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Breaking a habit?!

Miss_sj

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My little budgie has never really gone onto the floor until this week. He was on my shoulder when I swept something up with a dustpan, and that piqued his interest . Ever since, he keeps flying to the floor and running around, dancing. He seems to think it is great fun. He's already got playgyms and multiple places to perch, at the moment he has completely lost interest. If a person walks, he runs after them and wants to run in and out and around their feet.

I'm worried about safety, even though I always supervise him he is tiny and it would only take a second of not paying attention to squish him by accident. He really zooms when he's running around too. I've tried to get him on my hand and move him, and unfortunately he interpreted that as a game of 'chasing' and that made the floor even more appealing.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe ways I could make his play gym/perching areas more interesting, or other ways to distract him? Unfortunately, he is not a bird who is particularly food motivated, so bribing with food hasn't helped. I'd love to break this habit if possible.
 

Shezbug

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Interested to see what advice you get for changing this behavior, I would think it would be the same as redirecting any other unwanted behavior but I am not positive :)

I do not have much of a problem with this as it is only once every now and then that Burt thinks it is fun to play floor macaw and he is much bigger so a little harder to accidentally stand on.
 

AutumnRain

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My tiel was flying to the floor and hanging out down there. She did it quite a bit for a while. It's a natural instinct for some of our birds, as some species of wild parrots often forage on the ground for seeds. Cockatiels are one of those ground foraging species, as are wild budgies.

What I did to discourage it, was to have her step up and then give her a treat. Then I would try to find a toy or something for her to chew to distract her from continuing to go down there. I also had her forage on the couches or on the bed to show her that good stuff wasn't on the floor here, but rather on higher surfaces. It took a little while, since her seeds kept dropping on the floor when she ate, so I ended up having to clean up immediately after she ate. Some days I had to repeat this process many times, but she realized that there was more fun (and food) to be had when off the floor. Now, it's rare for her to fly to the floor. :)
 
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JLcribber

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Good luck with that. If a bird likes the floor I have no idea how to change that.

My budgies and cockatiel also like playing on the floor. I’m just very aware when they are out that and watch carefully.
 

Miss_sj

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I guess I will keep trying to distract him and offer some treats and toys on different surfaces. I was planning on ordering a few new toys anyway so that may help. He is much more inclined to want to play than eat. The tricky thing is he is very headstrong and he's worked out that its something I don't want him to do!
 

JLcribber

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I guess I will keep trying to distract him and offer some treats and toys on different surfaces. I was planning on ordering a few new toys anyway so that may help. He is much more inclined to want to play than eat. The tricky thing is he is very headstrong and he's worked out that its something I don't want him to do!
He sounds like a very happy and “confident” little bird. He’s going to live a long time.

what I do when I don’t want them on the floor is I created a false floor 4ft above the ground.

7C739A08-8ADC-4685-9277-167B3F585331.jpeg
 

Lady Jane

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You are correct to be concerned about your bird on the floor. Only thing I can think of is to redirect this behavior immediately. I and others often hand bird items from the ceiling that birds love to land on since it is up high. I hung a scarf holder above the cage, orbits and boings. They learn the best fun is up high. Set up for budgies.jpg
 

Khizz

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You are correct to be concerned about your bird on the floor. Only thing I can think of is to redirect this behavior immediately. I and others often hand bird items from the ceiling that birds love to land on since it is up high. I hung a scarf holder above the cage, orbits and boings. They learn the best fun is up high. View attachment 317518
Off topic slightly, but a scarf holder is a wonderful idea!!! I love it!

I don't have such experience, but perhaps another idea would be when he's on the floor to stop everything you are doing? Maybe by getting no reaction he will realise its no fun, and combined with a treat or attention when he is in a more ideal spot he might think the floor is incredibly boring! Just an idea, especially if he is so driven by playtime.
 

JLcribber

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Off topic slightly, but a scarf holder is a wonderful idea!!! I love it!

I don't have such experience, but perhaps another idea would be when he's on the floor to stop everything you are doing? Maybe by getting no reaction he will realise its no fun, and combined with a treat or attention when he is in a more ideal spot he might think the floor is incredibly boring! Just an idea, especially if he is so driven by playtime.

:lol: Not even close. He doesn't give crap what you're doing. He's on a mission to the floor. :D
 

Ripshod

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Mi casa su casa. While I don't discourage my birds from the floor I don't encourage them either. When one is out I will stay at the door and seek them out before entering. I walk around all day in old socks 'just in case', the case hasn't happened yet. I opted to share my lounge with my birbs, that means the whole lounge.
But I live on my own so I have the luxury to do that for them. Don't discourage from the floor, just encourage them to go high.
 

Khizz

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@JLcribber

I was thinking that this meant he was just doing it when there was action:

He was on my shoulder when I swept something up with a dustpan, and that piqued his interest .
If a person walks, he runs after them and wants to run in and out and around their feet
But I see this:

Ever since, he keeps flying to the floor and running around, dancing. He seems to think it is great fun.
Shows I was mistaken! :lol:My bad!

Mine seem to dislike the floor, but their cage is set up so that most of their perches are high up, and the previous owner had the same kind of layout. They don't even like being at the bottom of their cage for too long.
 

Miss_sj

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He sounds like a very happy and “confident” little bird. He’s going to live a long time.

what I do when I don’t want them on the floor is I created a false floor 4ft above the ground.

View attachment 317517
He is a happy bird! For all his bluster I don't think he has totally confident- even though he uses his play stations, he normally flies back to my boyfriend or I every couple of minutes to 'check in' before going back, and wants us to stay close.

As much as I don't want him running around on the floor, he's happy to be independent so it's a good thing that he seems to be increasing confidence wise I guess!

I admire the 'floor' you built- my handyman skills are probably not quite there! A scarf holder could be an option! I'm on the lookout for a new bird to introduce to him- maybe this change will break the habit. Or, maybe he'll teach his new companion to run around on the floor....
 

Nobirby

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My birbs will sometimes flutter to the floor, but unless I am right there with them, they don't like the floor. Might have something to do with my 80 pound Aussie. Hogan loves the birbs and is gentle with them, but they still prefer he stay away.
 

Monica

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Either get a slab of fake grass, or grow some grass. Toss in your birds dry food into the grass. This can help get him food motivated because it's fun and you can place this off of the ground.
 

Rain Bow

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What about using the toys in place of the treats. You said there's no food motivation...

Encourage the good ignore (but be aware) of the bad. Talk to him sometimes that works, I often explain to Buddy what's good & bad. He doesn't always listen, but sometimes he does.
 

Mizzely

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My Jardine's likes to play on flat surfaces too... Do you have any of those higher up for your budgie? Maybe try putting toys on the floor of the cage or playstand as a passive way to encourage staying off the floor :)
 

Kokako

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Both of my birds like the floor but my flightless guy is pretty happy with the floor in his cage as well, and I have done ground grasses and crap/+foraging trays too. This might be a terrible, horrible idea but are budgies dust/sand bathers as well as water bathers? ;) That might be a one-time test, like pomegranate on top of the cage! My flier... I have a side table with mirrored legs which are the only mirrors that could be considered hers and she likes to check them out weekly. I’m just very lucky that she beeps constantly when on the floor, loudly and regularly like a truck backing up. And, half the time the is running in four foot arches in front of someone doing the strut. You just need to develop a very keen ear for sudden silence :blink:
 

Rain Bow

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Both of my birds like the floor but my flightless guy is pretty happy with the floor in his cage as well, and I have done ground grasses and crap/+foraging trays too. This might be a terrible, horrible idea but are budgies dust/sand bathers as well as water bathers? ;) That might be a one-time test, like pomegranate on top of the cage! My flier... I have a side table with mirrored legs which are the only mirrors that could be considered hers and she likes to check them out weekly. I’m just very lucky that she beeps constantly when on the floor, loudly and regularly like a truck backing up. And, half the time the is running in four foot arches in front of someone doing the strut. You just need to develop a very keen ear for sudden silence :blink:
Hahaha! It sounds so sweet!!!
 
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