Going back in the cage?

[Mel]

Hello all.  I'm a new parrot owner (6 mo old Sun Conure) and new to this site.  I've had cockatiels before but this is my first conure.   He seems to step up easily when coming out of his cage (because he wants to be with me) but I have a devil of a time getting him back in his cage!  He runs up my arm and down my back (right between my shoulder blades where I can't reach him)  anytime its time to go back in.  Oddly enough, once he's in, he is fine and has lots of toys, etc to play with.  He's not unhappy in his cage.  He's just spoiled and wants to stay with me.

Any suggestions for how to teach him "down" or "off" to get him back in the cage?

Mel

[BPMar]

Hello Mel and welcome!!!!!!
Does he have a favorite treat?  Have him on one hand, show him the treat in the other and put the treat hand in the cage kind of like luring him in and saying "step down" or what ever word you use for that.
We love pictures around here so feel free to post your little sun!

[Ditty]

Hi and welcome!

As Mar said you can lure him with a treat and use that command to step off or step down.
I would cover his back when you are going to put him in, like with your hand so he can't run away.  then once you place him in say something like go home and praise him like crazy when he goes there, or offer a treat.

[steptoe91(tozie)]

hi and welcome!
like the others, i use rewards once they are in their cages. as i put them in 'their room' i give them lots of special lovins and play with them through the bars for a few mins. so they get special time for going in their 'room'. this way they arent immediately left alone after going in the cage. they still get my attention even if its only for a few minutes. its slow going teaching them that the cage isnt bad but keep it up and be patient. your little angel will get the point. with my caique and my macaw i actually stick the whole upper part of my body in the door of the cage with them! lol!    this only works if your baby is NOT cage aggressive. cause if he is... well, its a good way to get your eyes pecked out. lol! like with my quaker and my amazon... that would not work. i'd spend all my time in the emergency room getting my ears and nose sewn back on! 

did we mention how much we love pictures?? 

[BPMar]

Tozie, I can so picture you crawling in the cage with them!!!   Be careful though, I can also see them getting you all the way in and locking you in there!

[steptoe91(tozie)]

Tozie, I can so picture you crawling in the cage with them!!!   Be careful though, I can also see them getting you all the way in and locking you in there!

ya mean like this?



 

sorry.    anyway, mel, how about some pics of your sweet angel??

[BuffaloParrot]

  Hello and welcome! 

You have received great advice.  I too agree, praise and rewards.  I know this must be a great ordeal for you getting him in.  Do you show any excitement, aggravation, or any other emotion during this process?  If so you may be rewarding him without knowing, thus possibly enforcing this unwanted behavior.  Parrots feed off emotion and can turn into a game they want.  My motto is to try and show little emotion during bad behavior and much praise/rewards/scrithces and excited emotions for wanted/good behavior.     

[Sondra]

To prevent your bundle of feathers from running up your arm and down your back have your free hand open, fingers together, and stick it right in his face telling him "no". Make sure his head is in the middle of your palm, they have a very hard time biting the palm of an open hand as long as that hand isn't relaxed. I use this method on out Umbrella Cockatoo and he's never been able to bite my palm.
Using a treat to lure him into the cage is an excellent idea and it will work!

[wishforabird]

welcome!

I have put him in the cage while flashing his favorite treat since the beginning, then once I have him step down I give it to him to let him know he is not being punished. make sure the perch you put him on is not TOO close to the door or you will have him slipping out right by your arm!! they are slick! if you put him in with your arm RIGHT below your hand (upright-like when you are getting ready to arm-wrestle, but even more vertical) he won't be able to climb down it very easily...and you may not have him climbing all the way to your back  before you have a chance to "put him away"- little stinkers. 

I had to take my shirt off once to get him off, I was nOT reaching back there blindly! (CHOMP!)  :deer:

I give him the treat EVERY time, so now whenever he goes in, he turns around and sits there waiting patiently for his sunflower seed. 

again, welcome!!

TOzie you are TOO CUTE!! careful, if the birds stage a mutiny, you are going in the cage!!! now they know you FIT!!!   

[Mel]

Hey everyone, thanks for the wonderful advice!  I have occasionally shown emotion when he's run down my back (I admit that it happened earlier today...its hot, my son wouldn't stop pestering me, and my "angel" wasn't cooperating --I was one angry bird.  Oh wait...I'm a human  :deer: )   I did eventually manage to get him in, but it was like trying tto get my six year old to clean his room! :bruce:

After I read your posts I realized I needed to prepare mentally before attempting cage re-entry. I used it as a training opportunity to work on "step up" and "down".   Basically lured him to the top of the cage with his favorite treat and saying "down" to get him to step off of me and on to the cage.  I didn't leave (which he noticed as something unusual right away), then told him to "step up" back onto my hand.  Again a treat.  Repeated that scenario about a dozen times.  The last time he stepped up onto my hand I ordered him "down" inside the cage.  He did it without a fight, got his treat, and now we love each other again!  LOL!

I'm so glad I found this forum!
Oh...and about pictures...I seem to have lost my cable to my camera (ongoing search throughout the house for the past couple of days) -- my husband is a computer guy, so its probably lost in one of his man-piles of junk in the utility closet.  As soon as I have it together I'll post some pics.

[Ditty]

   Great news!!  I like the comparison too about the six yo cleaning his room...

[BPMar]

  Awesome Tozie...that is so you!  Looks like it is pretty easy for you to get in there to clean to!  Beware of fids approaching with locks!  I can see Marley trying to advert you or keep you in there by throwing balls, and giraffes and all kinds of toys!!!!