My tiny evil pickle has learned to open cage doors...

[Featheredfuffs]

And I have cats! Luckily its her huge downstairs cage which is really used only for when I'm in the house, so I caught her in the act quite quickly. Its already happened four times in the last four days.


What do you guys do to make sure your parrots don't get into any trouble like this?

 

[TikiMyn]

What kind of door is iT? Maybe you can keep iT shut with a quick link, or a bigger lock if she opens that too? Hope you figure something out soon!

 

[DQTimnehs]

Can you post a pic of the door?

 

[Hissy_Fit]

You could also zip-tie it or something, or clip it shut? That way it's not permanently closing, but still shut for the times you can't be with your birdie.

 

[Animallover03]

It depends on the type of cage/door.

At the rescue we have a few macaws who love to escape, so we usually use chains and clasps (carabiners) to make it so that it can't open. Same with the feeder doors.
(And when one macaw escapes... they let others out. And disrupt the macaws on stands.. and shred papers from cages... Oh it is a mess.)

If they are even more of a Houdini and figure out to push their grate out to escape (the trays are put on the floor under the cage so they don't shred them) we use hose clamps to keep them from being pushed out.

I have heard of people using padlocks and such for their birds cages as well. Since you have a little guy though you could probably honestly just use a carabiner or pear link (tightened really tight) to keep the door shut.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I've used padlocks.
Pear link might work but you need to make it extra tight. My Dusky conure can unscrew pear links.
However even making those extra tight is no guarantee. Thought I made one extra tight so Jaden would not drop his toy to the bottom of the cage and yet yesterday found it on the bottom with the pear link attached.
He had unscrewed the pear link again.

 

[Featheredfuffs]

Thanks for the help everyone! Since Delilah is so small and is barely strong enough to flip the latch anyway, carabiners should do the trick!



And to think... she went through all of this trouble just to nibble and destroy a plant nearby her cage! (don't worry, bird safe). She just wouldn't give it up!

 

[Dartman]

They want what they want and nothing will stop a determined fid from their item of desire and destruction. When Dobby gets quiet, or we hear sudden snaps we go looking. And they'll suddenly decide another object they've never touched deserves their attention.

 

[faislaq]

Just to be on the safe side, be careful of which clips you use.
Plastic Hook Warning | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum This thread suggests only using screw-type clips instead of springy ones.