Won't Go In Cage

[Bea 0]

Well i am getting EXTREMELY frustrated with Rat (Blink). Everytime i need him to go in his cage he decides it's not time yet and no matter what i (or anyone else) try he just won't go in. I just spent about 15 minutes trying to bribe him into his cage with mirrors, trying to throw a sheet over him, trying to lure him into a corner so i could grab him. :sad: I hate chasing him around like i often have to because it's encouraging him as he thinks it's a fantastic game. Sometimes it nearly makes me cry with frustration!!! It's a very serious problem as if this problem gets worse i won't be able to get him out for a quick 30 min fly before school in the mornings or at any other time when i don't have hours to sit and supervise him. On the rare occasion that he will go in his cage without a fuss i tell him how good he is and sit and praise him for a little while but it's getting less and less often that he will go in without a game. I don't know what to doooo.

 

Another problem which i may as well complain about while i'm here is that he's getting really cheeky and always trying to play on the floor. With mum not being able to see and the dogs this is obviously not at all safe and i always chase him off the floor as soon as he flies down. The problem is that he knows it's naughty. All i have to do is stand up and take a step in his direction and he'll fly to his cage landing with a VERY EVIL happy dance. As soon as i turn around to sit down he swoops straight back down! Idiot budgie! What should i do?

[*Nerwen* 0]

stop playing with him. ???

 

have you go something he love to play with maybe when he is running away or hopping to the ground start to play madly with that (make it ring or flash with light something) and he might pop over to take it from you. I think that would help with the floor if you make him want to play somewhere else the floor 'get up' game will not be interesting then.

Edited April 30, 2006 by Nerwen

[Bea 0]

Well the only thing that ever makes Blinkie zoom over as fast as he can is his mirror and even that's losing it's effect now. He prefers to be naughty.

[Riebie 0]

Well I think as leader of the Budgie World Army, this sort of behaviour has been communicated to other budgies via this forum... I thought you were talking about Bobby's behaviour... Oh I know it is extremely frustrating, and I am also looking forward to others responses on this topic! Bobby doesn't really have a favourite toy, but we have spent all weekend building a play gym, he takes one look at it and flies back down to the floor.

[Bea 0]

I doubt the play gym will keep him off the floor! Blinkie's gym is practically a palace and he still prefers the floor.

[Elly 0]

okay just throwing this out there, haven't experienced this too much. But I think some of this behavior is linked to getting Oz, I say that because even though Pretty can not see Merlin he can hear him with the calls and he has started to not let me get him off the curtians. He will fly to them and then when I go to get him he flys away to the other one and back and forth. He is getting stinky so to speak. Now when he flys back ON his cage he will hop up. So it is a game.

 

Saying that, and I hate to even think it I feel that if it gets worse when they met I may have his wings trimmed and then grown out again after we retame with Merlin. I love them flighted as much as everyone does but I also don't want 2 wild out of control budgies . As much as I hate it, it is like learning to be tamed all over again or at least regaining the control you had.

 

So does Oz sleep in his cage yet? If so can you put Oz in first and then Binks?

 

I think instead of enticing him because he is too smart you have to find out the real problem and then have a solution for why he has started this not the symptoms. Because a couple of entincements as you found out doesn't work after a while. It is like have kids you have to get to the root of the problem because to give them a reward all the time doesn't solve the real issue at hand.

 

So that is my 2cents worth take it for whatever.

[Guest Phoebe]

Guess it boils down to you must have a serious talk with Blinkie and tell him you will "clip his wings" and send him to budgie boot camp if he doesn't smarten up. I can sense how frustrated you are, if he only realized it will cut down on his flight time.

[Bea 0]

Lovey, Ozzie doesn't go in Blinkie's cage at all for now. I find that it causes problems with Ozzie's tameness (Blinkie doesn't give a stuff). I have tried luring Blinkie into his cage with Ozzie as the bait (so to speak) but even that won't work.

 

I've been given a suggestion that i try to undo the behaviour by positive reinforcement. Reward good behaviour and ignore bad. So when it's time to be caged get some millet or bread or something yummy and get him to step up, reward, move towards cage, reward, etc until i'm at his cage and then try to get him to follow the treat in. It will take a while but i'm hoping it might work. The person who gave me this idea is clicker training her tiels and she's going to give me some hints to use clicker training with him. Hope it works.

[Sailorwolf 0]

Yes i would say that would be the way to go Bea. When a dog misbehaves, sometimes you have to go back to basics and do training like "sit"and "stay". For Blink just get him to step up and come to you when you call him. Get him to do this perfectly. Use millet. And when you do call him don't do it to just put him away, do it all the time or else he will know it is cage time and won't come.

So far I haven't had this problem (my budgies love their cage and I often feed them after putting them away, it also has big doors). Arkady is good and will fly to my hand when I ask him (well actually sometimes it takes a minute ), but it means I can get him in. Sometime if he's really bratty, I'll entice him to my hand with yummy treats and then catch him in my hand an put him in the cage, but if you do this, make sure that you feed him in your hand often without catching him, or again they will learn that yummy treats in hand mean cage time!!! But what is great after all the rough manhandling that it takes to get bratty budgies back into their cages, is that they still love you.

 

Hope that helps

[Elly 0]

Lovey, Ozzie doesn't go in Blinkie's cage at all for now. I find that it causes problems with Ozzie's tameness (Blinkie doesn't give a stuff). I have tried luring Blinkie into his cage with Ozzie as the bait (so to speak) but even that won't work.

 

I've been given a suggestion that i try to undo the behaviour by positive reinforcement. Reward good behaviour and ignore bad. So when it's time to be caged get some millet or bread or something yummy and get him to step up, reward, move towards cage, reward, etc until i'm at his cage and then try to get him to follow the treat in. It will take a while but i'm hoping it might work. The person who gave me this idea is clicker training her tiels and she's going to give me some hints to use clicker training with him. Hope it works.

 

Let us know how it goes

[Bea 0]

Well it only took a couple of tries to get him used to the idea that click=treat. So i'm hoping it will go well, i must admit i enjoyed seeing him respond to the clicker.

[Elly 0]

we humans have such control issues

[Bea 0]

(Laughing out loud)!! Perhaps.....i forgot to add that as a little test i said kiss, got him to kiss me and then click/treat, he got the hand of it in a few minutes. He's a lot more responsive to the clicker than Mickey was. Mickey wouldn't come near me even for ham if he thought the clicker would make noise.

[Guest Lin]

Bea, do you want to do a post on clicker training birds for us? Sounds like something my Princess Pancake could do with

[Bea 0]

Will do.

[Elly 0]

(Laughing out loud)!! Perhaps.....i forgot to add that as a little test i said kiss, got him to kiss me and then click/treat, he got the hand of it in a few minutes. He's a lot more responsive to the clicker than Mickey was. Mickey wouldn't come near me even for ham if he thought the clicker would make noise.

 

:(Laughing out loud): well there is my answer, I wonder if it would work on Pretty he is not a treat bird and doesn't respond to food like Blinks, suggestions?

[Bea 0]

Do he respond to praise?

[Elly 0]

like?

[Bea 0]

Like you praise a dog, "Goooood Boooy Preeetty". :(Laughing out loud): He'd probably just look at you like you were missing a few brain cells.

[Elly 0]

:(Laughing out loud): missing a few brain cells

[Riebie 0]

Like you praise a dog, "Goooood Boooy Preeetty". :(Laughing out loud): He'd probably just look at you like you were missing a few brain cells.

How many people read this, and changed their voice in their head as if they were really praising Pretty!!! :hap:

 

(please don't think I'm nuts!!! :hap: )

[Elly 0]

Pretty has always thought I was missing a few brain cells : I probably am!!