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Cage confusion

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Cage confusion

Postby cstone01 » Fri Sep 20, 2019 4:24 pm

At the beginning of the week we cleaned out our alexandrians cage out side with the hose. I put him in an old cockatiel cage for about 45 min out on the porch while I cleaned his cage. The cockatiel cage is largeish but about 1/2 the size of his usual cage and although just molted his long tail feathers it is probably not appropriately sized for him but he can spread his wings. (It’s probably the berry smaller acceptable cage while his tail is stubby).There are no toys I just had a water dish. When it starts to get near sun down we tell him to hop in and he goes to his cage every night but after cleaning his cage he has been flying to the smaller cockatiel cage in the sunroom when we say hop in (it was open the first night). Eventually the first night I lured him with a new toy to his old cage. The second night he did the same thing even after I put a blanket over the small cage, after that I moved the cage to a corner of another room but after a few days he found it and goes to it instead of his large cage. I would have liked to keep this cage around to let him get a few minutes of sun or he he needs to be somewhere for a few minutes but it will not fit in a closet or anywhere else in our house. Why does he want to go to this cage at night and should we let him or take the cage apart/ get rid of it. I have never let him overnight in the cage but it definitely causes confusion and throws off his night routine right now. No toys or anything really interesting is in the small cage just a few dowel style peaches. He is flighted and we keep the cage open during the day.
cstone01
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 69
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Alexandrine, Major Mitchell
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby Pajarita » Fri Sep 20, 2019 5:20 pm

I don't think anybody can give you any kind of answer with any certainty - I mean, nobody knows what is going on his mind... But. if you ask me, I would say that he likes that location. Is there more light in it? A nice window to the outside? There must be a reason because I am sure it's not the fact that it is smaller and has dowel perches (by the way, change them asap). I recently bought a nice new, roomy cage for my senegals. They had been in the same cage for years and, although I actually loved that cage,(big, super strong, very thin bars, easy to clean and if fit perfectly in a niche that had a window in it) it was dark green and I thoroughly dislike dark colored cages for birds (it's oppressive enough to be in a cage, if the bars are dark... well, it makes it worse, in my opinion) so I got them a nice flight cage. And, because the niche was no more, I moved it from the dining room to the living room. Well, after the first few days, Zoey Senegal was refusing to go into it. I'ver never had a single problem with this bird - I mean, I could do anything with her - open her wings, touch her entire body, turn her upside down, etc. She never even hesitated or tried to get away. But I couldn't get her into her cage for nothing! Everytime I asked her to step up, she would but, as soon as she saw I was walking toward her cage, she would fly off. Time after time after time after time... So I realized that there was something going on... I moved all the perches and bowls so they would be in the same position and height as the ones in the old cage, still no cigar. Then I started observing her and I noticed that whenever it was time for everybody to go back into their cages, she would go into Isis's cage which was lower than hers and directly in front of a window - same as her old one was. So. I switched them. I put Zoey and Sweetpea Senegal in Isis Redbelly's cage and Isis went into Zoey and Sweet's. The point I am trying to make is that parrots have preferences, some of them can be quite assertive about them, and they are smart enough to let us know what they are. Personally, I would put the large cage in the same spot as the little one because, obviously, he likes that spot.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby cstone01 » Fri Sep 20, 2019 5:43 pm

I have moved the small cage around since he started going to it. It was originally in the front room because I had taken it off the porch, after a couple of days I hid it in a corner of the office but he found it again. He does not have any dowel perches in his normal cage, but I will make sure I take them out of the old cage if he ever goes in there again. I think I’m just going to take that cage apart and put it under the bed or something. Thank you for your time.
cstone01
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 69
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Alexandrine, Major Mitchell
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby liz » Sat Sep 21, 2019 5:38 am

Rainbow likes two cages. One to eat and play in and a smaller one to sleep in. I did not have room fro two so now he sleeps under his step stool box. She must like the close walls while sleeping.
Don't take anything apart until he decides what he wants. You could put the small cage on top of the large cage to save space. You could even use a cardboard box but don't take anything away until he abandones it.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
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BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby Chai » Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:40 pm

Hi everyone. Pajarita, I was interested in what you said about throwing out the dowel perches. What kind of perches are best? I currently have rope and dowel perches wrapped in vet wrap, which is what the rescue I got my birds from recommended, but is there something better I should use?
Chai
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 37
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Types of Birds Owned: White-fronted Amazon, 2 African Greys
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Re: Cage confusion

Postby Pajarita » Wed Sep 25, 2019 11:33 am

Hi, Chai. The best perches for birds are what nature gave them: tree branches. Dowels are never any good even if you wrap them in vet wrap (which I think it's terribly unsanitary) because they are:

1) too rigid (branches in trees are 'bouncy') -bad for joints because of impact

2) diameter is always the same (branches in trees are uneven) - bad for toes, feet (the dreaded bumble foot!) and leg muscles

3) too straight (branches are never perfectly parallel to the ground) - bad for leg muscles

4) too smooth (branches are textured) again, bumble foot.

Branches are not only completely free, they are easily available and provide more than the perfect support, they provide entertainment (my parrots like to peel the bark off them and even chew the ends). I also give them cotton ones (boodas) and even sweet-feet (for their roosting perch) but, mostly, it's just plain old tree branches I pick up from my backyard or the side of the highways (yes, I am that crazy old lady that stops her car on the shoulder and pick up dead wood off the side of the road :lol: ).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby liz » Thu Sep 26, 2019 3:58 am

I us jar lids or can lids as washers. I use a nail to poke a hole in it and put it outside the cage and into the branch to secure it on the side of the cage.

The jar lids are stronger but the can lids look better.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby Chai » Thu Sep 26, 2019 9:03 pm

Oh! Thank you for the explanation. I didn't know you could safely use branches from outside. Makes perfect sense though. I will go look for some this weekend. Do you do anything to sanitize first, or should I be worried about bugs?
Chai
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 37
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: White-fronted Amazon, 2 African Greys
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby liz » Fri Sep 27, 2019 4:44 am

I wash mine and rinse real good. Then I let them dry in the sun.

I have not had a problem with them.

Be careful what wood you choose. The only thing I can remember right off is not to use oak.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Cage confusion

Postby Pajarita » Fri Sep 27, 2019 8:39 am

I also wash them carefully but, if they are small, I also bake them in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees - the big ones I just wash and allow to dry naturally in my porch for a month more or less so, if there are any red mites in them, they will die before I put them in the birdroom. I don't do what Liz does to secure them to the cages (which is, actually, VERY smart), I just make a little cut right in the middle of the ends of the branch (I measure it against the cage so I know exactly what length is good and add about 1 inch more to the length) onto which I push the cage bars in on both sides OR I cut the branch right above where a little branch grows and use the little V they form to put the cage bar in. If they are very tiny (small diameter) and they don't have a little branch growing off I can use, I simply use sisal rope to tie them to the bars (the birds love to chew the rope so it's 'extra' entertainment for them).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

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