# Returning to cage



## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I have a cockatiel that I believe was about four months old when I got her from a local pet shop. I have had her for three weeks.

Taming Emma has been slow. She is afraid to step up onto my hand, my arm, or any part of me. She also will not step up to a perch I am holding.

She seems to be less scared of my hand if she is not in the cage. So, I let her come out, and keep a eye on her. I have gradually gotten her to take millet from my hand. If she has to stretch to reach the millet, sometimes she will put one foot on my finger. This is just today, and I am very pleased.

I just don't know what to do about getting her back in the cage. Millet often works. However, today she just wouldn't go in. She had been out for about three hours, and I needed to go somewhere. I tried to get her to step up with a hand behind her. She ran away, flew away, hissed, and threatened to bite. I didn't feel it was safe to leave her out while I went out. I also didn't feel it was a good idea to let her get her way. The upshot is that I grabbed her, she bit me hard, but I got her back in the cage. I felt pretty bad about the whole thing.

Since I have come back home we seem to have "made up"--she is again taking millet from me and putting one foot on my finger.

I generally go out between 1:30 and 3:30 in the afternoon. So, it seems I have to choices: (1) not let her out of her cage in the morning, or (2) figure out a way to get her back in. So far I have been able to get her back into her cage at night. I think if there was a problem at that time, turning off the lights might help. We'll have to see.

It could be that I gave her too much millet this morning, because I was so happy that she had a foot on my finger.

I would appreciate any suggestions.


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

My experience with my Angelina has been identical to yours. While eating the millet she would step "by mistake" on my finger. After a few days she would step on my fingers without fussing. My finger is now a potential food source.
You can also try to hide the stick beneath the millet, I did that too with good results.
She will eventually realise that there is not escaping the fact that she has to go back to the cage when you say so, but it will take time. 
Good luck!


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

How did you get Agelina back into the cage when she resisted?


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

My birds are out of the cage all day and only go in their cages to sleep. 
I suspect that if I tried to cage them during the day I'd have a riot in my hands lol
But if and when I need to get them in the cage quickly I'd darken the room and grab them. In the dark they are basically sitting ducks and won't fly. 
In your case, grabbing her and toweling her might slow down the trust process that's going on right now. 
Maybe you could work with her in the morning as you have been doing, without letting her out. And then let her out in the afternoon until bed time. It's only for a while until she gets it. 
Well, this is what I'd do, maybe someone else will have a different approach to the problem. 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I think it is just takes patience and practice. When I had issues with Sunny going back in his cage, someone advised me here to spend time with Sunny when he's in his cage so that he doesn't just associate his cage with you going away. That seemed to help a lot. Also, Sunny only gets millet in his cage. He knows that when he's in his cage he gets to eat millet. I also sing him a silly song and give him a treat for going back in. And I always give myself extra time to get him in too because I really think if he feels that I'm being rushed and anxious to leave, it makes him anxious. Believe it or not, now 90% of the time he puts himself back in his cage himself when he knows I have to leave for work, etc.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Thank you for the suggestions.


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## thewandererw (Aug 22, 2011)

My birds are out of there cages all day and when it is bed ttime I just say night night time and they fly into there cages and wait until I cover them.


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