IRN problem

watever · Post by **watever** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 2:51 am

hi i have a IRN aged about 9 weeks and it refuses to go back in its cage after letting it out for a while. the only way to get it back in there is to grab it. anoybody have any suggestions to a solution?

Mikaela · Post by **Mikaela** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:10 am

Yep, you decide when it DOES and DOES NOT go back to the cage, you're the boss... act like it.

Make him 'step up' onto your finger and put him in the cage. BAM... that easy. Getting them out is usually the hard part, consider yourself lucky. :wink:

Dont 'GRAB" a bird. Teach it to step up... PLEASE. If you need help with that, lets us know... we dont 'grab' birds. It deminishes trust and without that you have nothing.

*EDIT/Response*
Very true Mia, I didnt consider the full-flight part of it. Thanks.

*mia* · Post by ***mia*** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:10 am

Kalle sometimes refuses too go into the cage, but when i have tried some times too put him in he will go in..
It isn´t just too put them on the finger if they aren´t clipped because they just flies away.. but now is it much esier to put him in the cage then it eas when i first got him..

Neokireina · Post by **Neokireina** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 8:12 am

For now, If the only way to get him to go in his cage is to grab him, then grab hm and put him in there.

Birds naturally fear being grabbed sure, but you can condition them to tolerate being grabbed for short periods of time,

After a while through sheer repitition your bird will get used to being in the cage at this time and might even put himself away.

Work on gaining your birds trust and getting him to step up encourage him with treats and scritches.

Sometimes when I know my birdie doesnt want to go somewhere I place my thumb on his foot to stop him from flying away, then he knows i'm serious about my intention to put him somewhere I want him to be.

Talk to your bird. Sometimes when Kiva is flighty I just have to relax, lower my energy, slow down my movements and say "Kiva, step up."

watever · Post by **watever** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:46 pm

i have taught it to step up but everytime i put it near its cage it jist flies away. If it would only go it that eazy. i dont really enjoy grabbing it as it makes me feel bad. getting it out is the eazy part, i just open the door and tell it 'out' and it does so before i know it

Carly · Post by **Carly** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 12:37 am

Can you think of any reason the bird would not want to be in the cage? is there lots of toys in the cage? does the bird get treats in the cage? the cage should be a fun place, not like a jail. try to get the bird to associate fun activities with the cage. some treats to use as a reward for when it goes into the cage would be a good start, and maybe some new or different toys would help too.

some more information about the cage itself and how long the bird spends in there, and where it goes when out of the cage might enable other members to give you some more help.

Mikaela · Post by **Mikaela** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 4:13 am

To stop a bird from flying from you I use to put my hand in front of Peek-A-Boo and she would stay. I would also have a finger gently but assertively placed on one of her feet.

I chase 4 youngens all day, I be damn if Imma chase 3 more birds. Find the birdie game is no fun, although they seem to love it. :roll:

Ya'll full-flighters have WAY more patience than me. I would lose it and probably wack them to the groud in full flight with my dish rag after about an hr of trying to catch them. I have little patience. :evil:

Neokireina · Post by **Neokireina** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 5:45 am

Work on making him *want* to come to you.

Dont associate step up, with going back into the cage. You need to teach him that just because you want him to step up, doesnt mean he's going back into his cage.

You need to teach him that step up also means going somewhere good, or treats, or scritches, or out of his cage,

As mikaela said, make him step up to get out. He steps up he gets rewarded with being out. Then he will assosciate stepping up, with something good.

Jade · Post by **Jade** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:36 pm

I think your problem is that its not that your bird doesn't like his cage, its that he doesn't want to go in there because he wants to stay with you! Smart bird. Better than on his lonesome in the cage! He's just being like a naughty child being put to bed who wants to sit up and watch tv. Treat bird accordingly! (of course, you can't ground a bird can you?) Just put him in there, by any means necessary (short of violence) and leave him be. He'll learn soon enough.

My Chook hates going into his cage and will cling onto it with his beak in the hope I won't put him in. I just open up his beak and place him on a perch. He will lunge at me and pin his eyes but its all just a psych to get me to give in and let him out.

be brave

watever · Post by **watever** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 11:33 pm

the bird spends 1-2 hours outside the cage each day , the rest are in the cage. the cage is left inside the house for half the day and outside for the other half. i keep it nest to my canaries and finches {in seperate cages). as for toys i have a swing and ladder in it.

Post by **Datsun and Family** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:41 am

How big is the cage? Ringnecks need a large cage to accomodate those beautiful long tails!

Please, please, please, get that baby some toys! He is BORED!!!!

This is Datsuns old cage which the budgie got as a hand-me-down. Chev (budgie) has lots of hanging toys which are rotated weekly to avoid him getting bored, he never uses the bottom of his cage so everything is up high for him.

This is my lovebirds cage full of toys which I change EVERYDAY because he is always playing, most of the toys are on the ground where he spends most of his time (he loves to play peek-a-boo) over the base of the cage.

Datsuns cage is huge and she is hardly ever in it, only when I cook and when I am at work and her dad is at uni. Tonight was cleaning night so not all of her toys are in her cage but there are always at least six TOYS in each weekly rotation not including her perches (rope, sand/concrete, real branches) kebab or any ladders or swings etc...

For more examples of cages and toys please follow these links
http://indianringneck.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=941
http://indianringneck.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1090

Neokireina · Post by **Neokireina** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 4:47 pm

Mikaela;

I rarely have to chase my birds, on the contrary sometimes I try and run away from them, heh, never works the buggers. Little flappy magnets.
Mum time is fun time.
They know I give them treats, they know I have fun things on me that they can chew, they know I love them and give me kisses. So they are happy to fly to me if I hold my hand out.
Actually I never used treats to get them to fly to me. I just held out my hand and called them. Hrmmm.