TheTameParrot.com - Say “BYE” To Your Parrot Problems

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In our many years as breeders and running an aviary, we get customers with a very common problem. They are replacing a bird that escaped or “flew away”. They miss their bird so they are replacing it.

It’s unfortunate. If they had practiced some very basic precautions they never would have lost their bird. Were the wings clipped to prevent them from flying? Do you keep them out of their cage unattended? Do you take them out of the house in a cage not properly secured?

One instance that still sticks in my mind was when we attended a bird show. One of the vendors was carrying a bird cage filled with cockatiels. It was one of those inexpensive cages, and the bottom tray fell right off the cage! His birds flew off in every direction!

Taking one minute to secure the tray to the cage with a few wire ties would have prevented this.

THE BEST SOLUTION IS PREVENTION

• Clip the bird’s wings. They can’t fly away if the can’t fly!
• Take extra care if you have windows without screens…keep the bird caged
• Escape proof your cage. Trust me…unless you put some thought into it they will figure out that latch! And they know how to lift that food dish door!
• If you take your bird outside, make certain the cage or carrier is secure! That includes doors, trays, and the cage base!
• Clipped birds can still have limited flight…be careful if you take them outside uncaged.
• Have a capture plan in place. Get a net, long poles, and extra cages.
• Have pictures, notes of identifiable markings and band numbers stored for identification.

THE CAPTURE

It’s vital to recover your bird within a few days. Captive birds do not know where to search for food, and are targets for predators (cats, other birds, etc…) In poor climate conditions they will not survive more then a few days.

The best time to capture them is early morning or evening. They are generally not going to be moving around yet, so you can concentrate your efforts in one location.

If you have the birds mate, or another bird of the same species, put them in a small cage, then place that cage inside a larger cage. Place food inside the cage to entice the bird to enter.

If he won’t come for the mate, leave food inside the cage, but not a lot. You want the bird to be hungry but not starving, and he will not return frequently if overfed.

Have a garden hose ready. Wet birds don’t fly well, and when they do it takes a tremendous amount of energy to get airborne. Once they get wet, and after a short chase, they will become too exhausted to fly and you should be able to capture it.

If all else fails, you will have to try and identify where the bird is resting, and try to sneak up at night to capture it. Some breeders have told me they play recordings of their aviary, and the bird will sometimes either call back to them, or may fly back to “visit”.

Hopefully, you will never have this emergency happen to you. But if it does, you now have some ideas of how to recapture your pet.