When you leave home...

[Elvenking]

Does your little friend give you a hard time when it is time to go in the cage for when you go to work? Ohh my how he tries to work me when it's time for me to go. Firstly, he tries to climb his way up my arm when it's cage time. I feel like such a meanie...but I eventually get him in there. Then once that is done....down to the bottom he goes to claw at the newspaper as he shoves his beak between the bars as if to say, "No...please let me out". Ohh gawd.

 

I do leave some music on for him....yesterday it was smooth jazz....today a little reggae. Do they like to have music? I just figure its better than silence.

[Veenyx]

So far, my little Grey doesn't fight me too much when it's time to be put away. However, his best friend, a White Bellied Caique, will fight me beak and nail until I wrestle him in.

 

I think birds enjoy being left with something instead of complete silence. You might want to try bird song radio. My birds really enjoy it.

 

http://www.birdsongradio.com/radio-birdsong-listen.php

[Suzzique]

Though I am a stay at home mom the birds still have to go into thier cages when it is time to go get kids or shopping trips ect. Most of the time they are pretty good about it. Though if they really aren't wanting to go into thier cages they will give me a bad time. Alex will mostly just fly around so that I have to chase him. Though now that he is 2 1/2 sometimes he fluffs up and bites. Martini I always have to pick up with a stick. If he is not wanting to go he will lung at me. At which point the stick gets dropped and he has to fly. He is normally better after that and will step up on the stick and go into his cage no problem.

 

Alex picked up Martini's good by whistle so they both do it now as I'm going out the door.

[Elvenking]

I can understand why he fights it. It is just way cooler being out for him....plus he knows that if it's light out side...and he is going in the cage....it isn't bed time, and I am about to leave.

 

Fighting beak and nail is a good description. LOL.

 

I will have to check that bird radio out. LOL...Cute.

[ecodweeb]

Mine are old birds and they are pretty complacent with me. Now my partner has problems getting Talula to go in her cage.

[danmcq]

I have, and Dayo's cuddle muffin my wife always had to tare ourselves away from Dayo's pitiful calls, cry's and cheeps when leaving.

 

He would not ever want to go back in his cage once out. But, rather than making it a negative experience everytime. We started making it a happy and positive experience by being in good moods, praising him and telling him "Lets eat some....apples, grapes.. veggies.. mixture of several of his favorite things etc.

 

This has worked well over the last 6 months and he will go in riding on our arm or hand without us having to clamp his Talons and hold his back as we head towards the cage. We carry the bowl of whatever it is with us as we walk him over and talking "Happy Talk" to him.

 

It has now been a very rare occasion that we must chase and force a step-up perhaps suffering a bite doing so, which took place regularly previous to making it a "Happy Time" as we approached him and continued doing so through closing the cage door.

 

Positive reinforcement works best in ALL situations.

 

If it is a negative experience everytime, you will have a fight on your hands and probably bites during it unless you change techniques. I know from almost 3 years of experience at chasing and getting bitten. :pinch: Oh and sticks...forget it, he flew the minute he saw a perch coming at him....<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/02/18 21:53

[Elvenking]

Awe...I will try this. Just have to find something to distract him before its time. Thank you for sharing that story Dan.

 

And yes, positive reinforcement not only works...it is the only thing that works.

[Luvparrots]

My Ana Grey is a rather mellow grey and trusts me explicitly. She is 1½ years old and will still step up for me without problem. When I put her in her cage I just tell her why and say "I'll be back" and she is fine. When she wants out of her cage she says "Come here". Shoot she says "come here" when she wants me period in or out of her cage and I come running!! :laugh: To be fair, if I say come here she also comes to me.

[KHAN]

Kaan would do anything to stop me leaving the house ever! He doesn't like going back in when I have to go out and almost always makes it difficult for me... Not stepping up and running off!

 

When i'm on my way out he wil say 'gotta go work' or 'going to the shops' and do a little dance where he will put his wings half up and looks pitifull.

 

In the nights he will not go in the cage without his 'nightly tickles' which takes about half hour of smoothing and cheek tickling!

[Elvenking]

Yeah...I think my little boy is still getting used to his routine. Somehow...I have to make it okay for him. At night...there is no fuss at all. He pleasently steps off onto his perch for a nice little good nights sleep. Mornings are the tough ones.

[judygram]

You have one fine looking grey there Elven, Issac is so adorable.

[Summerc25]

Shaka zulu fights me at bed time and when I have to go to work. He climbs up my arm and tries to kiss me and cuddle. He just does not want to go in the cage usually. He has started getting much better about it in the mornings because,like luv said, I started telling him in the morning that I have to go to work but I love him and will be back soon and surprisingly he went right in the cage the first time I did this. He has a tv in his room also and I usually leave it on Nick, Disney, Animal Planet or something he might enjoy. He seems to love copying cartoons so he gets to watch those alot.

[bigbird519]

mojo was not a fan of going back in the cage at all. i now put him in the cage once every 15 minutes or so. i put him in, shut the door, leave the room for a few, come back and let him out. sometimes i just do random step up practices. this is what i read from a trainer.

 

when he is out, practice your step up commands (using positive reinforcment) pick him up, and put him down in the most unpredictable places (repeat this). then every once in awhile put him in the cage, and pick him back up and take him out. you will be surprised how quickly your little guy will adapt. hope this helps.

 

b.t.w. my wife and i both smoke, so since we don't leave him in the house alone, he goes back in the cage everytime i want to smoke. lol

 

i am sure that eventually mojo will be saying "daddy go smoke." lol

[Char]

I don't usually have too much trouble getting Whisper back in the cage but when I do bribery works.:laugh: I just let her see me put an almond {her favorite} into her bowl and she is after it like a flash. Then I just shut the door. She is enjoying her treat so much she hardly notices when I say good by.

[Elvenking]

That is a great suggestion....I am going to work with him gently tomorrow on this little task. I am having fun teaching him....but its not all me I suppose...he is a really compliant bird in most cases. If he can poop on command...I must be able to get him over the anxiety of me leaving in the morning.

 

Maybe I will leave some nature sounds on tomorrow.

[Elvenking]

Wow...thank you all for the great ideas! I will try randomly putting him the cage too.

[Janfromboone]

I love Dan's suggestion - call it what it is Dan - Bribery. I bribe Tobie into the cage with a peanut. He never gets peanuts except when he needs to go to the cage for bedtime or if I have to leave in the middle of the day or to work. It is his special treat for those times. Of course we have our rituals too. I say Mommy has to go to work and Tobie sais "Work work work work work"

[rbpittman]

I started a ritual with Dixie when I brought her home - something that was recommended by my vet and I still use it every day. At the same time of the day - no matter what day, how long I've been home, or they've been out - it is nap time. This is about 30 minutes before I have to pick up my son. Some days they are only out for about an hour before I have to leave again. I do this even on days when I don't have to leave, and I stay in the room with them. I always use the same words - "it's nap time" and the always find something special put into their bowls as I prepare to leave. Dixie now rushes to her bowl to find fresh veggies that weren't there at breakfast or an almond or two, maybe a few pine nuts. Dixie was never a problem with going in, but we've reinforced her cage as her sanctuary. Beau was a different story - but same routine - one of his favorite treats, fresh veggies, something he didn't have at breakfast and he's no longer climbing up my arm, instead he heads to his bowl. By establishing this ritual, they have understood that when they go back into their cage it's not forever, I will be back or they will get to come out soon and their home is their place to hang out and be happy while I'm busy doing other things. Routine helps to establish trust, trust is part of their routine - they walk hand in hand together.

 

Robin

[Elvenking]

Yeah....I think Issac is still getting used to his routine. It seems less and less painful as we work on it. The mornings are the hardest. Bedtime seems to be no problem at all.