Can I move the cage around?

[guardado143]

I have gotten a bird yet but I have a question. Is it ok to move the cage from room to room with me as I go about my day so that the bird can get used to me or will this just freak him out even more?

 

[noodles123]

it will freak him out more.

 

[noodles123]

Once you have built trust with him, you can use playstands around the house but you don't want to rush that early on, as they are often very uncertain about new/unfamiliar people, places and objects (you don't need playstands for every room btw...they do need to get used to you being home but not constantly within their line of sight, as that is real-life). You could have the playstands around before you are ready to use them so he gets used to seeing them, but I would let him get used to his cage (inside and out if it can be done safely) in same same room initially... and don't try to touch him or pick him up if he seems scared --there's a thread on building trust somewhere.you want to be as low-key/positive as possible, so you will want to make sure that you aren't pushing past his comfort zone initially in terms of physical contact, hands etc). Also, while they do need a lot of attention and interaction, you do not want to give your bird unreasonable amounts because they will come to expect that, so don't do anything that you can't sustain--they do need to understand that you will sometimes leave the room etc...so you have to build trust and also make sure you are teaching some independence (not neglecting, but not creating a needy bird who will be anxious/ self-destruct if you have to go to work or something).

 

[fiddlejen]

I have gotten a bird yet but I have a question. Is it ok to move the cage from room to room with me as I go about my day so that the bird can get used to me or will this just freak him out even more?

Really it will depend upon your bird. My Sunny and my budgies, I have moved their cages around from the beginning, and they have all been perfectly happy with it. They started in relatively-smaller cages, and with upgrades I made sure to get ones with wheels. (In fact, the second-upgrade to budgies' cage did not have wheels, but to large to easily & conveniently move around, so I got a wheeled cart from Home Depot specifically to use for a movable stand.)

I would recommend, IF that's what you're gonna do - do it calmly & gently - and, indeed start from near the beginning of when you have the bird, so it will get used to this being part of its life.

 

[fiddlejen]

To elaborate - IF you want to move them room-to-room For The Purpose "so that the bird can get used to me" -- then definitely go with Noodles' advice. I do NOT claim that moving them is a good Bonding-Technique. It's what I did, and I had *good reasons for doing so. If you find it will work best for You to move the bird around, My Experience is that mine all accepted it very easily. And IF you're gonna do so, probably best to start fairly early so they can learn that it's part of their new life with you.

However IF you are wondering whether to move them around in their cages daily with you, For the Purpose of Helping Build your Relationship, then as noted by Noodles its probably Not a Useful Technique.


(*And, to further clarify, My reason, is that I wanted Them to keep Me Company. The layout of my house is very long, so when I spend a lot of time in one or another area I am far away from them. And then I was going off to work. They each came clipped - my Sunny, very badly clipped! - and I'm a bit of clutterbug, so that when I got them my house was entirely Not Bird-Safe. (Too many entrapment-dangers. Over the past year this has been corrected! In fact, that was part of the time spent in other rooms. Their company with me reminded me of my motivation for decluttering!) So to clarify -- I moved their cages when I wanted them with me. NOT as a bonding-technique, and it was because other methods of keeping them near me, at that time, were un-safe.)