A Packer Update

[Dorcas George]

Merlin’s so cute! As for Packer, he’s been flying and landing and such for four hours now. Time for bed, but here he is. He’s kind of acting like he can’t find his cage but he might be fooling me.

 

[Gribouille]

Ahhh...he loves the classics. That's adorable!

yep.. that's what you get for having a parront who sings in a cool choral!

 

[Lori D Pert]

Merlin’s so cute! As for Packer, he’s been flying and landing and such for four hours now. Time for bed, but here he is. He’s kind of acting like he can’t find his cage but he might be fooling me.

So did you manage to entice him back to his cage? Little imp...I bet he knows exactly where his cage is...lol

 

[Dorcas George]

@Lori D Pert

No enticing, but yes back in cage.

I'll start with how he came out of the cage. Remember, left door open two previous times and he stayed in cage. This time I put my cell phone, with a video of budgies yakking to each other, lying next to the cage. He got as close as he could and chirped away, as usual. Then he came to the door of cage and ran back in about four times. Finally, he hopped out and started pecking the two budgies on my phone. It was both cute and sad. He did this for quite a while, going back in cage once but out and to the phone again, and then took off.

Like in the bedroom, he's flying well but seems so uncertain of how and where to land. Completely ignored birdie spots I'd made. landed in lots of unsuitable places. Eventually, three hours through his flying, he'd fly from one end of the living room, where he is in the picture, to a similar molding on the opposite end of the long double room, ending up in the same spot but in the dining room instead. Not bad except he refused all attempts to coax him down. His cage is in a corner of the dining room. It was long past his normal sleeping time. I could see he was getting zonked.

If it were just me, I'd have left the lights on and gone to bed, leaving Packer to fend for himself and go back to his cage. I was told, and read, that budgies do not see well in the dark? But my husband has to sleep in a big recliner in the dining room because of some physical issues. So I went to the bathroom, and he decided enough was enough. He got a net we have and scooped Packer down right as I returned. I put him back in his cage.

Of course, now he's back to refusing to sit on my hand, treat or no treat.

It was hard not to cry.

Oh, about the cage. I find it strange that he is reluctant to come out but, even when I knew he was very tired, just sitting on a ledge looking not too happy---why not go back IN then? Sigh.

 

[Lori D Pert]

Awww...poor little guy. He's still scared. Well at least he's getting to know your living room. Yes I would have probably left him in the living room with the lights on as well but I understand that your hubby needs sleep. Yes budgies have bad night vision. Don't dispair however, I would keep trying. If the phone does entice him would it work if you left it in his cage? To this day that is how Sam knows it's time to go back in heer cage. At first it was so I COULD get her back in..now it's become part of our nighttime routine, I raise it up and she flies right to it and I walk her to her cage and she hops in. Don't dispair about spooking him with the net. By now he must realize that you are not going to hurt him so keep trying. He will want to avoid that in the future so try the phone, if not, well the net it must be but do hold him soothingly and lovingly talk to him when you put him back in.

 

[Gribouille]

I understand you feel bad but even if all you wish is his affection, your bird still has to follow the rules of your home, bedtime is bedtime, period. Setting rules and getting your bird to follow them is NOT going to affect the relationship you have. It's like with kids or other pets, actually I feel having some expectations to them is making the relationship better. You can't let them decide for everything, they'd become bullies and you would lose any respect from them.
Anyway, my birds would gladly sleep up on their playstand if they were allowed. They love to sit high up, and I have to tell them and gently "chase" them with a little stick (I'm too short...) Merlin had learned to step up on a stick when I got him, since he didn't want to be touched, and we used that stick to carry him back to his cage back then. Now he very seldom climbs on the stick but he knows when I tap it close to them and say it is bedtime and go inside, he has to go back to his cage. I showed Nova how it works and she knows the drill too now. They are clever small birds! They also know that once I've said it is bedtime, I won't quit until they are back in their cage so it is not helping to fly elsewhere because I'll come and tap the stick there too. Sometimes they don't want to go, but they always give up before me (because I know if I give up, they'll learn to be naughty next time!!)

 

[Dorcas George]

@Lori D Pert @Gribouille

Well, I decided to start earlier today with the hope Packer would be hungry and thirsty a bit sooner. I opened the door about 11 AM and to my surprise it only took him about two minutes to decide to come out and fly madly 'round the room. No coaxing needed. He had his usual bumbling attempts at landing, fell off a tiny bit of metal on a stained glass window, found the same molding as in the picture yesterday, and settled down. It has now been over five hours. Mostly sitting quite still, occasional cheeps and twitters and a couple of forays across the open space back into the dining room and then back to where he's spent most of the day. I'm thinking he's getting thirsty by now, if not hungry. Any coaxing attempts with ladder, perch (and treat), or hand/arm have been eyed and declined. It is about three more hours before he's usually falling asleep, so we shall see. (Poor Patches, the cat, has been exiled most of the day and is now meowing pitifully. Heh heh. I came in to the spare room which is also "her room" to look at computer so she's a bit happier walking across the keyboard.) Packer has about three hours till it should be time for him to say nighty night.

 

[Gribouille]

Don't worry, he'll be hungry at some point and find back to his cage.

 

[Lori D Pert]

Budgies feel safest the higher they are. That is why he makes a B line for the molding. How high up is his cage? I am thinking that he may still be wary of Kitty (who I feel bad for..lol). Eventually though he will get thirsty and hungry. If coaxing with a perch or with your phone doesn't work (I know it will eventually) then it may have to be the net again until he learns the drill. Budgies thrive on routine as Gribouille has stated so he will adapt eventually. I know that eventually feels like forever...lol. I guarantee you it's not.

 

[Dorcas George]

Well, he’s restless now for about two hours. Lots of frantic flying back and forth but not to cage, so I’m trying to decide how long to let him keep this up. No luck with coaxing or budgies on phone. The cage is about table high. Really no good place to make it higher.

 

[Gribouille]

Well, he’s restless now for about two hours. Lots of frantic flying back and forth but not to cage, so I’m trying to decide how long to let him keep this up. No luck with coaxing or budgies on phone. The cage is about table high. Really no good place to make it higher.

I wonder... It feels like his cage is not his safe place? Is it the same Breeze was killed from? If it is, I'd say even change it, or change the set up completely and wash it thoroughly so it looks like another one. Change the toys, the perches, use fresh branches, at other places, etc... Have a playstand on the top, and if it is currently on the dinner table where the cat could hop, I'd place it on a little but high table where there's room for the cage only, and maybe have it stand it a quiet area of the room, not in the middle. If possible, under that mold he sits on. Ideally, I'd then have a long branch going from the cage to the mold

 

[Dorcas George]

He’s still out. Actually evaded net several times. We gave up. Cage is not on dining table and not in middle of room. It’s in a corner on table too small for cat to jump on. Not far from molding in dining room. Toys are changed. I could maybe put it down in living room.

 

[Porter]

You might want to try working with him in another room again until he has learned 'step up'

As for the routine thing... I know one thing that worked with Porter and Maiboch (who was barely tame)

Grab a small travel cage and work with him to move back and forth within this cage and the other one. Put him to bed with the 'flock' aka in the bedroom with you. And bring him back out to the dining room in the morning.

Sleep cage/routine that he will get used to every morning and will start to associate with Breakfast and Dinner. A smallish cage that you can move around easily. A couple of toys, a water dish .. food dish and two perches.

This worked for taming EVERY budgie I've owned.

Its also a second option for getting him to 'come back' after hiding. A little cage that he will not associate with his friend's death. New start and something he can be moved around the house, with him inside.

It will take a few weeks before the routine is fully in effect because he needs to get used to going back and forth between the two cages. But eventually this cage will be one you can move from place to place that he feels is a safe space and might fly too without hesitation.

Put ribbons near the molding, and something 'scary'.

Something that Packer hasn't seen before. Don't let those areas become his safe space.
Porter likes to fly to the top of the reptile rack whenever he's scared of something OR sometimes to the top of a bird statue above the bookshelf.
But Porter has already been hand tamed and will step up on command. There might be something near his cage that is scaring him and that is why he will not fly back.

 

[Dorcas George]

@Porter We have LOTS of nice high molding everywhere in the house. And “plate racks” and so on. Sigh. I certainly won’t let him out in this big space again till he’s tame. I like the small cage idea. Right now I’m feeling desperate to get him back in his cage. It has been 22 hours with no water or food.

 

[Porter]

@Dorcas George In order to tame Fuggles a little more we took it a step further and took that 'travel cage' with him in it everywhere when we were home. If we were sleeping he was in the room with us. If we were eating he had food in his bowl in that cage and ate with us and porter.

Make him part of the 'flock' and you will become a source of protection and safety.

 

[Lori D Pert]

Oh dear...can get a broom handle and push him off the molding? Put food and water on the dining room table. Maybe get him when he goes to eat. He has to eventually. I too like the small cage idea. I have a small sleep cage for Sam. Yep back to the bedroom where he feels safe.

 

[Lori D Pert]

I can't help but feel bad for both you and Packer. I feel both @Gribouille and @Porter are right. He is completely spooked by either his cage or the room or both. I would clean everything and change up perches etc..then move it to the bedroom you first let him out in. Then buy a small cage to bring with you throughout the house so he can be whereever you are. Let him out only in the bedroom until he becomes finger tame (may take a while) but I believe he did seek out his cage in this room so he will do it again. Make sure the smaller cage is always near you. When you must go out bring it back to the bedroom. This will become his safe place. Please let us know that you have managed to capture him.

 

[Dorcas George]

He went to a lower spot. I coaxed him on my hand with millet. Inch by inch got him to cage where he hopped off hand and on cage but before he got in the door he flew off. He’s back where I can’t reach him and I could push him off...but pushing him off isn’t same as capturing him. Just crying at the moment...was so close. Poor Packer. And poor me. I’d laugh at the absurdity of it if I could...

 

[Porter]

It might be time to get the net back out.
Sadly getting him back safely is more important right now than being worried about scaring him :c

 

[Dorcas George]

Oh I tried the net. At this point if he sees it in my hand he flies. Doesn’t even have to be close to him!