About Maggie Expertise I love helping give advice on the different parrot species, as well as their care (diet, housing, ect...). I also love helping people find the right kind of parrot for them, or help people (and their birds) work through behavior problems and things of that nature. I`m open to any non-emergency questions, and if I can`t help you, hopefully I will be able to direct you to someone who can. (or maybe online articles and such). The species of parrots I have first hand experience with are: cockatiels, lovebirds, conures, budgies (aka: parakeets), parrolets, macaws, cockatoos, Amazons, Pionus and Afican Greys.
Experience I've volunteered for Mickaboo Cockatiel Rescue since 2000. I volunteered for a wild-bird rescue center for 3 years. I've been the avian expert at the pet store since 2001 and was certified as an avian specialist by PIJAC (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council) in 2004. I've also been owned by parrots since 1993! :)
Question Hi there! We just purchased a baby parakeet about a week and a half ago. We've never owned a bird before. We are really enjoying him. He's playful and responds with "chirping" sounds whenever we speak to him. Today I noticed he is trying to open his cage door. I'm surprised that he knows how to do this already. His cage door just slides up and down (no hook, spring, etc). Do you think he's playing or is unhappy with his cage and wants out? It is a smaller cage, but he's by himself. Although Zeekee (our bird) is up high, our cat is very curious and would love to get the bird. Any advice you can offer us new parents would be great! Thank you.
Answer Hi,
If you are keeping your parakeet by himself (and in a small cage), you need to tame him down so that he can come out of his cage on a daily basis. Birds are flock animals, so they need companionship and attention everyday. They need to be handled and get exercise and stimulation outside of their cage (safely) for at least a couple of hours each day to be healthy (mentally and physically).
Here is some information on taming a bird:
It always helps to have a bird’s wings trimmed before starting training. I would recommend having a quality avian vet trim your bird’s wings so that your bird doesn't view you as "the bad person". It is also essential that you give your bird time to settle into their home FIRST, before attempting to tame/handle them. I recommend giving birds at least 3 to 4 days… preferably a week for some birds, before beginning taming sessions.
When starting your training session, I would recommend gently removing your bird from her cage in a towel and take her to your bathroom. (with the toilet seat down and mirrors covered to prevent accidents). Actually, any small room (or large closet) would work as long as it is “neutral territory” and there isn’t anything for the bird to get hurt on if they flew or tried to get away. You also want to avoid rooms with items that a bird could hind under if they flew down to the floor (like beds or dressers).
A portable T-Stand helps immensely when taming so that you have a place for your bird to perch during training. Then, offer your hand and try to push up into the bird’s belly while saying "step up". S/he might try to fly away at first, but once she realizes her wings are trimmed and you have to "save" her from the floor each time she jumps off the perch... she will learn to stay put on the perch. Just keep doing this during her training sessions until she is stepping up onto your hand (while you continue to using the "step-up" command). Once she has mastered the “step up” command, then you can work on the "step-down" command. This will not happen overnight, so just be patient and take things slow. The more you push the bird, the more they are going to fear you.
Whenever you are removing your bird from her cage or up picking her off the floor... always offer your hand and say "step-up" first... if she tries to fly away or won't step up... then gently towel her and put her back on the T-perch or onto your hand. Eventually she will learn that it is a lot easier to step up onto your hand than it is to get toweled.
If you prefer- you can also try having her step up onto a hand-held perch instead of toweling her. Some birds respond wonderfully to this (and if your bird will step up onto a hand-held perch... I recommend doing this INSTEAD of toweling... it is safer and less stressful for the bird).
Have training sessions like this often (2 or 3 times a day) but don't let them last longer than 5 or so minutes in the beginning. Keep them short and sweet. Always try your best to end on a positive note. Eventually, she will learn what you are asking of her and will understand that you aren't trying to hurt her.
This isn't the most trusting way to tame down a bird... because it is extremely stressful for the bird in the beginning... but with smaller birds or birds that aren't very affectionate (aka: hard to tame) - it is an effective way to tame them quickly.
You will have to be the judge whether this is an appropriate way to tame your bird. Some birds (especially older birds) who may have had bad experiences with people in the past, will resent you if you try to tame them this way. With some birds, it is better to give them more time to settle in and to offer affection to them through the cage bars at first. Do things like hand-feed them treats, talk to them softly or just read near them. Play with some parrot toys around them, and then offer the toy to the bird. Usually with small birds- this more patient/trusting way of forming a bond doesn’t work. But with larger parrots… this is the preferred method.
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Also- you said the cage is small... many of the cages that they sell in pet stores for parakeets are much too small. Even a single bird (that is coming out of their cage for a couple of hours each day) needs a cage that is *at the bare minimum* 16 inches wide, 16 inches deep and 18 inches high. If you have a cage smaller than this, you need to purchase a new cage. If you do not feel that you can take your bird out of his cage for at least a couple of hours safely each day (once he is tame), then you should seriously consider getting a second budgie and a cage big enough for them to exercise and fly in (at least 22 inches wide by 20 inches deep by 22 inches high... preferably even bigger than this).
You can use clothespins or quicklinks to keep the door on the cage shut. Some birds do learn to open them and slip out.
Since this is your first bird, I highly recommend checking out the following websites for more information on bird care:
