Translated by Nick R
It’s common for people to refuse to take care of a bird out of shame that they should be kept in a cage and deprived of their freedom, but that’s not entirely true since it is possible to train and take care of birds outdoors or inside your house without any danger. Let me tell you how.
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Why raise a bird outside its cage?
Most birds fly, obviously, an instinct as natural as for us to walk, but for pets, having a large cage is not always enough to meet this need. Raising a bird outside the cage, besides bringing numerous benefits for him and you:
- Reduces stress, anxiety, and feeling of loneliness.
- It helps the bird to exercise, thus avoiding health problems such as obesity.
- It’s an excellent way to start teaching some tricks.
- It helps to create bonds and promote play.
Risks of raising a bird out of the cage
You also need to know that taking a bird out of the cage opens it up to many dangers that we can overlook, which can be:
- Attacks from any other animal in the house, especially dogs and cats. If they are not accustomed to the bird’s presence, they may attack it or try to hunt it.
- They can escape or sneak away in small places.
- Exposure to unsuitable breeding environments, without air currents, exposed to odors or chemicals to which they are sensitive.
- Feces can be a problem if they are not cleaned promptly and you let them spread all over the house, even in those corners where your winged pet can reach and you can’t, because bacteria can accumulate.
At what age is it best to teach a bird to be out of its cage?
It’s best to train any bird from a young age (once it has fledged and is out of the nest) because at this time they are more docile and open to learning as they are with their parents when learning to sing or do any other activity, remember that you should always do it with patience and caution.
But don’t be discouraged if your bird is past those years! Birds of adult age can learn but at a much slower pace. Be always attentive to the tastes and convenience of your bird, as there is a possibility that it may not get used to being outside the safe environment of its cage.
7 tips for your bird to learn to be out of the cage
A little peek outside the cage
Never force the bird to be exposed to situations to which it is not accustomed.
The bird’s first approach outside the cage should be gradual and be accompanied by one of the most basic tricks to teach it: perching on your finger, as this way your pet will feel more confident with you, and interacting will be much easier.
If the trick of perching on your finger works, you will be ready for the next step, but if you haven’t taught it yet, another way to explain to her about getting out of the cage is to leave the cage door open waiting for her to get out and take a look at what’s outside.
- Remember to do this in a quiet environment, without noise or a lot of activity, a bedroom is a good place to start.
- Likewise, try to express calmness to your pet, because birds are very sensitive to their owner’s moods and if you show stress or nerves, they will assimilate your exit in the same way, a good way is to talk to them gently about what you are doing.
- You can also try petting his head for a while, even inside the cage to make him feel confident.
Schedule to be out of the cage
Birds are used to doing their activities at a certain time of the day, such as eating, drinking water or resting. In this case, you as the owner should try to train them to go out of the cage every day at the same time and for the same amount of time, I recommend that at the beginning it should be in short periods of time, about 30 minutes. The more confidence he has to go out, the more you will be able to increase the time to explore or play.
Explore, play, and interact in a room
Once your bird gets used to leaving the cage, arrange the room with elements to attract its attention such as perches and swings. The height will depend on how dexterous your bird is to reach them or if its wings have been clipped.
Toys in the room will allow your winged pet to be entertained and it will have more fun if you are the one playing with it. It will also be a good opportunity to teach it some tricks.
Take your bird out to the backyard or other outdoor area
If you manage to get your bird used to the outside environment with loud sounds and the presence of other people, you could try to take it out for a while to the yard or outdoors, but here you will have to take other precautions and not trust that it knows how to perch on your fingers.
Use bird harnesses
There are harnesses designed especially for birds, which function in a similar way to dog leashes, only in this case they are fastened under the bird’s wings.
This item is practical for taking your bird outdoors, but it can take some work to get it used to it. Remember that the most important thing is that your bird feels comfortable and be cautious with sudden flights, as a sudden stop in flight can cause it to fall and hurt itself.
Hold the bird’s leg to your finger
This is a classic and simple practice to apply, you can use a soft and thin rope to attach it to a bird’s leg with a simple knot, once you have done it, you can take your pet on your finger and for more security tie the rope to one of your fingers.
Here I make the same recommendation to be careful of sudden flights that can cause falls or in this case a fracture.
Back to the cage
If your bird is already used to climbing on your fingers, it will be the best way to bring it back to the cage. Then you give her the signal or command and take her directly to the cage, although another trick can be to leave her favorite snack inside the cage and give her a signal to enter the cage, such as the sound of the food if it is seeds or hitting the place where the snack is.
This should be a practice that should not be lost because of the risks it runs when it gets used to being out of the cage, besides it is practical that you can do it for when there are visitors at home that may expose it to stressful environments or people who are not familiar with the care of a bird such as children.
Special care for birds outside the cage
The responsibility of caring for a bird outside its cage or getting it used to be out of its cage brings some extra care that you must be aware of to avoid accidents or havoc:
- Close windows, doors, and some other places where your pet bird can easily enter and escape.
- Turn off fans, heaters, or air conditioners, because if you let them fly free, they can trip over these types of elements and get hurt.
- Pick up wires and plants that your bird can eat or nibble on, it can be dangerous for them to consume any foreign element.
