"Hold me, hold me hold me! Nevermind, I hate you, put me back."

[RandomWiktor]

That would be a narrative from Ngala, the 13 year old tiel with the busted wing that I adopted last year. She's a wonderful bird - very playful, funny, and cute. However, she does have one irritating habit. She always begs to come out of the cage and will literally jump up on your hand if you are just trying to clean or feed her to come out. But, after she's out for a few minutes, she starts making her "angry" noise and chomping the heck out of your fingers, then doing the up-and-down cagewards bob of eager "let me back in!" which if ignored results in her trying to fly, busted wing and all, back to her humble abode.

Any thoughts on what on earth is going on and what should be done about it? She's back to begging for time out within an hour of this behavior, constantly, all day. I'm half wondering if she wants to come out but is too insecure to be away from her blind cagemate, budgie Tiresias (who has NO interest in people or coming out of the cage). I've tried just putting her on top of the cage when I let her out, but she generally tries to fly to me... and again, after a few minutes, starts biting then wants to get back to her cage.

Input/ideas appreciated!

 

[GG.]

bumping this up so some of our 'tiel folks can help you

 

[leftie]

This is hard. Could you try having the cage near you when you holding her? She might have an easier time to her make up her mind when both options are equal. Then, over time, progressively move farther away from the cage. Patience is necessary though, seems like it could take awhile. Good luck!

Good thing is--she doesn't hate you--she's just insecure.

 

[J*M*L]

I'm half wondering if she wants to come out but is too insecure to be away from her blind cagemate, budgie Tiresias (who has NO interest in people or coming out of the cage).

I bet that's the reason. But maybe she's not insecure, she just doesn't want Tiresias to be scared and alone.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

That would be a narrative from Ngala, the 13 year old tiel with the busted wing that I adopted last year. She's a wonderful bird - very playful, funny, and cute. However, she does have one irritating habit. She always begs to come out of the cage and will literally jump up on your hand if you are just trying to clean or feed her to come out. But, after she's out for a few minutes, she starts making her "angry" noise and chomping the heck out of your fingers, then doing the up-and-down cagewards bob of eager "let me back in!" which if ignored results in her trying to fly, busted wing and all, back to her humble abode.

Any thoughts on what on earth is going on and what should be done about it? She's back to begging for time out within an hour of this behavior, constantly, all day. I'm half wondering if she wants to come out but is too insecure to be away from her blind cagemate, budgie Tiresias (who has NO interest in people or coming out of the cage). I've tried just putting her on top of the cage when I let her out, but she generally tries to fly to me... and again, after a few minutes, starts biting then wants to get back to her cage.

Input/ideas appreciated!

Can you put a playstand near her cage or a perch outside her cage so you can hold her for a few minutes and then put her there to come in and come out as she chooses? I don't have this to that extreme but one of my tiels Poupon enjoys coming out, but he doesn't want to come out too far or be pressured because his best friend Pegasus doesn't want to come out. Poupon seems to prefer if I just leave the cage open so he can crawl out and hang out on a playstand on top of his cage as he pleases.

 

[Tamara]

Give her an incentive to be with you or out of her cage. Ashlee will do this sometimes too, but she also knows that we give head rubs and treats when she hangs out with us. She now hangs out with us more.

 

[Tamara]

I have to admit when I read the title of this though, I thought of Emma. lol. She does that to me.

 

[Archiesmom]

I'm so sorry, this must be frustrating...I'm giggling at your title though.

 

[suncoast]

I think it's simply a matter of transportation. She wants to go out, she wants to go in and your the taxi.

She can't go by herself obviously and if she's a little hen her cage is very important to her. She needs to check up on it to make sure everything is still the way she left it.

If it was me I would pre-empt the biting by taking her back before she gets anxious. Then I would just kinda lengthen the time and see if that helps.

Ginger

 

[Anne & Gang]

yes she is a hen and yes, she is protecting her buddy..so I would suggest making some kind of play area around her cage so she can come out play and still be near her budgie friend.

 

[southerninak]

I'm just curious, have you tried taking her out of the room where she cannot see her cage? I used to have a tiel that needed to be away from her cage completely before I could hold her . It took a really long time for her to get used to being held in the same room as her cage.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Wow lots to think about, thanks for all of the input, guys!

To clarify, I've tried letting Ngala out right next to or right on top of the cage. When I do this, she still isn't content, because she specifically wants to be held. When I put her on a stand she generally bobs and whistles and begs to be picked up. Our interactions literally involve her bugging out until I pick her up, her clambering up against my chest where she nestles for a few minutes, then a bunch of ansty nipping and begging to be put back. I have tried taking her into another room, but she starts screeching like a banshee and trying to fly back, which is dangerous with a bum wing because she pretty much flies like a rock. Tiresias gets very distressed when she screams like that, which upsets her even more, so I gave up on moving her out of the room. Though perhaps as others have suggested I could do it more gradually?

I feel like I've been reinforcing a misbehavior, but at the same time letting her out in short spurts throughout the day for snuggles is her main human interaction (aside from being talked to) which she very much longs for, so I'd hate to cut her off. I'm going to assume that I should probably start bringing her out and putting her back on my own terms rather than when she begs so that she learns that I'm not her own personal taxi? I don't mind hanging around the cage if she's that upset to be away from Tiresias, but the "hold me hold me!" whistle is ear piercing and the "put me back!" biting is just plain annoying, so it would probably be best to find a way to deter these behaviors.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Wow lots to think about, thanks for all of the input, guys!

To clarify, I've tried letting Ngala out right next to or right on top of the cage. When I do this, she still isn't content, because she specifically wants to be held. When I put her on a stand she generally bobs and whistles and begs to be picked up. Our interactions literally involve her bugging out until I pick her up, her clambering up against my chest where she nestles for a few minutes, then a bunch of ansty nipping and begging to be put back. I have tried taking her into another room, but she starts screeching like a banshee and trying to fly back, which is dangerous with a bum wing because she pretty much flies like a rock. Tiresias gets very distressed when she screams like that, which upsets her even more, so I gave up on moving her out of the room. Though perhaps as others have suggested I could do it more gradually?

I feel like I've been reinforcing a misbehavior, but at the same time letting her out in short spurts throughout the day for snuggles is her main human interaction (aside from being talked to) which she very much longs for, so I'd hate to cut her off. I'm going to assume that I should probably start bringing her out and putting her back on my own terms rather than when she begs so that she learns that I'm not her own personal taxi? I don't mind hanging around the cage if she's that upset to be away from Tiresias, but the "hold me hold me!" whistle is ear piercing and the "put me back!" biting is just plain annoying, so it would probably be best to find a way to deter these behaviors.

How about if you feed her millet when you are holding her? She can't eat and squawk at the same time

 

[Bokkapooh]

Can you open up her cage and let her come and go freely?

 

[RandomWiktor]

Unfortunately, no. My birds all live in the same room - the only room presently at my disposal for their cages - and if she strayed too far from the cage unsupervised there is a very good likelihood of one of the other parrots harming or killing her I suppose I could let her come and go freely while supervising her with Pretty Bird's cage covered, though (Pretty Bird despises Ngala, all of my birds for that matter, so he is covered when Ngala is out).

ETA: Oooh idea! I COULD let her out freely when the big parrots are in the livingroom watching TV!