through the side door and now under the grates...really?

[dayhiker]

so, i have some gold breasted waxbills and have been told that they are fast little fliers...

one day while watching tv, we heard one of the side doors of the cage go clang, didnt mind it at all and then saw a streak of green flying across the family room! it was brie, our female waxbill... needless to say we caught her as she rested on the floor with a towel...

yesterday, there was a scratchy paper sound in the cage. i saw paper moving underneath the grate and a shadow, and i thought, nah, i'm imagining things. could it be a mouse? well, this is an indoor flight cage by our dining room. that would be horrible. but then i saw an gold breasted waxbill under the grate, sifting through the seeds/debris. part of the bottom of the cage i covered with white paper and thats where i set their veggie dishes and eggfood.

couldnt figure out how she got in there and indeed, i think it was brie again (frito and nacho nor cami dont seem to be too interested in free flight). trying to move the tray out, she scurried around and up through the railing and flying back into the cage! so funny.

I put zipties on all the side cages, but its beginning to worry me. they may escape while our back and front doors are open ( we do that in the afternoons). what else to do to prevent this escapade? lol, i think she enjoys this. if i can have a bird room, i would give her lots of free flight time.

Thanks.

[Nerien]

Perhaps you should get her some of those hamster tubes and make her a maze to play in. She seems to like tricky explorations.

Or if her cage is big enough, put one of those small travel cages in there, with a food bowl inside it, leaving the hatches closed but loose. Give her something to escape into instead of out of?

Gee, what to do with an escape artist finch?

[30 Seconds to Bob]

A bit off topic but this post made me think of it for some reason. While letting my young java free fly today, he landed on the floor and climbed into a plactic grocery bag we save to line our little trash cans. The bag was moving across the floor like it was alive. After realizing what had happened, the wife and I looked at each other shaking our heads, "We definitely do have strange animals" we said. Bob

[EyesofFreedom]

Ed that is one smart bird you have

[Tammy]

30 seconds to Bob, I just laughed out loud. how funny. I needed that. -tammy

[Tammy]

Ed, maybe you should rename that bird. Indiana jones -tammy

[dayhiker]

Tammy,
I may have to. esp if she does it again. When i get home from this weekend trip, i have to check to see what on the tray...

Ed

[dayhiker]

Bob,

He isnt named Oscar, is he? does he have any preference to publix, walmart or target? maybe he smelled the salad. lol.

Ed

[Lisa]

Ed, what size is the bar spacing in the cage? I have 2 pairs of goldbreasted waxbills on order (coming later this week) that I'm hoping won't be squeezing through the bars!

[dayhiker]

Hi Lisa,

They are standard half inch diameter spacing. It's a prevue hendryx cage. They are small and really fast fliers! Our recently fledged zebra finches are bigger than my GB. Waxbills. They're really cute!
I hope this helps.

Ed

[dayhiker]

oops. double post. see next one for pics. sorry.

[dayhiker]

here they are again- i now know that they forage at the bottom of the cage, and how they get in. LOL.

i had a finch bell that they ate up, and i've noticed they've foraged at the bottom of the cage (I also have paper underneath the dishes) all day sorting through the hulls and looking for more bird seed.

and i think they see the bottom and they take a dive in. LOL.

do you think its the honey they are addicted to? i swear, its only frito, nacho, brie and cami that do this. (probably because they're the only ones that fit).

have a look.

the culprits minus one...


hide and seek...


peekaboo...


so that's how ...

[debbie276]

Great pictures!

[Nanajennie]

dayhiker I have Orange cheek wax bills, are they the same size? Are the three in the first pic fledglings? They are very cute!

[dayhiker]

Jennie,

They are smaller than the orange cheeks.those three are adults basking at the bottom of the cage at midday. When I get a chance this weekend I'll get a photo with the orange cheeks.

Ed