Running around in his cage

[momo]

Hi All,

Every morning Elmo runs up and down the side of his cage. On the floor.
He only does this to one side of his cage? And then reverts to biting the cage bars.

I have toys in there for him but he doesn't know what to do with them. I try to swing the toys to show him. But he isnt tame so he just freaks out when I put my hand in the cage.

He runs around for about 15 minutes in a crazy, then goes and eats something and will start to run around again.

He is 11 weeks old, he has his wings clipped as I'm trying to tame him.

Towards the afternoon he calms down towards me, every day I have been able to come closer to him with out him running to the highest point in the cage. When I say come closer my face looking at him, while he's in his cage. I have sat beside him every single day I have had him.

Is this quirky running around behavior normal?

[Mummieeva]

When my birds do this it means "let me out of here". Normaly when that starts it means they are ready to get out and fly around.



Steph

[Janie]

Same here. That is a LET ME OUT behavior when my birds do it. And it works, I let 'em out! :D

[momo]

he isnt tame yet.. when i have left him out.. he just tries to run and escape towards the window. :(

I was thinking about getting him a play gym when he's tame.. but should I speed it up and get him one now to see if I can bribe him not to run towards the window :(

[Mummieeva]

COuld you cover the window with a curtain? Just be sure it is closed. Drac is not tame either. But he still gets out of cage time. I jsut let him decide when it is time to go back in. Normaly I wheel his cage into my bed room and read while he explores. A few days ago he perched on my book and scared himself when he saw my face.lol.



Steph

[Janie]

Lovebirds are not typically "play gym" type parrots. I have one that mine do go to because it has food cups attached to it but as far as climbing on it or just sitting on it (like the much larger species do), they don't. I also have a few toys attached to the wooden play gym and occasionally they will play with the toys for a few minutes but prefer to play on the boings that hang from the ceiling in their bird room.

Since your bird is still very young, time and lots of patience will bring him around I think. It might take a few months of consistently working with him but well worth the effort when you make the first few breakthroughs. Once they learn to trust you, they usually start slowly bonding to you but that does not happen overnight.

I agree with Steph about covering the window. He could break his neck trying to fly through the glass.

[thebubbleking]

My tiel runs back and forth in a typewriter fashion lol my lovies just streatch as tall as they can at the front of the cage and flap and raise heck lol
All my birds use they play gym for the food and water cup and to forage but none of them play with the swing or attached toys (unless you count chewing it to destruction by my sun conures lol)

[momo]

I have changed elmos toys... put some cardboard in and a cozy cave.

since then i haven't seen any more running around.
he's/she's REALLY into destroying paper.. REALLY into it.. i knew they were they like to nibble on things.. but i had to double up the cardboard piece in there so he wouldnt chew through it so quickly hahaa.

[thebubbleking]

Momo i have to be the first to congradulate you on your hen!
Female lovebirds shred paper males nibble and bite holes so theres a pretty good chance i'd say 80% you got a female hen:D

[momo]

When you say shred paper.. as in tearing it up into length pieces? Cause elmo bites the cardboard until it falls off the piece of string.. and then looks at it like.. "what just happened there?"

Elmo is only under 3 months (he still has the black on his beak)
The destroying of paper, is that a play thing? or is elmo getting clucky?