Do you need to be in the same room with your birds when they are out of their cage?

[FieryPhoenix]

Tell me how you let your birds out of the cage. Are you constantly with them when they are out or can you be in another room?

I have two birds, and when they are out of the cage, I am always in the same room as them. However, when they are out, and I am in the room, they want my undivided attention, and if I am doing something else and not paying attention to them they will start squawking at me after a while.

Can I be in a different room when they are out (usually on some kind of play gym), or must I be there constantly? Or if I am in another room, do I need to have a camera watching them so I can see what's going on?

PS, there are no other animals in the home.

 

[Rozalka]

I think it's better to stay with them all (or most of) the time. Personally I sometimes leave my fids alone but only when I don't see anything bad (eg I never leave them when my conure is with smaller fids, without controlling it could be dangerous) and it's rather only for short moments

 

[Cottonoid]

I think this probably depends on the individuals.

Cotton's cage door is open 24/7.

When Opie is out, I make sure I know where he is at all times even if I'm not in the same room. If he's in the front room where the cages are, I don't need to be in there all the time any more, but if he's anywhere else in the house I do go to the same room or ask him to contact call every minute or so. He sometimes thinks it's funny to "hide" and not call back but I can hear him making little hehe sounds We've been working on him going to particular spots in each room that are safe for him to play at, and he's pretty good about it.

 

[saxguy64]

Really, there's no hard and fast rules about this. Totally depends on your particular situation, and your birds, (do they get into things/destroy everything they can get their beak on, or just hang out?) and also the safety of the room they're in. So many household things that can be catastrophic.

Mine are all different. My ekkie, I open the cage and go about my business. He's fully flighted and goes where he wants when he's out. He really doesn't like the floor, so I don't worry too much about that, and otherwise, he goes to his "tree", the top of his cage, or mostly just lands on my shoulder. Super easy.

My YNA, she roams a little. She's flighted, but prefers to climb or walk to get where she wants to be. She's very bonded to me, so my arm and shoulder are her preferred places. Sooooo, she's with me when she's out, but mostly just hangs out on my shoulder, and is with me wherever I go in the house. Also easy.

The latest addition, my senior grey, actually turned out to be the most curious. Who knew? I've only had him for a few months, and he was cage bound for 15+ years before that. We do flap flap exercises a little each day and he's getting stronger, but as yet doesn't have the muscle mass to sustain flight very far. He's up to about 15-20 feet max, and only downward. That said, he's the one who gets into stuff... like chewing the legs off a desk, the couch, the rug... He lives to be on my fore arm, doesn't care for the shoulder, so he needs me to be in the same room to keep an eye on him, or direct attention on my arm. He's a little more "labor intensive" but an amazing personality, so it's totally worth it.

It can be a challenge, but we do what we have to to make it all work.

 

[FieryPhoenix]

I work remotely so I am lucky the girls can hang with me, but it can be a bit much when I get calls and they start squawking LOL!

I leave the room to use the bathroom and eat something. They are pretty by themselves. One is a wing amputee she doesn't fly off. The conure flies but doesn't really fly off and get into things. They both stay on the play area.

Right now have them out, and so far they are pretty quiet. I wonder how long it will last.

 

[onamom]

I work remotely so I am lucky the girls can hang with me, but it can be a bit much when I get calls and they start squawking LOL!

I leave the room to use the bathroom and eat something. They are pretty by themselves. One is a wing amputee she doesn't fly off. The conure flies but doesn't really fly off and get into things. They both stay on the play area.

Right now have them out, and so far they are pretty quiet. I wonder how long it will last.

They KNOW when you’re on a call. Ona is so like this. I work from home and her cage door is open while I’m in the room with her. She stays mostly quiet until I get on a call….. then she wants to talk too.

 

[FieryPhoenix]

They KNOW when you’re on a call. Ona is so like this. I work from home and her cage door is open while I’m in the room with her. She stays mostly quiet until I get on a call….. then she wants to talk too.

I think the best question I got on a call is "Is that a frog?" LOL!

 

[texsize]

My African grey spends a lot of her time in the bathroom.
Personally I don't find the ambiance of the bathroom all that compelling.
As long as the cover to the toilet is closed to prevent accidents it's fairly safe and she usually sets on top of the door so she can see out and see us and we can see her.

The Twins stay in the living room with us and once in a while one or the other of the birds will fly off into the kitchen. When that happens one of the human servants will go and bring them back. It's not so much for safety or worried what trouble they might get into it's a matter of quiet. When one twin can't see the other they start contact calling until the stray bird returns. So the quicker they are reunited the better.

Bingo doesn't fly so her goes where I go. I might walk out briefly but never for long.

The cockatiels are harder to figure. Only 3 fly and they are the only ones that get let out. the 2 that can't fly will hurt themselves by trying to fly so when the frequent flyers are let out they may take a few laps around the house but always return to no-flighted buddies.

 

[wrench13]

Normally we only leave the room (and our house is an open floor plan type) to hit the head or other small time absences. However when Salty refuses to step up to go into his cage when I come home late, like after 11 PM, I will let him sleep on his playchain instead of insisting on putting him in his cage. It's strictly from a sense of self-preservation - in those instances, Salty will make my hand into a quaterpounder of tenderized beef should I want to force the issue. So he gets to spend an uncomfortable night on his chain, instead of a nice perch next to a cage heater. Cage door is open, bird !! But No, he'd rather stay there. Oddly he never gives me any guff when its his normal time for bed at 10PM.