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Why won't friendly Amazon leave cage?
My yellow-nape Amazon loves his cage. It is so hard to get him off it, you wouldn't believe it. Once he is off, he is perfectly fine, but until then he will crawl all over it making it impossible for him to step up. If he is in his cage, he will evade my hand until he maneuvers his way outside.
What should I do? I swear he thinks it’s some kind of game.
--Linda Walters, lin618@earthlink
Yours is a fairly common situation. I have witnessed many parrots act shy about leaving their cages, but become model citizens once out.
When I see a bird balk at coming out of (or off of) a cage I often ask myself these questions: Why should he come out of the cage? What's in it for him? What is it that makes him want to stay in the cage, or what is it that makes him not want to go to the person? These questions often produce enlightening answers.
At the many bird club meetings I attend, for instance, parrots that are frightened and stressed by all the activity sometimes resist leaving the cage. The owner, oblivious to his pet’s fearful body language, gropes and manhandles the bird all the while thinking it is returning the affection as it clings to him. In fact, the bird may only be seeking comfort and security in a frightening environment.
This may not describe your situation. However, most people don’t realize that a truly affectionate bird that wants to be with them will come out of its cage willingly.
Ask yourself what your bird’s motivation for leaving his cage would be. This will help you look at the situation from his perspective.
From his perspective, life in (or on) the cage might be good. Within its confines, he is free of stress and worry. By providing rewards, or other positive experiences, outside the cage--see my answer to the question above this one--you can begin to convince him it’s a good idea to leave.
A good sign that you have won your bird’s trust is if he moves toward you on his own and willingly steps on your hand to come out of his cage.
ParrotChronicles.com
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