Getting Ollie back into the cage...

[Tomcat]

Hi All,

 

Ollie has been spending alot of time out of his cage now, and although he wont sit on me or my hand etc, he will alllow me to scratch his head and take food out of my hands etc.

 

Ive just put him back into his cage now, and like usual trying to usher him in means him screaming and 'croaking' at me. However, after afew minutes, he stepped up onto my small stick, around 12 inch long and allowed me to put him back into his cage.

 

Letting him out is starting to be an issue, as although i love him to come out and feel he needs to come out etc, i cant always get him back into his cage, and like today, i had to get him back in as i needed to do other things around the house, it was a hassle.

 

Can anybody help me in this

 

Thanks, Tom.

[GoDiego]

LOL, I know how you are feeling! Diego hates his cage and hates going back in it, I also posted something similar here on the forum http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190562-Diego-and-my-battle-at-bedtime!

 

However, things are improving! I noticed that there was a bit of a routine going on with Diego, for example he knew that when it got dark it was soon time to go back in the cage. It got to the point that when it got dark, Diego would have absolutely nothing to do with us as he thought that we would whip him back in the cage if he came and gave us some attention. After noticing our routine, I changed it. Now when I ask him to step up, I take him for little journeys around the house so each time he goes somewhere different, sometimes I also put him back in the cage but leave the door open so that he can come back out again. Also I now get Diego back into his cage before it gets dark, so that the darkness is not a cue for cage time. Now there is no routine to when he goes back in the cage and each time he is picked up something different happens so he never knows if he is going back in the cage or not.

 

Oh and I also never try and put Diego in head first as he just clamps at the door with his beak and climbs back out again or flies off before we even get that close. I now walk past the cage as though I am showing him something else, then with his back to the cage back him in it. I know it's a bit sneaky of me, but it saves all the temper tantrums he normally gives. LOL

 

Letting him out is starting to be an issue, as although i love him to come out and feel he needs to come out etc, i cant always get him back into his cage, and like today, i had to get him back in as i needed to do other things around the house, it was a hassle.

 

Don't give up on this! The more he is out and the more variety he gets the happier he will be going back in the cage for a rest. If you stop letting him out, or restrict how much time he has out, it will make things much worse as he will not know when he is going to be able to get out again. Plus my personal opinion is that a bird that has plenty of time out of a cage is a happier, friendlier and healthier one.

[Tomcat]

Hello Mate (Sorry, i dont know your name?)

 

Thats brilliant, gives me some hope! I just need to get round his handling issue tbh, ive had him 7 months now, and thought it would have happened abit quicker but hey ho, he is deffinately getting better!

 

Can i also ask, is Diego your grey, or your Amazon?

 

Also guys, can someone tell me what to expact should Ollie bite me please?

 

Thanks, Tom.

[GoDiego]

Thats brilliant, gives me some hope! I just need to get round his handling issue tbh, ive had him 7 months now, and thought it would have happened abit quicker but hey ho, he is deffinately getting better![/quote

 

Definately don't give up hope, time and patience is the key!

 

Diego is my Amazon, although there are some major personality and diet differences between Amazons and Greys, the basics are pretty much the same. They are both very intelligent parrots (although I am sure some greys would never except that an Amazon is as clever as them. LOL) and they pick up on things very quickly and can use them to get what they want. Never force Ollie back in the cage or grab and hold him to put him back as this could break some trust. If it's not working, walk away (I always go for a ciggy to calm myself again) then I go back again with a clear mind.

 

Also guys, can someone tell me what to expact should Ollie bite me please?

 

Does Ollie explore your hands with his beak and mouth your fingers? When I first had Diego, I used to flinch and pull my hand back quickly every time Diego went near my hand or fingers with his beak, thinking he was going to bite me. I then found out that he uses his beak as a hand and was not going for my fingers to bite me but to check me out. After I allowed him to explore my hands with his beak, both Diego and I gained a lot more confidence with each other. Unfortunately I cannot tell you what to expect as I have not experienced a bite as yet. I have saved myself from some bites by reading his body language and backing off before he gets annoyed enough to chomp, however, I am sure I will get one sooner then later LOL. What I call mouthing bites or even playing bites, I would call more nibbles and have not hurt so far. When they get harder, I put him back on his playstand and walk away.

 

Carolina

[Tomcat]

Ah, thats good.

 

Well, when he goes to bite or mouth, he tends to have you finger in his mouth, and it can sometimes apply quite a bit of pressure, im not exactly scared of bites, i keep Boa Constrictors etc so im not a whimp, but something about his big scary beak makes me think i dont want my finger in it lol.

 

Tom

[GoDiego]

From what I can gather reading other threads on greys they are more prone to leading you down the garden path with bites then with Amazons. Amazons tend to act first and then think, where as greys seem to have a little more thought behind things. LOL

[Tomcat]

Yeah i do think its usually a bluff tbh, however i really dont want to experince a nasty bite from Ollie. I guess im going to get one at somepoint

[texascowboy1979]

Hum... Ive never had problems with Cage Time, yet... Best of luck

[Azzie]

One thing you can try with cage time is to make it a more pleasant experience. Usually once a bird is returned to its cage it is because its time to sleep, or because the owner has something else to do, meaning no contact for the bird. They are quick to associate things, as Diego did. Next time after you put him in his cage, spend some time talking and chatting with him, or give him a treat.

 

Cleo, my grey, used to do whatever she could to avoid going into her cage. She would climb out of reach on some of her toys I have in the living area, or indeed would clamp on to the door opening cartoon style. I wisened up though and have tried to make cagetime a little more pleasant. She now gets a few sunflower seeds after she is back inside, and I spend some time talking to her and playing through the cage bars. It has made a big difference. She is still reluctant to go, but she now will step up when I tell her it's time to go back, and does not have a tantrum.

 

The thing with these darned birds is that they are smart enough to know what they want, and how to achieve it, and you do risk getting a good bite by trying to put your bird back when he doesn't want to go. Not surprisingly really, since a chomp is about the only real way he can show is absolute displeasure at what you are trying to do with him. Forcing a grey to do what you want it to does not work (not that that's what you are doing!), as it damages trust between bird and owner. So, since your bird cannot move into our world, we need to move in to theirs, and if a little bribe of, say, seeds makes the experience more pleasant for the bird, then so be it = )

 

As for what to expect when you do get bitten. Expect pain, and blood. If he gets you with the point tip of his beak you will likely get a deep puncture wound with a lot of deep tissue bruising. If he gets you with the sides of his beak and does a scissor type bite, you will end up with a gash, possibly with some skin having been sheared off. If you do get bitten, make the wound bleed by squeezing it. That flushes out any bacteria that might be in the wound. Stop the bleeding then by applying pressure, and douse liberally with a disinfectant (I rather like old fashioned iodine, as it dries the wound up also). If he does bite, try not to squawk or yell, as this inadvertently encourages the bird to bite, as it sure sounds like fun to hear one's human respond in such a comical fashion. Put the bird back in his cage for time out for 10 minutes, and walk away.

 

Persistence is the key here by the way. It's about changing accustomed habits and replacing them. Keep us posted on your progress!

[Tomcat]

Hello

 

Getting Ollie in the cage is no longer a problem... He just steps up onto my arm and allows me to put him back, or he goes in by himself now.

 

Ollie really has changed, he isnt cuddly and wont step up in his cage, however he does really appreciate a head scratch and loves to step up onto my arm and sit on my shoulder.

 

Thanks

[Azzie]

Yes as a young bird matures, their personalities do change. Babies tend to be more cuddly and needy, until they become more independent and less cuddly. Greys aren't know for being cuddly birds, but when the mood strikes them, they can smooch like the best of them.

 

I wish Cleo would go into her cage by herself lol. I still have to bribe her with a spoon full of sunflower seeds at bed time.