Perching Anxiety - Rookie mistake?

[koaladarshana]

I bought my Society girls three natural wood perches yesterday afternoon (two Penn-Plax, one Mac's Creations) to replace the cheap dowel-type perches their cage came equipped with which would only fit while extending length-wise as opposed to depth-wise.

I positioned the new perches to extend from the back of the cage towards the front so that my girls could fly horizontally as opposed to vertically.

The perches vary in thickness from a supposed "1/2 in." (more like 5/8 in.) to "1/4 in." in diameter.

Please have a look at the layout I provided for my girls and let me know if anything seems off...

I ask because they refuse to perch at all costs, flying around them to get around as if their cage was an obstacle course, resting only on the bottom of their cage or on top of their nest.

The smaller "Mac's Creations" manzanita perch is not pictured since I removed it upon noticing the girls especially seemed to avoid that one more than the "Penn-Plax" ones to the point where it interfered with their ability to get around.

My hubby thinks they might just need time to get used to these new perches, and I hope he's right because I already threw out the cheap dowel-type ones mistakenly assuming they would prefer these.

Could it be my girls just need to break their lazy habit of jumping up and down on horizontal perches to get around (that was exactly what they did in the bird store I got them from, on what I can only describe as a "ladder"-esque contraption) or did I miss something else altogether?

[wilkifam]

It is probably just because it is a "New" thing in the cage. Give them time.

[Ginene]

I agree with Lori...It's probably because the perches are new. I have my perches mounted the same way, so that my finches have the most flying space. They need plenty of room to build their wing muscles

[mayble]

It usually takes time for them to take to anything new, even if it's better for them. Whether a new food, feeder, perches, bath - anything new is met with suspicion (which stands to reason for a small, defenseless bird).
I noticed that a bird will accept anything in a new cage with very little hesitation, but put something new into a familiar cage and they won't go near it. I've started including a lot of variety whenever I set up a new cage so they can be comfortable with the different types of perches, feeders, etc. I'll put in some natural branches, dowels, and one or two plastic perches, basically anything I might want to use in the future. Then when I remove or change things they don't seem to have a problem with it.
Pretty birds!

[debbie276]

I agree with the others, give them time

[lovezebs]

Hi. Maybe wash them and dry them. Possibly a smell that they find offensive. Just a thought. My guys enjoy just branches from my yard. Again, I wash them, let them dry and poke them into the cage.

[koaladarshana]

It all makes perfect sense now... It's not hard at all to understand that such a small, defenseless animal might have an innate fear of unfamiliar things. I can imagine such an instinct might stem from some evolutionary adaption that allowed them to survive ages ago before they were domesticated.

I hadn't considered the perches might have an unpleasant odor either, though I'm hesitant to take them out and wash them right this moment for fear of startling my hens. If they haven't warmed up to the perches by tomorrow evening, I'll give it a shot to see if that does the trick.

[koaladarshana]

Just an update: My girls seemed to have overcome their perching anxiety overnight. You all were right! Looks like they just needed time to adjust.

[debbie276]

wonderful news!
best of luck

[Martie]

They look very happy! Good job!