# Cockatiel clinging to cage - Why?



## Rosedale (Dec 8, 2011)

Helloo, my name is Lisa. I've joined basically to ask some questions about my cockatiels strange behaviour really. 

My cockatiel is around 7 years old, and female. She's got a large cage, and is strictly a one man bird.

She recently started doing something quite strange though. She sits on her perch quite normally- though she's started sitting on a lower perch whereas she was always usually sat on her swing and slept there.

When she's sat on her perch though, she clings to the cage bars. The perch is quite far from the bars so she has to actually stretch herself out to reach them... She's actually tries to (somehow) sleep like that.

She doesn't always do this but it's started becoming more regular. I don't want to move the perch away from the bars even further in case there's some reason she's doing this? Wondering if anybody else has come across similar behaviour?

We're taking her to the vet just before Christmas to get her talons trimmed so I'll ask them then, but just though I'd try to find out sooner in case..?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Not sure as I've never seen mine do this but maybe someone else would know. Could just be she finds it comfortable.


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## Kenziekenz (Dec 5, 2011)

My love bird is always on the bars of his cage. He has perches he sits on and a swing he loves, but sometimes, he just likes to hang on the bars, and sometimes he even sleeps there. I would guess nothing is wrong, but it wouldnt hurt to ask a vet.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

So she's sitting on her perch and holding the cage bars with her mouth?


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Sometimes this can be a sign of respiratory distress or neurological problems. How is her breathing? Does it seem like she is using the cage bars to balance? Can she perch okay if she is not holding on?


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I would take her to the vet ASAP. A big sign of illness is loss of balance and inability to perch.


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## aliasalie (Aug 25, 2011)

My youngest bird does this when he gets spooked or knows I am going to put him in his cage to go to sleep-- he'll go to the back of the cage on the outside and cling to the bars there where I can't get to him, but I've never seem him sleep like that.

if you can, take yours to the vet to see if something is wrong. Casper's pretty much always done this, but it seems a bit strange that a bird would start to act like that out of the blue.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

aliasalie said:


> My youngest bird does this when he gets spooked or knows I am going to put him in his cage to go to sleep-- he'll go to the back of the cage on the outside and cling to the bars there where I can't get to him, but I've never seem him sleep like that.
> 
> if you can, take yours to the vet to see if something is wrong. Casper's pretty much always done this, but it seems a bit strange that a bird would start to act like that out of the blue.


My lovebird clings when I reach into the cage and she gets territorial. But I would find it much more concerning if there's not really anything to trigger the behavior, you know? To me that's what suggests a health problem.


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## aliasalie (Aug 25, 2011)

enigma731 said:


> My lovebird clings when I reach into the cage and she gets territorial. But I would find it much more concerning if there's not really anything to trigger the behavior, you know? To me that's what suggests a health problem.


I agree. There is always a reason why Casper does this-- that is always apparent to whoever is watching him; poor baby is scared of anything that moves, so if a fly comes anywhere near him his first response is to go behind the cage and hide or if he wants to be let out in the morning, he 'leaps' at the bars and then stays there till I let him out


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## Rosedale (Dec 8, 2011)

Thanks for all the help.

She sits on the perch yes and clings on with her mouth. Her breathing is fine and she doesn't have terrible balance... Well not before she started doing that anyway. She would occasionally fall off of her swing or similar but she's done that since she was very young 

I thought it might be because of her feet but they're grasping fine though the nails need clipping a bit. I think I'll bring forward her appointment and go in tomorrow - see if they can shed any light 

Because she's clinging onto what is the cage door, she still wants head and neck scratches but if you try to move the door to let her out she's lashing out because she's trying to cling to it, so should be fun.

Lisa.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Let us know how the vet appointment goes..good luck!


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