Letting Zebras out of the cage

[iBird]

Our cage is a bit small and I feel like it would be nice for my zebras to fly in the room once in a while. They recently had four babies which haven't weaned yet and it's getting crowded in the cage.

How can I let them out of the cage so that they would know their way back? I noticed finches aren't very intelligent (no offense) and it's hard for them to figure out that the cage door is open and they can get out, or that they can come inside. I guess they'll learn that with practice. Once one of the babies got out and when he was sitting on top of the cage it was clear he and the other babies were disoriented, like they tried to go through the cage bars to each other. Of course they're no lab rats to know their way through a maze.

So, any suggestions/experience on letting the birds out of their cage and on helping the birds return to their cage at least by nightfall? Or should I not try this before the babies grow up a bit or give them away? I'm not worried about the parents so much as for the dummy babies.

[Raleighwheels]

I often let my two zebras and two societies out of their cage at least once a week. They really are silly to watch flying around and trying to gather things to make nests off of the floor. My birds typically come out of the cage with little fuss. My female zebra is more hesitant to leave, but I believe it is because she knows the cage is a safe place.
If you do let them out, obviously, make sure you secure the door, if it is one of the ones that slides up and down. I don't let my birds fly around all day, but I always leave the door open so they can go inside whenever they want.
I have heard of people training their zebras to go back into the cage with the addition of some type of treat food, but I haven't had luck with that. Instead, I use a net to catch them. At first, they may struggle in the net, if you do use one, but eventually they get a little more comfortable with it. Don't mistake me saying this by thinking they will just sit there waiting for you to catch them. My zebra male is extremely smart and knows that the net means cage time and knows that when we turn the lights out, then someone is going to get caught. As soon as I turn the light in the room off, he starts flying, and I have to turn it back on so he doesn't hurt himself. If you use a net, I personally think it is best to have two people, one to use the net, and the other to man the lights.
You may get lucky and have birds that know that their food is in the cage, so they should go it there when hungry or tired. When my birds are tired, they find a place in the room to perch and sleep.

[ac12]

NOT a good idea to let the birds loose in the room, for these and more reasons:

- Birds don't use a litter box, be prepared for poop ALL over the room. This would be the one reason I would NOT let the birds fly loose in a room.
- If the room has a lot of corners, holes (like above the books in a bookshelf), and hiding places, you will have a hard time catching them.
- A danger is glass; mirrors and windows. Birds do not know what they are and could injure or kill themselves flying into it.
- They may know that food and water are inside the cage, but they may not be able to figure out WHERE the door is. Figuring that there are 5 exposed sides on the cage (4 sides and the top). And like you said, to get INTO the cage thru the open door.
- They may learn to fly OUT of the cage when you enter the room.
- How will you get into the room w/o the birds getting past you and into the rest of the house?
- I hope you do not have cats. If you do, the cat will sooner or later get into the room and have a bird for lunch.

[Raleighwheels]

NOT a good idea to let the birds loose in the room, for these and more reasons:

I do agree with the reasons you have given, but I think that the proper preparations can be made to safe guard the birds. If you are going to let your birds out into a room, I would first go through and look for any possible area that might cause you or your bird some trouble.
Mirrors and windows are big dangers, but can be fixed if you either take the mirror down or cover it with a blanket. Windows can be fixed by drawing the blinds. There is a small mirror in my girlfriend's room, and we have never had a problem with the birds flying into it. This could be that the mirror is tarnished and isn't that reflective.
My girlfriend has a couple cats in her house, which is our biggest worry. But, we give the room a good look over before the birds are let out. Also, her cats are not the hiding type. As soon as they heard footsteps they start purring really loud.
Bird poop is another problem, but as long as you stay on top of it and clean a bit, it isn't a big problem.
All birds are different, but my birds know how to get into their cage if they want. Plus, they like to forage around on the floor for spare seed. Our birds also fly into the cage from time to time to get drinks. They usually do this if we leave them out for an hour or so. If there is that much of a concern about food and water, then you could set a food and water dish out for them.
Often while our birds are out, one of us needs to leave the room to do some kind of disinfecting when we are cleaning the cage. One of us stands next to the door and looks to see where all the birds are. The door is only opened when the birds are far from the door and perched somewhere.
Really, if you want to do this, you have to prepare the space. Look high and low for any possible hazards and fix them. And I would always have at least one person in the room to watch them.

[iBird]

We don't have any cats or other pets. We also live in a 2-bedroom apartment which makes it easier to control the birds. Blinds on the windows, no large mirrors. The only thing is not enough perches in the room or in other words there's no where to land for the birds. When they get out they sit on the window blinds. We probably need to get a tree-ish house plant or something.. And of course I'm never going to let the birds out in a room with no one there.


Raleighwheels, how many birds to you have? And you still have to catch them to get them into their cage, huh? I'm afraid to do that because I think they'll get traumatized physically or psychologically.

[Raleighwheels]

Raleighwheels, how many birds to you have? And you still have to catch them to get them into their cage, huh? I'm afraid to do that because I think they'll get traumatized physically or psychologically.

I have four birds right now. I've had three of them for almost a year now, and we have had our newest one for six months. The three are pretty comfortable with being in the net, once they get into it, but we still have to work with the other bird. They have never been injured or anything from the net. We usually get the in the very back of the net and grip the excess net towards the opening closed. Then, we put the net against the open door of the cage and let them hop back in at their own leisure. I found that the more I use the net, the more they get use to it. I would love to train them to go into the cage without the net, but I haven't had the time because of school and what not.

How many birds do you have by the way?

[iBird]

Two adults and 4 munchkins who are very silly which is rising a concern. The less birds you have the easier it is to let them in and out of the cage I guess. There's no way I'd be chasing 6 birds around the room, especially if you have to catch them. Probably I'll start letting the two adults out when we get rid of the chicks.

So once you catch the birds you never actually touch them once they're caught? I'd be fighting the temptation to cuddle

[Raleighwheels]

Two adults and 4 munchkins who are very silly which is rising a concern. The less birds you have the easier it is to let them in and out of the cage I guess. There's no way I'd be chasing 6 birds around the room, especially if you have to catch them. Probably I'll start letting the two adults out when we get rid of the chicks.

So once you catch the birds you never actually touch them once they're caught? I'd be fighting the temptation to cuddle

I think that it would be more difficult to have a lot of birds flying around at one time. I am bumping my number up to six this summer, because I want to get a pair of female societies for my males. I would separate the species, but my male zebra and one of my male societies are buddies, and I would hate to break them up. Catching them takes a lot of patience and a good helper. I have a what I think is a special needs finch, so I like for him to get out and get some exercise every so often. I know how you feel about being tempted to cuddle with them haha. So far, we have yet to hold any of them with bare hands, but I am going to have to when I clip my societies' nails.