# Letting my budgie out of the cage for the first time



## drussell (Aug 26, 2021)

My family got a young budgie about three months ago, and he has never been out of its cage since we got him. The cage is too small for him to fly, and we're currently looking into getting a bigger one. In the meantime, I’d like to start letting him out to fly, but I have no experience with the process. Are there any good articles or videos out there on how to go about letting a budgie out of its cage for the first time?

I think I know some basics, like: Close doors, cover windows and mirrors, turn off any lights that run hot. But I have plenty of other questions, like:


Should I also cover framed posters? Should I cover the crack under the door?
Is poop a major problem? Like, should I cover all my furniture?
Do I just open the cage door and let him walk out when he wants, or try to take him out on my finger? I don't know much about training, but I've gotten him stepping onto my finger and eating out of my hand.
Should I wait until I’ve done more extensive training? I say "step up" when I want him on my finger, but I don't know if that command would be enough to get him to fly back to my finger.


----------



## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

You are correct on the basics, also make sure the bird is not allowed in the kitchen while cooking and all toilet seats are closed, ceiling fans must be off. You do not need to cover framed posters or the crack under the door. Poop will only become an issue if he finds a favorite place to perch while out of the cage, if he does and if he sits there long enough there will be some droppings there. You can have him step up inside the cage and slowly bring him out just a short distance from the cage door, one of several things will happen, he may hop back into the cage, he may stay on your finger and look around or he will take off flying around and start bumping into walls until he gets his bearings in the room. It is common when a bird first flies outside of their cage that fly erratically and get a bit panicky. You can also just open the cage door and let him come out on his own. Make sure you do not leave him unsupervised. Where in the house is the cage?


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Make sure the cage is in a "bird safe room" not a room with a big open floor plan.
The first time you let your budgie out, you need to be sure you have the time and patience to wait for him to go back into the cage on his own if he does not step up onto your hand or a perch for you. He needs to be supervised the entire time he is out of the cage.
I believe in allowing a budgie to have the option of whether or not it wants to come out of the cage. 
Put a perch on the outside of the cage and/or a playground on top of the cage or nearby which may make the journey out of the budgie's "safe place" more enticing for him.
If you are concerned about him bumping into the walls until he learns the dimension of the room, you can tape or tack sheets or blankets up to help prevent injuries.
Do not chase him and/or grab him to put him back in the cage.
If he does not step up willingly, then dim the lights somewhat. He should return to his cage when he is hungry or thirsty.

If you need a bigger cage for the budgie, then I strongly recommend you get that sooner rather than later.
The very minimum size cage I recommend for one budgie is 30" x 18" x 18", but the bigger the cage you provide, the healthier and happier your bird will be. Ensure the spacing between the bars is no more than 1/2".
Length of the cage is more important than Height. Budgies fly laterally - not vertically.*


----------



## drussell (Aug 26, 2021)

Thanks for all the advice!



Cody said:


> Where in the house is the cage?


It's in the dining room, but I would take him to my bedroom and close the door before letting him out. Our last bird was unfortunately kept too close to the kitchen, which we learned the hard way . I think this one is far enough away--it's an open floor plan, but the dining room is around the corner from the kitchen, separated by a solid wall, and the cage is in the corner farthest away.



FaeryBee said:


> *The very minimum size cage I recommend for one budgie is 30" x 18" x 18", but the bigger the cage you provide, the healthier and happier your bird will be. Ensure the spacing between the bars is no more than 1/2".
> Length of the cage is more important than Height. Budgies fly laterally - not vertically.*


Thanks for all the advice! Yes, we are pretty sure we will get a 30"x18"x18" cage, though we may need to buy a new folding table to support it.


----------



## Annwlynn (12 mo ago)

drussell said:


> Thanks for all the advice!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You can get a cage on a stand that’s what I got for Billy &it had wheels so I can move him near to door of living room to get fresh air from outside


----------



## karenblodgett3261 (11 mo ago)

🐦I try not to leave any empty wall space. Hopefully it prevents things, from a bird perspective, from looking like a clear runway.
🐦I have clothing hanging on the backs of doors to provide a soft landing. I do plan to cover this to prevent LoVey from hiding in a pocket or coat sleeve.

🐦I do have plants that are toxic, but found a small "greenhouse" thing to prevent her from getting to them. Along this line, I'll be using a smaller watering can that will fit inside it. The larger one I have now won't fit and she could get into it and be unable to get out.
🐦I have nylon screening takes to the windows to prevent a crash there. You want to make sure its not so loose they can get tangled in it.
🐦 I have cardboard covering the crevices that might be gotten into. Yeah, it looks disheveled, but I'd rather have, my bird safe (beside, I canceled the visit from house beautiful haha). 

The most important thing is to observe where they seem to head to. Also note what they might be looking at. If I'm out of my room for more than 10 seconds, LoVey goes into the cage. I also have a bazillion toys to get her attention. Most important... Head the warnings of others. True, what are the chances of that happening to you and your budgie? Those kind of things only happen to "other people." But to the rest of the world we are "other people!"


----------

