Do you place your new bird in a new cage with...

[Mr.Darcy]

So as some of you may know, some day, I will be getting my baby Hahn's Macaw. I have a cage for him all set up (collecting dust) with the perch provided, a cactus perch, a cement perch, a rope perch and a platform with a cozie. It also has a round swing. There is still lots of room to stretch his wings and move around.

So my question is....Should the cage be empty when you first introduce them, or leave it set up and let him freak out/deal with it???

And as far as handling him, I have the birds for dummies and it suggests letting the bird just be for 24 hrs, change food and water and sit nearby and talk but dont handle the bird....thoughts?

Oh yeah and I bought a second cage today to use as a sleep cage in another room, so should I introduce that cage in the first days too?

Thanks
Marlies and Mr.Darcy

[TheNzJessie]

i guess it would be up to how well your bird adjusts. some birds settle in straight away and some get freaked out by the smallest tings. im guessing you could pick up these signs just picking him up and bringing him through the front door his body language will tell me, Jango settled in the minute i set him in his cage he wanted to come out and play!

[pchela]

I would have the cage set up the way it's going to be for when he comes home. As a baby, he should adapt very well to new situations. You're going to have so much fun with him!

[Titanius]

I had Jasper setup in the cage as soon as he got home. Don't worry Mr.Darcy your Hahn's is going to be awesomely taken care of with all the peperations you've made.

[Azure Hanyo]

I am so excited I admit I check the forum every single morning and night JUST to see if Marlies is home yet...

[Mr.Darcy]

the parrot is Mr.Darcy (Pride and Predjudice) I am Marlies!!
And thanks for sharing my eggcitement!! I will post as soon as he gets here!!
Marlies and Mr.Darcy

[Azure Hanyo]

:lol: the parrot is Mr.Darcy (Pride and Predjudice) I am Marlies!!
And thanks for sharing my eggcitement!! I will post as soon as he gets here!!
Marlies and Mr.Darcy

BAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! So, um...are you home yet, Marlies?

[Natacha]

Each time I've brought a new bird home, I've put the bowls where they should go as well as a number of perches where I think it would make sense (and make changes if I see they are required due to how the bird uses them later on).

I have to say though, that I go easy on the toys at first, only adding a few and then, as the bird got more comfortable, I added a few more.

Also, for the first few days I would use a blanket and cover a corner to they have somewhere to hide if they feel like it at first. Once again, when they got more comfortable I took that away.

[sidech]

Mine was a baby too, three months old, and I had the cage all ready, with all the toys in it, the bowls and the food and water. I put him in it right away, and thought I would let him settle in a bit, but he did not see it that way... He wanted to come out and be with us, was really tame, just a little sucker for affection, so I took him out after a few minutes in his cage.

So it depends on the bird. About the sleep cage, though, I would wait a week or two.

[jayebird]

Congrats on being so well prepared! You're going to be a good parrot mom

We had our cage completely set up for when he got home. We thought that that way we, if he was very nervous, we wouldn't be making it worse by sticking our huge, scary hands in the cage to rearrange things or add toys during the first days - or make him wait in his carrying case while we set it up. In the week since we've moved toys and perches around to suit his preferences more as we've learned his habits (ex, moving his favorite toy closer to his sandy perch so his nails get that grind) and we've also learned that we need more perches for his cage since he loves to climb around and he has more than enough space to flap. It turns out that Mango wasn't nervous at all and all he wanted to do was hang out with us from Day 1 anyway, but that's besides the point...

Anyway, that;s been our experience! I say, set it up how you want - maybe easy on the toys - and expect that you'll be rearranging things in the near future for him anyway.