how to discourage bad behavior?

[redbard]

Hello

After reading all your your wonderful responces to my introduction thread. I have been trying to get Sunny to stay off the floor, but with little success so he spends most of his time in his cage which is very unhappy about. The longest he has been out of his cage without making a dash to try and get under the dishwasher is about 15 minutes.

How can I discourage such behavior so he wont do that. Isn't a bird place on top of things and not beneath things. Is there anything that can be done or is it a lost cause?

[Elle]

Hello red,

Just a thought.... it might be hard trying to teach Sunny not to go on the floor if the first thing she is looking for is her little cozy dark spot under the dishwasher.
Can you try and work with her in completely different room such as a bedroom or bathroom with door closed so she can't escape and dive for the dishwasher?
20 minutes per sessions might be long enough to start with and millet to reward her after each sessions might make it enjoyable for Sunny. The goal would be to distract her and show her there are other toys or gyms she can play with.

Again, just a thought... and good luck! ( I had a bird who wuld dive for the cuddlery drawer and make washing dishes very painful! Litteraly painful! )

[LoveBugs]

lol....can you try and block the bottom of the dishwasher?

lovies love hiding under things, in dark little places.

i left my lovies' cage door open, and went to get a drink...i came up to 2 mia birdies..I looked and looked to no avail... I finally thought they couldnt get anywhere far so was gonna go lie in bed (their cage is right next to my bed.)

I lifted my blankie, and lo and behold, I see two little butts, snuggled up napping underneath!

[mjm8321]

Blocking off the access to underneath the dishwasher is the first thing that I suggest be done. I agree with Elle in working with Sunny in a different room. I've only had one lovie who thought he could be on the floor and the only thing that worked to keep him off the floor was to move him to another room and offer a new and entertaining (for him) atmosphere where he could explore. Lovies are stubborn and manipulative along with being charming and brilliant little ones. What happens when Sunny gets on the floor? I guess I should say, what do you do and what type of reaction do you give? If you holler and make a big fuss, Sunny might like that reaction and simply goes to the floor because she/he knows you will give that reaction and then put her back in her cage. Does Sunny interact with you at all besides making you chase after her under the dishwasher?

[redbard]

I didn't put up much of a fight until he wrecked the dishwasher. Now I do put up a fight and go chasing him.

The problem with the dishwasher is that it has these holes on the side of it that he scampers into. I tried stuffing them with towels, but he just pulled them out.

He doesn't do it so he can get back into his cage cause he makes such a deal when he in the cage and when I open the door, he wastes no time in getting out.

Thanks for your suggestions. He will either learn or just be stuck in his cage more often than not and not be allowed to roam all over the apartment all day long.

[Elle]

Another thought ( Wow! I'm having a lot of them today!)

How about discourraging him with a spray bottle? When he dives for his (yes, it's his now ) diswasher can you use a spray water bottle to discourage him? It does take them minds off whatever it is they are obsessed about for a few minutes. Hopefully long enough for you to rectify the situation.

[Rubygem]

ever thought about using duck tape to cover the holes? Just wondering.

Rubygem

[Elle]

ever thought about using duck tape to cover the holes? Just wondering.

Rubygem

I'd be concerned about the glue. Sam was able to chew through duct tape like thin paper. If it is swallowed it could cause a problem too.

[Janie]

Well Ruby, I was reading down the list of replies and DUCT TAPE was the very thing *I* was going to suggest! :D I've found great success with duct tape for so many things and it always comes to mind when I'm trying to seal off a spot that's hard to deal with. So, if that will work, great! One more thought that I had is when I find that I can't figure out how to "fix" something like this, I do have a great handy man and sometimes he can even listen to my problem by phone and give me suggestions right then and there w/o coming to my home.

Red, what about the suggestions of moving the cage into another room??? If you can't block those holes, I'd move the cage.

[redbard]

Tried the duct tape. He went through that in no time and it took me forever to clean him up.

As far as the water bottle goes. Once he gets wet the only thing he cares about is getting underneath the dishwasher. Crazy bird.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Hard-headed, aren't they? :)

Here's a thought ... Is it possible that Sunny is going for the dishwasher, not so much for the sake of being under the dishwasher, but to get a reaction out of you?

I only bring it up because my Melody does this. One day Melody went over to the sliding glass doors, peeked her little head in the track, and came out with a shiny fat beetle in her beak. Well. I went absolutely ballistic. There was yelling and freaking out and then my husband had to come in and chase her down and get the beetle away from her. Oh, the drama! Momma screaming, daddy laughing, there was even a chase scene! It must have been very exciting and fun for her because for WEEKS afterward, the first thing she did when she got out of her cage was make a beeline for the sliding glass door, to see if she could find herself another beetle.

[redbard]

maybe, who knows what in his head. However he'll stay under it for quite some time. At least he did before he broke the dishwasher and I got serious about him not being under it. I have no idea what is going through his head.

On an unrelated note, I just realized that when I registered here. I spelt my name wrong. I am Redbeard not Redbard, silly me. :rofl: