Cage Bound Birds

Many birds become accustomed to being in their cages. So accustomed that they are not comfortable outside of the cage. It is important to encourage your bird to spend time outside of the cage (supervised) and explore new surroundings. Ben had spent much of his 26 years in a small cylindrical cage. He is a classic cage bound bird. I put him in the large Exotic Enclosure the other day. This 4' x 6' x 6' cage is filled with ropes and toys and perches of all kinds. Although Ben is not actively mobile...he gets around but it's not easy for him, I thought he would shuffle around and explore. I left to run errands and when I returned, he was in the exact same place. He has never really become comfortable with climbing around. In his cage, (a larger more horizontal cage), he manages to get around to the food and water dishes. He will find his bell, the love of his life, so I move that around to encourage new exploration. As you can tell my the condition of his tail feathers, he likes to cling to the side of the cage. He is a "work in progress" and will slowly come around. However, he is an excellent example of what can happen to a bird that has a small world. One interesting sideline is that Ben has a new neighbor. I found that when I placed Chauncey next to him in the neighboring cage, both Ben and Chauncey seemed calm and quiet. They like each other! They eat at the same time and enjoy looking out the window. Chauncey used to be in my "noisy room" with the two macaws and Josey Wales, my umbrella cockatoo. Now he resides next to Ben and he seems quite relieved to be out of the noisy room. Ben has been known to be quite noisy himself...but with Chauncey around, he remains quiet! I love it when a good plan comes together!