# My tiel only wants to be on the floor...what can I do??



## citoribrown (Dec 2, 2012)

I want my tiel to be able to be out of her cage as much as she can be, but everytime I take her out, all she wants to do is fly down onto the floor and walk around! I bought her a huge cage with a really nice playtop, but she won't stay on it...she flies down to the floor. Then I thought she might just want to be closer to me, so I bought her a portable playgym and placed it next to wherever I was, but she still would still just fly down to the floor! It wouldn't really matter if not for the fact that I have a 2 year old running around, so it simply isn't safe for her to be down on the floor! When he is napping, she can do whatever she wants, but otherwise, she needs to be off the floor. Is there a way I can train her to stay on her playgyms? Am I confusing her by letting her on the floor when he is napping? I hate that I am home all day with her, yet I have had to start keeping her in her cage when my son is awake for her own safety! Not to mention her constant, and very loud 'wheeeping" sound she makes when she is caged is driving me insane! If I put her in a safe room, she still 'wheeeps' because she wants to be with me! There is just no pleasing this girl!  Any suggestions?? Thanks!


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Tiels forage for food in the wild so her wanting to be on the floor is normal. Do you have food or millet or treats on the play gyms? Those might tempt her to stay there. Also, foraging toys will tempt her to stay up there to forage. Otherwise I'm not really sure what to do. 

As for the wheeeeping noise, you can try covering her when she makes the noise and uncover her when she's quiet. It should teach her that making that sound doesn't get her any attention but being quiet or making other nice noises does.


----------



## citoribrown (Dec 2, 2012)

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! She does have lots of toys and millet on her playgyms, but I didn't think to put them on the bottom trays instead of up high...I will definitely try that today! I'm also glad to see you suggest covering and uncovering her as a way to teach her not to be so loud! It had crossed my mind, but I just wasn't sure if it would make her think she was 'in trouble' when I covered her for bed at night! I will try that as well! Thanks again!


----------



## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

She may also be connecting "flying to the ground" with "getting picked up by mommy". If she wants to be picked up/held, she may have learned to fly to the ground. One suggestion I've seen to break this association has been to pick up the bird with a perch and not make eye contact or interact with the bird in any way while you take it back to its playgym.


----------



## flippityjib (Dec 13, 2012)

I just realized that my 2 are doing this with me. Especially the last few days. They used to play on top of their cage, but lately they have been "flying" to the floor and I do go get them. then usually I let them ride around on me while I do what ever I'm doing and that includes cleaning their cage and even vacuuming. If I bend over, they know to walk to my back and back up to my shoulders as I stand up. Dumb me! I'm the cockatiel ride! :blush:


----------



## Rose (Nov 15, 2012)

My guys love walking around on the floor. I don't know what's so interesting about the floor, but, ok. Maybe let him down there when nobody's around to step on him I don't think your're confusing him. I'm pretty sure he isn't reading that much into it. He's going from one good time to the next...nice, right?


----------

