Out of cage play time

[Red_Rose]

Does anyone here let their finches play outside of the cage? If I had a longer cage, I would have no problems leaving them in there but since I don't, I would love to let them out to play every now and then once the room was safe for them.

Has anyone else done this and if so, I'd love to hear about it. My main concern would be trying to get them back into the cage but I've heard that they do go back on their own.

Thanks.

[Madcat]

YES!!! Last year u did. They LOVE IT! Yesterday I was cleaning a cage and one of my gouldian males escaped. I thought , I don't feel like catching him anyway so I let him have fun for awhile. After the breeding season(perhaps spring) I'm letting a group out to play for awhile.

[Zebrafincher]

Hello there
I have 2 zebrafinches beaky n itchy and when I'm home they're out all the time. If you peg the cage doors open they will get used to flying in n out. I have a backup net for the occasions when they don't 2ant to go in. They love free flight. I also have a starfinch who cant fly and he stays in bis very roomy cage. Try it.
Zebrafincher

[MiaCarter]

Yes!

I do free-fly sessions for the finches daily. It's typically from around 8 in the morning - right after they eat breakfast - until around 8 at night.

I have a bird room, so they're safe in there. But you'd want to be sure to thoroughly bird proof any room you use to ensure they're okay. Finches in particular can fall into small spaces behind furniture, so important to get furniture right up to the wall and block any gap.

Also, I put puppy pads under the main perching areas to make cleanup easier. Though you can expect they'll poop on everything. So just a fair warning. But if you keep on top of it daily, it's not so bad.

The big birds (cockatiels) stay out all the time. (The budgies could too, but they prefer their cage at night.)

Getting them back into their cages is easy if you start a routine. I'll flash the lights on and off. Then start serving dinner in-cage. They make their way back on their own for the most part (for the food)
Sometimes there are some stubborn stragglers, but most of them will go back once they see the net. (I usually only need to catch them a couple times...then they realize that they're going to be caught....or they can go back home.)
It's just a matter of starting a routine. And once the new or young birds get used tot he routine, they follow along for the most part. (For the most part, as I have a couple who never, ever want to go home....but that's 2 of 20+ so not so bad)

It can be stressful acclimating them to free fly.
I've noticed the young or new birds have a hard time finding the cage door, so someone recommended putting colored tape around the door and it worked nicely.

I also try to let new or young birds explore the room for 30-60 min before I release everyone else. And I'll leave the room and monitor from outside via the french doors so they don't have the scary big human in their way. That way, they can explore the room without the hustle and bustle of all the other birds.

You also must be VERY careful with the floor. Get in the habit of dragging your feet. They will occasionally land on the floor and play "pigeon" picking at all the goodies that have landed on the floor.
Also remember that new or young birds won't have strong wings, so they're not going to be good flyers for the first week or so. Takes a bit of time for them to become adept flyers. So I just keep a close eye to make sure they don't get hurt or stuck anywhere.

Also be sure to shut off your ceiling fans!!!

[Red_Rose]

Crap! My room is almost birdproof except for one thing and that's my dresser. It's about two inches away from the wall and I can't move it closer to the wall because I have a power bar plugged in behind it. That was the only closest outlet for my aquarium. I'll just have to stick with getting a longer cage.

Thanks everyone.

[MiaCarter]

Red_Rose - That's actually a problem that's easily fixed.
You can put a piece of wood on top of the dresser and slide it right up against the wall to block the gap. You can finish the wood to match the dresser and it will protect the dresser surface too.

You can even use cardboard if you only have finches. (Cardboard won't work if you have hookbills or any larger birds that enjoy chewing as they'll chew it right up.)

You would just need to put something heavy on top of the cardboard to keep it in place. (And cover it with something to make it a bit prettier, like scrapbooking papers.)

Protecting the gaps behind furniture and dressers is important for new or young birds who haven't had time outside of the cage. They can get flustered when they get tired and can't immediately find a place to land. Then they'll fly up right against the wall and then just sink down to the floor - normally not a problem unless they end up behind a piece of furniture. Then you're tasked with trying to guide them out and without moving the furniture (because it can injure them)

[debbie276]

That was the only closest outlet for my aquarium.

Be sure to make sure there are no gaps for the birds to get into the tank

[Sheather]

I let all of my birds out regularly and finches are usually good about going home on their own once they're used to their cage and food can't be found outside it. They love to get their exercise.