After all the hard work and time I have put in on giving Twiggie and Jasper a area to play, Twiggie has decided that she can have more fun on the Floor. No matter what I do, what I give her to play with she goes down on the floor as soon as my back is turned. I've tried putting her back on her gym and telling her "Stay on your Gym" over and over again, and it just isn't working. So now unless she is ON me, she has to stay in her cage. It is the only way I can make sure she doesn't get stepped on. Any advice?????

Tie some sprigs of spray millet in various areas on the gym. This worked for a friends bird, although he as afraid of it at first.

also try putting the gym in the bedroom near the cage and leave her there to play on her own

I had that same problem with Kiwi and his tree. I can remember so long ago how I put him on his tree, he would fly off, put him back, the same thing. We just worked on it and now he absolutely loves being on his tree. So PATIENCE, MOM, thats what it takes.

It will indeed take a lot of putting the bird back every time, and saying NO firmly. As soon as the bird get's down be consistant and put her back firmly saying no. It will take time but think of this as being a safety issue, she could get into something she shouldn't or get stepped on cause no one realizes the bird is down.

I had this trouble with Max...I worked with her for over a month, picking her off the floor, saying NO, putting her on the gym...did that about 20 times a day. Finally I just got rid of the play gym and made a play area where she couldn't get onto the floor.

Sorry you guys who are anit squirting...but again, I use my squirt bottle and it only takes a couple times of saying NO get back up on your cage or play pen and squirting them once or twice and they get the idea...When they get back up on their cage or play gym, I always verbally reward them and sometimes give them a treat. Works for me!

Now when one of them starts to come down or manages to get clear down with out me seeing...all I have to say is their name and drag it out...and say get back where you belong...and up they go...If one of them challenges me..I just show them the squirt bottle and up they go...But as I said in another post...all of them still enjoy being misted with the same bottle...so I don't thing it truly makes them afraid of the water or the bottle... JMO

hmm, I have never used a spray bottle to squirt the birds only to mist them. I guess I have good little birdys...

I guess you do...LOL...I've got one evil one that I'd be pulling back bloody stumps if I tried to handle him everytime he goes someplaceI don't want him to be...the spray bottle as shown him I can reach him anywhere...so he listens when I tell him get back down here...or get up there etc...

Connie, I find it interesting what you're saying about water bottles. I've never done it and it's not something that I would do right now...like Sandi, most of my birdies are well behaved.

But I appreciate you sharing your experience with this, because it's something that I've never heard before. I've always heard the ..."don't squirt your birds, they'll end up not trusting you anymore and they'll hate the squirt bottle"... and yet you have different experience and more than with just one bird!

Another reason I use a squirt bottle...Is I'm lazy...A squirt bottle will reach clear across the room and I don't have to get up...LOL...Actually with my back and my arthiritis...it really helps me. Another reason I use it is because 2 of my birds came knowing that type of correction. But What ever works for ya..I believe in giving options! Know what I mean?

Thank you all for your input. I'll definatly keep it in mind. The squirt bottle sounds like it might work, nothing else has. Kathy