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Rescued 'tiels won't come out of cage

Monica

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Monica
Agree with the others... you need a larger cage. With a cage like that, I can easily see why they don't like coming out!


Here's another cage to think about!

Amazon.com : HQ Flight Cage, Multi Purpose Aviary with Cart Stand, Black, 1 Per Box : Parrot Cage : Pet Supplies


I wouldn't recommend a cage smaller than 2' square for one cockatiel... for two? Definitely bigger than that!



For reference (if it works correctly), the following image is the HQ Flight Cage. In this picture, there are 7 birds. 5 of them are cockatiels. The other two are a budgie and a bourke. This picture was taken when I had to board them for several weeks while I was out of the country. Currently, I only have one bird living in this cage.


 

Dorian&Darcy

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Thanks for everyone's responses! For the moment, I am opting not to get a bigger cage. They seem quite content in this cage and I am afraid to disrupt their in-cage routines. But I have adopted everyone else's advice and they seem to be getting on better already. The shy one actually just stepped out of the cage for a full 30 seconds before scuttling back in!
 

sunnysmom

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Michelle
Thanks for everyone's responses! For the moment, I am opting not to get a bigger cage. They seem quite content in this cage and I am afraid to disrupt their in-cage routines. But I have adopted everyone else's advice and they seem to be getting on better already. The shy one actually just stepped out of the cage for a full 30 seconds before scuttling back in!
Wonderful news! :) Have you just tried sitting by them and reading, etc. too? I used to sit and go through mail with my tiel. The allure of paper to chew would send him running over to me every time.
 

Dorian&Darcy

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I eat breakfast and dinner in front of them, and try to read the morning news. They love chewing paper (actually, I think they eat it), but they would never come out of the cage to get it. One thing I found that really works is to scatter millet pellets outside of the cage door in a path farther and farther from the cage.
 

sunnysmom

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Millet will work wonders with tiels. :) (And I hope they're not eating the paper! )
 

Dorian&Darcy

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I really don't know what they're doing with the paper. They don't shred it like most birds do...they just nibble at it. And I rarely see paper bites on the bottom of the cage. So I don't know know. Someone suggested to me that birds will eat paper if they aren't fed well. These birds certainly get unlimited pellets (they won't eat seed) and enough millet.
 
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