moving my cockatiel

[pumpkinpie]

My cockatiels live outside. they’re right outside the backyard door and I’d love to harness train one of them (she’s the only one that can fly). However, until i do that, i bring her inside every so often so she can spread her wings and fly around the house.
The issue is my method. I just reach into the cage and grab her. When i take her out she’s VERY wriggly.

Sometimes, she’s extra active, flying from perch to perch and going back and forth trying to come out. She loves the wild birds that visit and fly by and they get her super excited.

I’m worried that one day she might slip out of my hands, or that i’ll traumatise her over time by grabbing her.

(I also have to grab her for medicine time so it’s a lot of grabbing happening)

Most of the time she gets upset with me and refuses to let me give her scratches after grabbing her. She will ‘bite’ me, (never hard)
but enough to warn me away and express to me she’s upset. She usually does it after medicine time probably because that’s the longest grabbing session.

I would greatly appreciate any advice on moving her in and out of the house safely and respectfully where she won’t feel threatened.

Side Note:
-her cage door is massive, i could fit my whole torso into her cage

-she’s the white one, her name is lola <3

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Um...why do you keep them outside? Is it because you don't have enough space indoors? A bird kept outdoors is exposed to bad weather, predators, etc, and if they somehow manage to escape their cage, they'll fly away.
I recommend moving them inside. Even in a small cage, as long as they are out for a while.
If you must grab her, be sure to never hold her by the chest area; otherwise she can't breathe.
Good luck, and Lola is gorgeous

 

[Laurasea]

I'd be making a double door entry, or getting someone i know who could. Terrified an escape could happen.

Possible attach a screened tent to front??? To help prevent escape....

Definitely gorgeous Lola

 

[pumpkinpie]

Um...why do you keep them outside? Is it because you don't have enough space indoors? A bird kept outdoors is exposed to bad weather, predators, etc, and if they somehow manage to escape their cage, they'll fly away.
I recommend moving them inside. Even in a small cage, as long as they are out for a while.
If you must grab her, be sure to never hold her by the chest area; otherwise she can't breathe.
Good luck, and Lola is gorgeous

Hi! Thankyou for your concern! They are protected from weather with a massive gazebo structure. We zip it up at night and we have direct view of them throughout the day.
We have two cats since my sister moved in with us and while we usually kept the birds locked in a single room, keeping birds indoors isn’t safe for many reasons: toxins, pfoa and ptfe’s, cleaning supplies, hair dryers there’s just so much more i won’t add to the list
(and yes it’s a small home, we are renting) and the room they were in got very cramped.

I was afraid of letting them out to fly because they could get stuck anywhere.

Lack of Vitamin D is also an issue. Windows block UVB rays. As you can see, Lola is a mutation. Mutations generally have a weakened immune system. I do not want to risk her getting sick from a single mistake anyone could make.

Our Vet recommended direct sun exposure. They do well with the Australian weather as cockatiels are native to this land.

I’ve done my absolute best to be as safe as possible, but whenever my mum comes over she doesn’t respect our boundaries and brings unsafe things into our home.
She sometimes brings the cats into the room too but claims she’s ‘holding’ them so they won’t attack.
It’s just safer for them to be outside so this is what we decided to do to combat all of the above issues.

We also live in a new built community and where i am from in Australia, it is illegal for cats to be outside without being leashed plus they have a curfew at night. So we don’t have strays coming into our backyard.
But what we do have are some lovely wild cockatoos who love to chat to them!
I do hope I’ve answered your questions or alleviated some worries. There’s so much more i can talk about but these are mostly our main reasons.

 

[pumpkinpie]

Um...why do you keep them outside? Is it because you don't have enough space indoors? A bird kept outdoors is exposed to bad weather, predators, etc, and if they somehow manage to escape their cage, they'll fly away.
I recommend moving them inside. Even in a small cage, as long as they are out for a while.
If you must grab her, be sure to never hold her by the chest area; otherwise she can't breathe.
Good luck, and Lola is gorgeous

I'd be making a double door entry, or getting someone i know who could. Terrified an escape could happen.

Possible attach a screened tent to front??? To help prevent escape....

Definitely gorgeous Lola

Hi Laurasea, that’s a good idea! I’ll have a look into it!