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My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Off topic discussions that are unrelated to parrots and other parrot discussions that don't fit anywhere else.

Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby Georginia » Fri May 05, 2017 2:37 pm

liz wrote:Ignore them. You have had them for a while but they are still scared. They need to hear you and see you without you putting your attention on them. Parrot proof your room and open the door.
Talk to yourself or read out loud. It will take a while since you have had them and not worked with them.
If you follow the taming info they will not only come out but will eventually come to you. I sit on the floor in the Cockatiel room and talk to myself or sing. After a while they move in on me and some even taste my toes. They are trying to figure me out what that giant is doing in their room.



Liz, I have obviously worked with them, seeing as Skittles steps up, likes head scratches, and likes sitting on shoulders. I do admit, he is not the tamest, neither of them are, but I have indeed worked with them. Thank you for your answer though.
I currently have two male Budgies, whom I love very much! I hope to soon expand my bird family and adopt more loving feathered friends into my home!
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby Pajarita » Sat May 06, 2017 10:28 am

Trick or 'Tiel wrote:I really don't want to start an argument here, but small birds should be able to come out too, for at least two hours every day. My tiel will chirp A LOT if he doesn't get enough time outside his cage. He doesn't actually like being in his cage, even though it is very large (20 by 30 by 40 inches) and has tons of toys and perches, and of course gloop and greens and pellets. But he still LOVES to come out, even though his cage has everything he could ever need and would go crazy if he had to stay in the cage all the time. Every time I let him out, he flies around and around the room to stretch those wings after being cooped up for a while. No parrot should waste its life away in a cage without ever coming out. Of course, if they live in an aviary, they don't need to come out, but if they live in a cage, they do. I know you may be thinking that if the cage is large enough, they won't need it, but birds can never really truly fly in a cage, even a flight one. They might be able to fly from perch to perch, but never fly laps around the room out of pure joy. My budgie and tiel love to fly laps together around our bird room, if one bird takes off the other follows. And they love human interaction, even if they have a mate or a flock. If a bird bows his head down, that means they want scritches. They simply can't get enough exercise, social interaction, and mental stimulation just sitting around in a cage. And I also think that tiels are a little more work than budgies. My budgie will be okay if she's in her cage for a while and she actually likes her cage, but not my tiel. The only time he chooses to go back in his cage is when he's hungry or thirsty, but even then he just gets a sip of water or a bite of pellets, then I find him landing on my head.


That's because you have only one tiel and he is lonely. When you have a small flock, they don't really need human interaction. They will be friendly with their human and even initiate some interaction but they don't need it. I had a flock of over 30 of them (they lived cage-free in a room), most of them parent-raised but some were handfed and they all acted exactly the same once they were in flock. That's the biggest difference between aviary and companion species. The companion ones will always need human interaction while the aviary ones don't once they join a flock because humans are very poor substitutes when it comes to having flock mates and can never be mates so, once they get what they need, they never look back.

And some cages are big enough for them to exercise. They might not be able to fly large laps around it but they get lots of vertical flight which is the best kind of exercise they can have (horizontal flight in circles is not as good as making the effort to 'take off' from the ground when it comes to muscle exercise). But, of course, just because one keeps them in pairs, it doesn't mean that they cannot come out to fly. One thing does not automatically negates the other.

I would love to have a room just for the little ones and, when I move back home for good, I will.
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby Trick or 'Tiel » Sat May 06, 2017 12:58 pm

I already talked about this, he chirps because he likes to be with me and not because he wants another bird. He will stop chirping once I take him out, because he is with me and that's what he wants. You said in another post that "it doesn't matter how many hours they're out, they still keep chirping because they want a mate" or something like that, but it does matter. My tiel will stop chirping when he's with me, because I'm his flock. A single bird of any species will need human interaction to keep them happy. You say that they don't need it when they're with other birds, but I don't have other tiels and a lot of other people don't, so yes my tiel needs it. He doesn't make a peep when he's out and with humans. You also said in another post that it has nothing to do with individual birds, but you also said that a single tiel will need to be slowly introduced into a flock setting. If the single tiel was longing to be in a flock, you wouldn't have to introduce him because he would immediately want to be with the other bird. Why put so much effort into introducing a single bird into a flock if the bird is already happy with humans? Again, if the bird wasn't happy and he wanted to be with other birds, he would just be ecstatic to jump right in to living in a flock. You say that every time a bird does poorly in a flock situation it's the human's mistake. Why is it a mistake when the human intended this bird to live with humans instead of in a flock? The bird was raised with humans, so it doesn't know what it's like to live in a flock. Are you saying that the only birds that do well without a flock are large parrots such as macaws, greys, amazons, etc? Please, please don't turn this into an argument because we've already had it, and nothing you say is going to make my birds want to be with other birds, nor make me get another bird. If I get another tiel because of you, I know it would be a disaster.
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby liz » Sun May 07, 2017 6:29 am

WOW !
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby ParrotsForLife » Sun May 07, 2017 9:15 am

Trick or 'Tiel wrote:I already talked about this, he chirps because he likes to be with me and not because he wants another bird. He will stop chirping once I take him out, because he is with me and that's what he wants. You said in another post that "it doesn't matter how many hours they're out, they still keep chirping because they want a mate" or something like that, but it does matter. My tiel will stop chirping when he's with me, because I'm his flock. A single bird of any species will need human interaction to keep them happy. You say that they don't need it when they're with other birds, but I don't have other tiels and a lot of other people don't, so yes my tiel needs it. He doesn't make a peep when he's out and with humans. You also said in another post that it has nothing to do with individual birds, but you also said that a single tiel will need to be slowly introduced into a flock setting. If the single tiel was longing to be in a flock, you wouldn't have to introduce him because he would immediately want to be with the other bird. Why put so much effort into introducing a single bird into a flock if the bird is already happy with humans? Again, if the bird wasn't happy and he wanted to be with other birds, he would just be ecstatic to jump right in to living in a flock. You say that every time a bird does poorly in a flock situation it's the human's mistake. Why is it a mistake when the human intended this bird to live with humans instead of in a flock? The bird was raised with humans, so it doesn't know what it's like to live in a flock. Are you saying that the only birds that do well without a flock are large parrots such as macaws, greys, amazons, etc? Please, please don't turn this into an argument because we've already had it, and nothing you say is going to make my birds want to be with other birds, nor make me get another bird. If I get another tiel because of you, I know it would be a disaster.

They have to be quarantined you can just stick them together right away even though they MAY want to, You introduce them because one might not like the other but really us as humans cant look after another bird like a bird would and not all of us can sit with our birds 24/7 which is what another bird would do.
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby Pajarita » Sun May 07, 2017 9:41 am

Trick or 'Tiel wrote:I already talked about this, he chirps because he likes to be with me and not because he wants another bird. He will stop chirping once I take him out, because he is with me and that's what he wants. You said in another post that "it doesn't matter how many hours they're out, they still keep chirping because they want a mate" or something like that, but it does matter. My tiel will stop chirping when he's with me, because I'm his flock. A single bird of any species will need human interaction to keep them happy. You say that they don't need it when they're with other birds, but I don't have other tiels and a lot of other people don't, so yes my tiel needs it. He doesn't make a peep when he's out and with humans. You also said in another post that it has nothing to do with individual birds, but you also said that a single tiel will need to be slowly introduced into a flock setting. If the single tiel was longing to be in a flock, you wouldn't have to introduce him because he would immediately want to be with the other bird. Why put so much effort into introducing a single bird into a flock if the bird is already happy with humans? Again, if the bird wasn't happy and he wanted to be with other birds, he would just be ecstatic to jump right in to living in a flock. You say that every time a bird does poorly in a flock situation it's the human's mistake. Why is it a mistake when the human intended this bird to live with humans instead of in a flock? The bird was raised with humans, so it doesn't know what it's like to live in a flock. Are you saying that the only birds that do well without a flock are large parrots such as macaws, greys, amazons, etc? Please, please don't turn this into an argument because we've already had it, and nothing you say is going to make my birds want to be with other birds, nor make me get another bird. If I get another tiel because of you, I know it would be a disaster.


Young people are always very sure they have the absolute truth while old people know better than to believe this...

Flocks in the wild are large extended families where the birds know each other from birth. But, in captivity, it's a completely different story because most flocks are made out of individuals that were not born into it - that's why you need to introduce a new bird into it gradually. Not because the bird does not want to be in flock or because the flock will reject the new bird but because strange birds joining a flock is not something that happens in nature so you need to give the new bird and the flock birds a bit of time to accept the fact that there is a 'new kid on the block'.

As to your bird wanting to be with you, of course he does! He doesn't have anybody else, you are good to him and I am sure that he loves you and, most likely, you are the only one that gives it a bit of freedom and attention but saying that our birds think we are their flock is nothing but a romantic notion that parrot owners like to believe. We are not birds, we are not with them 24/7/365, we were not there when they were born, we can't fly with them, we can't sleep with them and we cannot be their mates so, as much as we would like to believe that we provide the same comfort that a real flock does, we don't. These are undomesticated species and their needs are exactly the same as the wild birds because breeding in captivity does not mean anything really changes for them - this only happens when a species is domesticated and we manipulate the gene pool in order to change their genetic make-up -which parrot breeders don't do so even though your bird never lived in a flock, he still needs it, all parrots do... some more than others but even the ones that don't normally bond easily to other birds, like grays, do (didn't you see the scientific study done on African Grays that I posted proving this?). As to tiels calling for a mate, I don't know how old your bird is but, if he is under three years of age, he hasn't reached the age of sexual activity. It's when they get sexually frustrated that they chirp all the time for a mate. I have a single adult button quail right now because the older one died and it calls and calls and calls to the point that even my husband (who is NOT a bird person) is always commenting on how sad it is and demanding I get him another one (I have been looking non-stop but having found any yet) but, when I get him a new mate, he will stop. It's the way nature works to make sure a species will not disappear, it gives them the need to procreate to the point that nothing else matters. All animals have it and the ones that don't get spayed or neutered will do ANYTHING in their power to be able to breed - cats try to get out of the house and howl, dogs pee in every corner and birds call and call and call...
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby Trick or 'Tiel » Sun May 07, 2017 9:45 am

You're right, humans can't be there 24/7, but my birds can still talk back and forth even though they're in separate cages. They can see each other from across the room, but they don't really like each other that much. Bluebell has even started to sound like a cockatiel :lol:
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby ParrotsForLife » Sun May 07, 2017 9:48 am

Trick or 'Tiel wrote:You're right, humans can't be there 24/7, but my birds can still talk back and forth even though they're in separate cages. They can see each other from across the room, but they don't really like each other that much. Bluebell has even started to sound like a cockatiel :lol:

Thats different from actually being together and doing everything together
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby Trick or 'Tiel » Sun May 07, 2017 9:53 am

Are you saying that every animal in captivity should get a chance to breed? That's unrealistic as we can't all have dozens of babies everywhere.
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Re: My Birds Won't Come Out of Their Cage

Postby Pajarita » Sun May 07, 2017 10:22 am

No, of course they should not be allowed to breed! I am completely, 100%!! against breeding undomesticated animals to be used as pets for humans UNLESS the species has very easy requirements for their physical and emotional needs (like fish, for example). I am also against breeding domesticated animals that are in overpopulation (like dogs or cats) or domesticated animals used for food if it's done inhumanely (like pigs, for example). Parrots, unfortunately, fall under both categories: too many of them and too difficult to keep healthy and happy. They are in overpopulation and have extremely difficult requirements for anybody who has a normal lifestyle (I don't and it's still very hard). But they can get a mate or, at least, a companion and, if they are lucky, even a little flock (which is what I am trying to do with the budgies) - and they can be allowed to go through all the 'steps' of breeding without actually allowing them to reproduce. My 'thing' is to try to make their life in captivity as close as I can to what they would have had in the wild. Obviously, I don't get anywhere close to what they should have but I do try real hard...
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