Possible new cage

[Tomcat]

Hi All,

 

Having had Ollie sinse January, he came in his cage already and all i have done is added toys etc.

 

I should hopefully be moving house soon, leaving me more room for a bigger cage for him. His cage now certainly isnt too small, however i feel i would prefer a larger one for more toys and so he can still have room to have fun. He comes out everyday for afew hours at a time etc.

 

Basically, what i want to know is this. Ollie isnt trusting enough with me yet to allow me to handle him, apart from when he allows me to scratch his head and neck. So, should i wait for him to trust me in all of this and then upgrade his cage, as it then allows me to actually put him into it, as i wouldnt stand a chance of getting him in a new cage, its difficult enough getting him in the cage he has lived in for months lol.

 

Also, do you think a house move although stressfull, would help a little with bonding as i will be there to comfort him?

 

Thanks, Tom.

[Dave007]

Actually, you should have changed the cage when you first got him. Many bad habits disappear when a bird is taken from an area that he knows very well. That was an area in which he was more comfortable in and was allowed to continue those habits ( if he had any, such as distrusting people or nippiness). A new cage allows the bird to learn about something new. He doesn't have the savvy to do things like he did. That learning would have been--new cage--new people--new envirnment--new household habits etc.

This is especially true with older greys who use their home ( which is the cage) as a fort.

Will the move bother him? hard to say. Birds are affected in different ways. I really don't know how your will react but usually, the problems associated with moving eventually subside.

Bonding won't happen because of any move. That happens when the owner spends lots of time with a bird in a permanent location such as your new address. Bonding and moving have nothing to do with each other.

""""So, should i wait for him to trust me in all of this and then upgrade his cage, """""

Well, if it hasn't yet happened since January, I doubt it's gonna happen just because you're moving. If you cant handle the bird now, you'll need another person to help you out when you relocate. Look at this way----If your bird had to go to a vet that was far away, would you wait until the bird trusted you before going or would you have another person help you out to get the bird to the vet? Just make sure that the bird is covered when moving so he doesn't see all the intense actions going on.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Dave007

[Rrrma]

I have to agree with Dave. I can't wait for my new cage to come for Hardy, he has some horrible perching habits. I've already rearranged his cage and added new things and broken his obsession with a certain spot, but a new cage will be good for him. It was the cage he and his mate lived together in for 11 years, so it is definitely not where I want him to stay any longer than he has to. It should be here any day and I can't wait to set it up.