# Help getting birds to return to their cages



## HappiBudgie (Jan 17, 2017)

Hi
My budgies recently started coming out of their cage, but every time they come out, they fly all over the place and slam against walls. One of my budgies is semi-tame, she'll come on my finger most of the time, but my other budgie is not tame at all. I have a really hard time getting them back in and making sure they don't get hurt. Should I clip their wings? 

Thanks
HappiBudgie


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## YuukiJaeha (Jul 31, 2016)

In my opinion, I dislike the idea of clipping wings. They were born to fly and for us to just take that away from them- I feel guilty and terrible. Even if the wings grow back, I still feel responsible and seem like i had created a sin.

There's a stickie on here, after reading it, you can then decide http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/339722-clip-not-clip.html

You could place branches around the room for landing spots and have a playground near the cage. I'm sure you're already aware of the covering mirrors, turning off fans etc.
If your walls are white or just plain, you could stick on some photos or stickers so they know something is there. 
Budgies will learn quickly about how big the area is and their environment/surroundings. As long as there aren't any major injuries, they will get used to it and stop flying into the walls.
Are your budgies out all the time? Or just for a few hours everyday/every other day?
Maybe in the time that they are in the cage, you could start taming/work more on taming your budgies?


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## SusanBudgies (Dec 6, 2008)

I agree with Yuuki. Set out some high places to land. Place the semi-tame bird on one of those places. Place their cage so its roof is at least 5-6 feet off the ground. Make sure the room is well-lit while they're out. They'll learn to navigate the room.


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## Therm (Aug 2, 2015)

Your budgies need to get used to the room. Once they have adjusted to the room and the area they have to fly in, they will be able to fly around without injuring themselves. 

Make sure you have covered mirrors and windows (but make sure the room isn't too dark) as they learn to navigate the room, to prevent them from hurting themselves. 
when you want to give them out of cage time, make sure you have plenty of time for them to enjoy their time out- don't do it if you're going to only going to allow them to have a short time out as you'l then be putting pressure on yourself to get them back in when they have only just come out. 

If you feed you budgies at set times, you can let them out a while before feeding. This way, they can have exercise, and then when they see you put the food in the cage they will most likely go back in to eat- reducing the stress all round. 
You can also work to dim the room by turning down the lights or tuning on a lamp and turning off any TV's etc. to create the atmosphere where they want to go back to their safe place. 

If you are having to chase them or catch them to get back in their cages this will make the experience more unpleasant for all of you. 
Also, check out the guide to using positive reinforcement when training birds. 

Learning more about how to adapt what you do to make your birds happier negates the need for wing clipping. Good luck.


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## HappiBudgie (Jan 17, 2017)

Ok, thank you!:001_smile: I read the stickie; I don't think I'll clip their wings, I'll just work on taming them.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I have untamed budgies that go back in their cage because I've used positive reinforcement training to teach them they will get a reward when they do so.

Initially, when I was ready for them to go back in the cage I would first dim the lights and pull down the shades in the room. If the radio or TV was on, I turned it off.

Then I would stand by their cage and ringing the bell on one of their toys while telling them, "It's time to go in your cage now!"

Once they went back into the cage, they were given a small bit of millet.

This method worked well and they now go in the cage when asked to do so without the lights being dimmed or the blinds lowered and the TV or radio can stay on.

Getting the millet reward is the best part of "going back home"*


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