# Having a problem with Georgia!



## coral. (May 11, 2011)

as you all may know i have a african grey named Georgia and she turned 2 years old this year, well shes started being disobedient about going back into her cage like my dad said she is still really classed as young and a juvenile lol.

But the problem is she has became naughty when its time to go back in her cage, i may be doing something wrong, but thats where i thought you guys could help.

She comes out everyday apart from a Saturday, and she comes out at about 12 in the affternoon till about 10 at night. during the week she tends to come out 8-10 hours a day!

Well she doesn't seem to like to go back into her cage, i have the lights on for her about 10, and during the day whilst shes out the cage, her food and water are in her cage, but she doesnt bother flying to her cage to get any, well during the day she loves to go on the curtain pole, and play on her spiral toy and fly onto the kitchen door, and the frontroom door, and shes started to fly onto the bedroom door.

She is tame, and when its time to go into her cage, i tell her to step up and she will tend to step up onto mine or my boyfriends hand, and we take her towards the cage and say come on georgia time to go in, and she will tend to look around and fly off our hand onto the sofa, curtain pole or onto a door. and it gets frustrating i have to admit lol. Or sometimes i top her seed up do her fruit and veg and whilst shes out i show her the food and say come on georgia time to go in. and she doesnt bother to fly to her cage.

But a few weeks ago, she was brilliant going into her cage, she would be out for about 8-10 hours, and i would show her the food, she would fly to her cage and go straight in like we had this routine going, but now she just doesnt seem to :/

Like her cage is always clean she has a swing in there her favorite toy, she has a wooden twirler toy, a mirrow & bell, a treasure chest with wooden blocks inside that she gets out, i bought her a wooden toy for her & she hasnt yet played with that cause its new and she was wary of it first and wouldnt go to the top of the cage but shes fine now.

so if anyone has got any tips or advice i would be very great ful thanks!


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## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

She's only young and is testing her boundaries! Can you blame her for not wanting to go back in her cage? - they are highly social animals and love company, plus they are not daft!! She is also coming up to being sexually mature so her hormones will be kicking in now - think teenager!!
My little rescue goffins cockatoo, who I've only had for a few weeks is also trying alsorts of tricks to see how much she can get away with, she has tried this one - so I have to be pretty firm with her and she is gradually getting the idea that rules are rules! 
I give her the command for bedtime and if she doesn't get the idea after 2 goes then I get a towel, so I don't get bitten, and carefully pick her up and put her in, she gets a reward for going in so she doesn't see it as a punishment, and then lots of attention through the cage and plenty of praise. 

I think the more time they have out of their cage the worse it is to get them back in, it might be an idea to put her back in in the middle of her out of cage time - even just for a short time, say half an hour, to get her used to amusing herself with her toys and to learn some independence, and to get some food and just have a time out, which is very important if you don't want a clingy screamer as they get older!!! 
Mine is out for a few hours then has an hour in her cage with a box - her favorite thing is shredding cardboard boxes  - then when she has done her thing and is sitting quietly I let her back out, to start with she'd scream for attention and bash things against the bars which she's realised now doesn't get attention so it's just down to persistence and laying down the rules!!!


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