My room mate has a bird and when she leaves the cage open the bird still prefers to stay in the cage when people are around. This makes no sense. Does anyone have birds and can explain this behavior?
They think of the cage as their home and they feel safe -- especially when there are people or animals in the area they don't know.
Did he just recently get the bird? Ask him to put a millet spray on top of the cage to see if that will entice the bird to come out. Our old bird died last year so my dad bought two new birds (cockatiel) shortly thereafter. They would always stay in their cage but finally started to come out after a couple weeks. Never buy two birds at the same time. It has been damn near impossible for me to train them.
What type of bird is it? I assume his wings aren't clipped. Has he ever had the opportunity to fly? How long did he have this bird? To understand the behaviour of a animal you always have to have more information about his history, and condition. The option of him not trusting the environment is a logical choice especially if there are strangers in the area. his cage is a safe area. But other thing could also be part of the reason.
The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane is an excellent and hilarious movie and I'm not afraid to admit it.
Its a parrot. It can fly. Apparently it has been in a less than ideal situation before. It even plucked its feathers before, but it seems strange it doesn't want to leave its cage.
