How to catch a loose parakeet without running him down?

Question

I have two pet parakeets, neither of which has their wings clipped. We frequently open their cage and let them fly around the house, and this is rarely an issue as they generally stick to a couple rooms that they know how to navigate.

Occasionally however, one or both will get into a room of the house that has a high vaulted ceiling (9 feet up to 12 feet) and lots of windows. When this happens, they become disoriented and frightened, and cannot leave the room without being caught and brought out. They tend to perch on the highest beams they can, and the only way we've found effective in catching them is to keep chasing them until they are tired out and slow enough to catch.I hate to do this though, as it takes a long time and only tires and scares them more.

Does anyone know of a way, using common household goods, to catch loose pet parakeets without injuring them or running them down?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I would recommend either waiting until night or find some other way to make the room very dark. Birds usually sleep/rest at night, and since flying without vision is a quick way to crash they usually don't fly then either. It's the reason why falconers put hoods on their birds to calm them. When you need to catch them, you will need to use a flashlight, but don't leave it on but only turn it on to see where you need to move next, then turn it off and then move to that location.

Answer 2

You are in luck. I had some wild parakeets that would fly around the house. Wait until night, then kill the lights in the house. Grab em with a hand towel, if they are good biters. If they are not, bare handed grab 'em. Parakeets will not move if there is no light. They cannot see as good as human's either. You don't need a flashlight, just very little light in the room is enough.