My irn hates going into cage

[trainmctrainface]

Hello, wonderful bird people! I have adopted a 6yo female irn a few days ago, and she did not have a good life before that. Kept in a too small cage without any freedom or socialization, forcefully taken out/put back in the cage, seed only diet, no toys, etc. I took her with cage just to avoid too much stress at first, but the thing is she really doesn't like going back to her cage. So I read all the taming advice I could find here, but nobody with this specific problem.

This girl is super scared of people, it shows that she's been harrased a lot. She is slightly aggressive towards my male rosella and bhc, but they go away from her and they're only out together supervised. We let them out of their cages at least twice daily for at least 2 hours, but the problem is that while the irn comes out (startled because the upper part of cage opens and I guess she associates that with being forced to go out), she hates going back in. We don't chase her, we leave her cage open and set treats in (she started eating pellets so we try to bribe her with sunflower seeds), but she goes in, takes a bite, and as soon as we try to close the cage, she escapes again. As I said, the cage is too small, the new one has been ordered but it will be at least two or more weeks before it arrives, and I really don't have the heart to keep her locked up, so any advice on how to get her back in her cage more easily would be greatly appreciated!

 

[noodles123]

When she goes back in, are you shutting the cage on her more times than you leave it open?

For instance, on a given day, when she does go back in, how likely are you to shut the cage at that point?

 

[trainmctrainface]

Yeah, I try to shut it a few minutes after she goes in, so she has time to relax and not get the feeling I'm gonna start harrasing her when she's in it. I open it when I'm home, and when I have to leave, I try to shut it, because I'm not leaving my birds out unsupervised. She would sit on her cage for 1-2 hours and not go in at all, and I don't even come near the cage during that time, to avoid startling her.

 

[noodles123]

You shouldn't shut her in every time- she has learned the pattern. "Whenever I go in, I get locked up for hours". You want to let her go in and out multiple times without shutting her in so she can't anticipate it and so that her cage feels less like a prison, and more like an option for eating/hanging out etc.

Agreed that you should NEVER leave your birds unsupervised. I would try letting her out more often when you know you have a lot of time and then bribing her to go in WITHOUT shutting the door when she does.

Basically, get her to go back in of her own accord (via a bribe or whatever it takes other than chasing or force), and then prove to her that nothing happens (continue to allow her to come and go).

If she stops associating going in with getting locked up, she will enter more willingly with greater frequency once you break the cycle (which will take time).

 

[trainmctrainface]

Thank you, that's really good advice! And it makes perfect sense, that's probably how she's been treated for her entire life (I've only had her 2 days). So a lot to unpack here, a lot of damage to reverse..

 

[noodles123]

Thank you, that's really good advice! And it makes perfect sense, that's probably how she's been treated for her entire life (I've only had her 2 days). So a lot to unpack here, a lot of damage to reverse..

Focus on building trust and try to let her out when you know you can wait her out. Also--once she establishes her cage as a place she doesn't hate, dimming the lights in the evening can encourage her to return to it at bed-time (as they would in nature---returning to the roost etc)...but for that to work, she needs to be OKAY with her cage and it also helps to have them on a sleep schedule. Shoot for 12 hours around the same time if you aren't already...10 is really the bare minimum--they need this to regulate mood, hormones and immune health. A regular wake-up and bedtime will help regulate her internal clock so that you BOTH can anticipate "bedtime" . You don't want to dim lights or cover the cage at all unless it is actually bedtime (btw)

 

[trainmctrainface]

Yep, all my birbs have at least 10 hours of sleep, usually from 8 to 8. Thank you again, you've been super helpful!!