# Bonded with cage ?



## Bryanlynch (May 29, 2010)

I've had Sydney for about six weeks now and he is still afraid of me.I hand feed him millet every day . I let him out of his cage every day. He sits on top and chatters all the time. But if you try to get him to step up he'll fly in a circle and land back on his cage even though I've had his wings clipped. Every other day I'll take his cage in the bathroom set him on the towel rack remove his cage and set him on my knee for ten minutes or so. He'll sit there but I can tell he really doesn't like me. He will step up on my hand inthe bathroom but only after a couple of nibbles . He doesn't bite hard though. The minute I walk him to the living room he flies back to his cage. He flies really well for a clipped bird. Am I forcing him too much? Should I just hand feed him and wait for him to fly to me or what. More than anything I want him to be happy, which he seems if I just ignore him. He displays his wings at least six times a day proclaiming his cage his. Is he cage bound or just scared? Should I not take him in the bathroom? I know he's been through alot me having rescued him and all. I just want him to know he is loved. Thanks in advance.


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## Lemon&Misty (May 12, 2010)

I had the same problem with my new bird, Lemon. I recently discovered that we had been clipping the wrong wings. We were supposed to be clipping the first ten, not middle ones. Now Lemon can't fly at all, which has taken a little patience to get her used to, but it has been very successful. She doesn't go back to her cage as much and is spending more and more time with me everyday. One other thing to try is getting a play gym for your bird so he has toys to play with outside of the cage. I would suggest keeping it where you spend most of your time (i.e. next to the couch, or computer desk etc.)


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## bird brain (May 30, 2010)

I don't know what his previous situation was like but if it was bad, he might just still be nervous. Rescued birds can sometimes take years before they will finally learn to trust humans again. And then again some birds never really get used to the idea of full human interaction. By the sounds of it I reckon he will eventually come around, you just need to be patient, take it at his pace and never force him to do something he doesn't want to do. If he seems uncomfortable or distracted during training sessions just stop and try again later or the next day, keeping the sessions as short as possible. And stay positive, if he feels like you're having fun he might loosen up a bit himself.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I have the same problem with Nips...they see the cage as a safe harbor from all the bad things. It took a few months for her to realize it was ok to come out of the cage because she was so used to being in one. It just takes time and patience...


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## Berdnerd (May 20, 2010)

I agree that re-clipping his wings would be good. When they can't fly, they have to depend on you more. If he can still fly fine (which it sounds like is the case), the wings weren't clipped properly. When clipped properly, he should be able to flutter to the ground, rather than actually be able to fly around the room (or drop like a rock!).


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