|
Post by dianapalmer on Apr 29, 2014 22:37:11 GMT
All my birdies love to come out of the cage in the morning and fly around.
However, I am having more and more trouble getting Emma back in. For a while it was working to take the food away and then put it back when I want them to go in.
Now, the other three will go in to get the seed, but Emma just sits on top of the cage, watches the other three eating, and won't go in. It is not possible for me to catch her. If it goes on long enough, the other three go in and eat, then they come back out. Then, if she goes in, the other three are out. So, I can't get the four of them in at once.
In the evening I am not having the same problem. As it gets dark, they all go in, then I close them in for the night.
I just ordered a small travel cage. I am thinking that when I get the other three into the big cage I can close it up. Then, I can put some seed in the small cage for Emma. I am really hoping that this works. I am at my wits end with it.
Emma is a very intelligent and willful girl. I really do love her and admire her in many ways. But, she's really a handful. I can't trick her, no matter what I do. She knows exactly what's going on. I even think that she enjoys driving me crazy with this not going back into the cage thing. I think she finds it very entertaining how I keep coming over to the cage, trying to entice her onto my arm with seeds to get her into the cage.
|
|
|
Post by lisamarie on Apr 30, 2014 0:10:44 GMT
It takes me about 5 mins of chasing Lucy around to get her back in the cage. My room is VERY small and that's the only reason I am able to catch her. If I left her out say in the living room... She'll probably never ever go back in her cage. I love seeing her enjoy her flight but sometimes I am tempted to clip her wings. I probably won't, but it is always in the back of my head... Just in case
|
|
|
Post by dianapalmer on Apr 30, 2014 0:36:34 GMT
Misery loves company LOL.
|
|
|
Post by Pammy on Apr 30, 2014 4:27:22 GMT
I think the small travel cage is a good idea, so you don't have to give the other three a change to eat up and then come back out while Miss Emma is still refusing to go in. Once she's in the little cage, I would seriously take her to get those wings clipped. Maybe by the time they grow back out, she will be more agreeable about going back into the cage when you need her to. It's got to be monumentally beyond frustrating to need to leave the house and have Emma refusing to get back into her cage.
|
|
|
Post by dianapalmer on Apr 30, 2014 14:00:14 GMT
Yes, I think you are right. I expect the cage to arrive by Friday. Then, I'll see if she will go into it.
|
|
|
Post by roxhum on May 1, 2014 14:02:48 GMT
Pearl is also impossible to get back in the cage. Which is too bad for her. I have stopped letting her out on work day mornings. She will not step up on my finger. Often she will step up onto a perch. To get her back in the cage I chase her around the house, trying to get her to step up onto the perch I am holding. Eventually she gets tired, she actually pants. At that point she either steps onto the perch or flies to my shoulder. However the game may continue if she flies away before I can put her in the cage. It is very annoying. She misses out on fun. Like going in the shower with me, or hanging out in my bedroom while I get dressed. Sometimes, instead of letting me catch her, she will fly o. Her own to my bedroom or bathroom. I think I could train her, but I don't take the time.
I will be interested to see if the smaller cage works. I thought you already had a second cage that you used for Silver when you first had him/her.
|
|
|
Post by dianapalmer on May 1, 2014 17:38:03 GMT
It's too bad we can't explain to the birds that they are depriving themselves of fun by being contrary :-(. Yes, I do have another cage, which I had Silver in at first. It is about 18" x 18" x 24" high. There really is no place to conveniently have it in the living room right now. The travel cage will fit on top of the flight cage. The box came this morning. I haven't unpacked it yet.
|
|
|
Post by Pammy on May 1, 2014 20:42:43 GMT
Oh my, what a difference it would make if we could have a sit-down with our birds and explain to them the benefits of being agreeable.
|
|
|
Post by dianapalmer on May 2, 2014 23:49:47 GMT
The little cage arrived and I put it together. As per usual, the three went into the big cage. I closed it up, and put seed in the small cage. Quite a while later, Emma went in, and I shut the door. I left her in there while I was out. When I got home, I took the small cage into the dining room, with Emma in it. Someone suggested that, if I took the perches and food dishes out of the little cage, I might be able to catch her with a towel and clip her. I did catch her in the towel. I have to say, she shrieked her head off, as though I was killing her! I got her all wrapped up, with the towel loosely over her head, and tried to get her onto her back so I could extend the wing and clip it. She struggled so very hard, it was impossible to keep hold on her! She escaped and flew back to the living room. So, plan A, to try to clip her myself, was a total failure. If I can continue to get her into the small cage over the weekend, I will call the vet and make an appointment. Even though Emma acted as though I was murdering her, half an hour later she was back on my arm eating sunflower seeds. I am determined to solve this problem!
|
|
|
Post by lisamarie on May 3, 2014 2:52:30 GMT
I'm very happy with how persistent you've been and continue to be. You're not giving up on Emma which is great!!
|
|
|
Post by lisamarie on May 3, 2014 2:53:23 GMT
Me on the other hand, with Lucy being that way, I would like to try to start training sessions with her, but I have to wait until my semester is over before I can do anything like that. Just one more week!
|
|
|
Post by dianapalmer on May 3, 2014 13:44:32 GMT
Yes, Lisa. I think if I were more disciplined about training her, that might work too. Although, I think she so much hates going into the cage, I am not sure. Target training with a clicker is supposed to be very effective. Now that I'm thinking about it, getting Emma in the smaller cage might make clicker training possible.
|
|
|
Post by kmic on May 3, 2014 15:21:03 GMT
Does anyone here have experience with clicker training? I read about it a couple of times, but never understood why it would be more efficient than giving them a treat (a sunflower seed in your case).
Come on Lisa, final effort and the semester will be over. My main deadlines are at the end of the month, then I'll hopefully have more time for my little ones as well.
|
|
|
Post by dianapalmer on May 3, 2014 17:33:40 GMT
I have read quite a bit about clicker training. It does appear that the clicker (followed by a treat) is more effective than just a treat.
A number of controlled experiments have been conducted, confirming that this is true. I cannot summarize the reasons it is better. It is covered in a book called "Reaching the Animal Mind".
Today, it is 1:30 pm, and I am still waiting for Emma to go into the small cage. She knows she got closed in there yesterday, and she doesn't want to get closed in again today. She has had very little to eat since 8:30-9 pm last night. The other three birds went into the big cage at 11:00 am.
It is very difficult!
|
|
|
Post by kmic on May 3, 2014 17:43:38 GMT
Hmm that's very interesting! Thanks for the info Diana.
Hopefully she'll soon get hungry enough to go in. Sky is doing something similar sometimes in the evening. When the sun goes down is their call to go in their cage for the night. They all do it alone, except sometimes Sky prefers to sleep on top of the cage instead of inside. I then have to catch her (which is often ending up in using a towel carefully). Clipping Emma's wings will definitely help to get her inside at least.
|
|