Hi

I hope all is well with you and your canary.

As I prepare for my annual trip to Texas to see my Dad I was thinking that I’d better get a new issue of CanaryTips to you before I hit the road.

Fortunately, CanaryTips subscriber Florence wrote and asked a good question. Her question and my response are below.

It’s been an exciting week here at home. My first daughter graduated from Kindergarten. The whole class marched in to the cafeteria sporting their paper graduation caps and sang us a few songs. It was very cute.

In addition to that, my best friend, who I went to high school with also had a child graduate...from high school! That just feels weird. It seems we were graduating from high school ourselves a short time ago.

As they say...Time flies when you’re having fun!

Now let’s move on to today’s Q and A...

-------------

Florence writes:

Hi Darren,

My canary won’t return to his cage.

This is the first time this has happened; when I’m home I usually let him fly around at his heart’s content. Then when the sun goes down he will go back to his cage to roost for the night.

Last night was a little different though. It was around 8pm and he still was not back in his cage, he looked like he wanted to stay out and roost on the top of my window blind valance, he seemed quite comfortable. I finally had to catch him to put him in his cage. Can you explain what it could be?

Thanks, Florence

-----

Hi Florence

Good to hear from you.

For the most part, canaries voluntarily return to the cage when they get hungry or thirsty. Plus, they tend to feel safe in the cage...away from pets and kids.

When a canary doesn't return to his cage, especially in the evening, there's a good chance that there is something about the location of the cage that's bothering him. It sounds like your canary prefers the valance to the cage.

Canaries like to be in high places like the tops of book cases, hutches, refrigerators, and yes, window valances. Can you move your cage to a higher location? Not too high though, near the ceiling is where the warmest temperatures are.

It would be ideal to keep your bird's cage at about 5 to 7 feet off the floor. On top of a book case or on a tall cage stand would work.

It's also possible that the cage is in an "uncomfortable" location. Is there a lot of activity or noise near the cage? Next to the TV or stereo speakers for instance.

Are there wide fluctuations in temperature...too hot or too drafty? I talk about temperatures and drafts in detail in The Canary Lovers Guide To Preventing Your Canary’s Overnight Death. These are some of the most common causes of a weakened immune system.

Is the cat's favorite sleeping area near the cage?

Try moving your bird's cage to a higher more comfortable location and you may find your bird prefers his cage to anything else.

So, what do you do if your canary won't return to his cage? Catching a canary in the home can be difficult and dangerous. I'll tell you exactly how you can do it quickly and safely in the next issue.

Until then, keep your canary's cage high and in a quiet comfortable spot. You'll likely have no problem with him refusing to return to his home.

Until next time...

Make Your Canary S-I-N-G!

Your Friend,

Darren P.D. Walker
PREVENTCanaryDeath.com
Visit now. You can still get your fre.e ecourse on How To Prevent Illness And Successfully Treat Your Canary When He’s Sick