him to hang on. But why not use this one on one as precious bonding time?

 

[BeatriceC]

My new cockatoo was a cage hopper. I used short time outs every time he went to another cage. It took three days, but he learned if he hopped on anybody's cage I'd shut him in his and leave the room for five minutes. I just had to be really consistent with doing it every time.

 

[Scott]

My new cockatoo was a cage hopper. I used short time outs every time he went to another cage. It took three days, but he learned if he hopped on anybody's cage I'd shut him in his and leave the room for five minutes. I just had to be really consistent with doing it every time.

Wow, Oscar is a quick study!

 

[RavensGryf]

Out of the 5, Raven and Griffin can be out together since they're bonded best friends, although Griffin will still attack him at times so I have to supervise. I absolutely have to keep Robin in with the top covered (or be holding him close at all times) when the other 2 parrots are out since he's permanenly removed 2 of Griffin's toenails and one of Raven's. Then I have to be vigilant about Griffin landing on the budgie cage. It's covered, but he likes to land on the sides. He knows it's wrong, and I had put him in consistent time outs every single time for months on end (until it drove ME nuts) yet even knowing it's bad, he doesn't care. He'll do it regardless of consequence. I wish my birds had more out of cage time, but short of having an aviary (which isn't possible now) you can see what a pain it is when you happen to have birds who don't all get along as a flock.

 

[davefv92c]

I wish my birds had more out of cage time, but short of having an aviary (which isn't possible now) you can see what a pain it is when you happen to have birds who don't all get along as a flock.

I feel your pain in this statement.

 

[Scott]

Out of the 5, Raven and Griffin can be out together since they're bonded best friends, although Griffin will still attack him at times so I have to supervise. I absolutely have to keep Robin in with the top covered (or be holding him close at all times) when the other 2 parrots are out since he's permanenly removed 2 of Griffin's toenails and one of Raven's. Then I have to be vigilant about Griffin landing on the budgie cage. It's covered, but he likes to land on the sides. He knows it's wrong, and I had put him in consistent time outs every single time for months on end (until it drove ME nuts) yet even knowing it's bad, he doesn't care. He'll do it regardless of consequence. I wish my birds had more out of cage time, but short of having an aviary (which isn't possible now) you can see what a pain it is when you happen to have birds who don't all get along as a flock.

I wish my birds had more out of cage time, but short of having an aviary (which isn't possible now) you can see what a pain it is when you happen to have birds who don't all get along as a flock.

I feel your pain in this statement.

As do I. Just had to make a permanent change to my Goffins living situation because of a nasty fight that damaged a beak. The oldest offspring Gabby is permanently removed to another room. The perpetrators made out like bandits because the trio gets along very well and won't be cycled into their cages for equal time. They can now cage-hop whenever they choose and won't be locked inside again.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Speaking of cage-hopping and time-outs, I wonder if I am missing something obvious.

Is it pretty much a necesssity to wing-clip to some extent in order to do time-outs? Or are some parrots good-natured enough to cooperate?

If we head anyplace the Rb doesn't want to go, it's FLAPFLAPFLAPflapFLAPflapFLAP!!!!!

 

[BeatriceC]

My new cockatoo was a cage hopper. I used short time outs every time he went to another cage. It took three days, but he learned if he hopped on anybody's cage I'd shut him in his and leave the room for five minutes. I just had to be really consistent with doing it every time.

Wow, Oscar is a quick study!

He really is. It's been a week and a half and he's already learned so much. It does help that we have two adults home full time to manage birds and kids, so that allows me to do intensive work with any of of them if I need to. I tell him this is etiquette school for birds and he's an A student. The only thing I'm really struggling with is the screaming, which so far is happening at pretty reliable times of day, so I really should start my own thread asking for thoughts on what might be triggering it so I can go about stopping it.

Speaking of cage-hopping and time-outs, I wonder if I am missing something obvious.

Is it pretty much a necesssity to wing-clip to some extent in order to do time-outs? Or are some parrots good-natured enough to cooperate?

If we head anyplace the Rb doesn't want to go, it's FLAPFLAPFLAPflapFLAPflapFLAP!!!!!

When my birds are perched on my hands, there's one foot on my index finger and my thumb is over that foot. If they try to jump or fly away, my thumb keeps that from happening. It took a LONG time to get Charlotte and Goofy used to being held that way, but now they seem like they feel more stable and like it that way, and actually put their foot in the right place themselves.

 

[GaleriaGila]

WOW!
That's wonderful, Beatrice.
Rb will straight up BITE me if I try to contain/restrain him. Even if I could get him to the cage, I don't know how I'd detach him. He won't step off, unless I toss the miraculous green chile in first, and that wouldn't be much of a time-out.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

[BeatriceC]

RB is a special case. lol.

But there were some bite attempts when teaching the birds how to be held like that. My vet worked with them a little bit and showed us how to keep bites from becoming injuries to ourselves when starting to hold them that way. And while they didn't like it in the beginning, they prefer it that way now, probably because they're more stable that way.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Rb *IS* a special case. Maybe I'll just leave well enough alone and keep on letting him do whatever he wants.
[Thanks for hosting the mini-time-out discussion, Dave.]