Has anyone ever had this problem ?

[caliopi]

I have a large cage for Puffin that has inbuilt holders for his food,seed and water. The bowls remove but sit in the inbuilt compartment.

The first month we had Puffin we nearly lost him because as I took the food bowl out to get him his breakfast he climbed into the compartment and got himself so badly stuck that even unscrewing the compartment from the cage was no use and we had to rush to the vet where he required gas to calm him so they could handle him and get him unstuck. Luckily no real harm was done (except frightening me ) and he recovered well.

All was good for the next six months and then suddenly a few weeks ago he began taking the bowls out of the compartment and chucking them and their contents. We tried everything we could think of to stop him as it worried me he could go for hours with no water or food if I was at work and left him home. My husband even bought these special clips that were so tight I couldn't move them but it sure didn't take Puffin long to work them out!

Well today we were out shopping and as we walked into the family room my husband screamed as he saw Puffin lying upside down and well and truely stuck in this compartment again. Luckily after we had unscrewed it we were able to get him out and again, no real harm but it terrifies me that if he had been there much longer he would have died. My husband took to the compartments with a hammer so that we can still put the bowls in through the hatch but they would not be able to be pulled out through the top.

My question is has anyone else ever had their bird do this and if so, surely cages should be built with a different design so the birds cannot lift the bowls out and climb in.

 

[antoinette]

OMG you must be petrified to leave him on his own, even being there accidents occur so quickly.
It's hard for us to try visualize what the cage looks like with the compartments.
I suggest try sending us a picture, maybe a few from different angles to give us a clue.
Hopefully we can figure it out from there

 

[justwingingit]

The thing is that even "bird-safe" stuff, can end up being an enemy to the birds. We think something will work, but parrots are such intricate creatures that they can undo, take apart and break just about anything. Maybe it would be time to get a different cage. I would not be able to concentrate on anything because I would be wondering if my bird was okay. While they are smart in many ways, they are like 2 year olds that don't reason things out. Keep us posted.

 

[caliopi]

Oh believe me I was ready to go and get a new cage there and then however my husband has made sure it is impossible to lift the bowls out from the top now thanks to his trusty hammer!

Antoinette I will try and post some pictures of the cage, well truth be told, I will get my daughter to because I am not that computer savvy LOL.

 

[antoinette]

Oh believe me I was ready to go and get a new cage there and then however my husband has made sure it is impossible to lift the bowls out from the top now thanks to his trusty hammer!

Antoinette I will try and post some pictures of the cage, well truth be told, I will get my daughter to because I am not that computer savvy LOL.

Lets hope his trusty hammer did the job

 

[macawincrivel]

The only things in this world that are "bird safe" are those that are yet to be explored by birds. A new cage is a wonderful idea.

 

[lzver]

I can't imagine how terrifying that is.

I know that our Sennie is able to loosen his food bowl and he pushes it out onto the floor, but the only real harm us that there is food all over the floor and he's able to climb out. Fortunately he hasn't done it when we're not home. It's definitely for the sake of getting attention because mommy always comes over to clean up the mess and Jessie gets attention.

Hopefully the modifications your husbasnd made work so he's not able to get himself stuck again.

Laura