How do I release an animal from a cage?

[Latch]

I bought a caged tame masked lovebird from an elven caravan. I want to let it out so it can be a pet to someone. I researched this and read that you have to build your own cage, or set up a rope and assign them to the new cage/rope. Then deconstruct said cage/rope, and the bird will be free. Well I tried it both with a new cage, and the rope, and neither worked. Honestly, this seems bizarrely unintuitive. Why can't I just have one simple command to release the animal?

In any case, how do I do it?

[burtod]

the lovebirds are typed as vermin in the game. You also need a dwarf with Animal Caretaking (I think, maybe trapping or training?) for moving them, I think. You might be able to build the cage, build a lever, link the two with mechanisms, and pull the lever to open the cage.

[Latch]

That is not working--the lever won't link to the cage. (and I have plenty of mechanisms built). I do not have anyone with animal caretaking yet. Anything else I can do?

[Haethei]

Originally posted by Latch:

That is not working--the lever won't link to the cage. (and I have plenty of mechanisms built). I do not have anyone with animal caretaking yet. Anything else I can do?

You don't specifically need a dwarf with the skill, they just need to have the labor enabled. The new DF pretty much has all labors enabled for all dwarves unless you specifically tell them not to do something, so that should be fine

Caged vermin (lovebirds are considered vermin) can be trained into pets. When vermin pets are adopted by a dwarf, they're actually carried around as an "item" by the dwarf. You should see if you can make the lovebird available for adoption in the animals screen and wait until he gets adopted, a dwarf might come grab him then

[Endemonadia]

If the caged creature is HOSTILE>>>
1. Place the cage from the Cages/Restraints menu
2. Place a lever
3. From the lever menu click LINK and then click the placed Cage
4. Instruct someone to pull the lever

If the caged creature is TAME>>>
1. Create a Pen/Pasture zone
2. select the caged tame creature from the list

NOTE: you will need a few Mechanisms to be able to link them together

[McOrigin]

I hjad some of my Dorfs cage trapped in a fight with a web spewing forgotten beast (Good news is, FB with webs are not a sure end for a fortress anymore).

I had to build the cages and then could unselect my dwarfes from the built cages.

Vermin as pets is a different story though.

[Latch]

Thanks for the help, but there's still a problem. This lovebird is not showing up anywhere on any list -- not as a pet, not as "other"--he's listed nowhere. He is tame--he is labeled as such. I already have a pasture--he comes up in no list for me to assign him there. Same as with pets/livestock menu--he is not listed there, either--so I can't make him available as a pet. He is sitting in a cage in a stockpile, and the only time he "shows up" as a creature is if I click on the cage he's in.

[Haethei]

Originally posted by Latch:

Thanks for the help, but there's still a problem. This lovebird is not showing up anywhere on any list -- not as a pet, not as "other"--he's listed nowhere. He is tame--he is labeled as such. I already have a pasture--he comes up in no list for me to assign him there. Same as with pets/livestock menu--he is not listed there, either--so I can't make him available as a pet. He is sitting in a cage in a stockpile, and the only time he "shows up" as a creature is if I click on the cage he's in.

Maybe just build the cage in a dining room or bedroom and let him live there. He is a bird, they do live in cages when domesticated. I thought you should be able to release him but it's possible you can't, this is a weird situation

[Latch]

Bump. Just seeing if anyone has a solution to this. I figure it MUST be possible to let this bird out somehow.

[Helios]

Originally posted by Latch:

Bump. Just seeing if anyone has a solution to this. I figure it MUST be possible to let this bird out somehow.

try a pit zone then again i had a similar problem with i smal hedgehog i got from a carvan never got the chance to free him.

[SinJin]

***EDIT/UPDATE
Thank you all. Here is what I learned to do......

Go to the ZONES tab at the bottom of the screen.
Select the Pasture that I would like the animals to be placed in.
Then, select the *+rabbit* looking tab.
A new menu/list appears and this will allow animals to be assigned to this Pasture or they can be unassigned too. The Caged animals too !!! :)

Wow !!! I cannot believe this task had be stumped for almost three real life days. Soooo many of my animals died before learning how to do this.
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I have this Op's same issue but this issue is with any creature I have received via Trading at my Trade Depot. Cows, cats, dogs, pigs... all of them. I'm overlooking something and I've been stumped for a few days (RL) so far. All of my Traded critters end up dyeing in their Cages. (I'll keep trying. :) ) Thank you

[Helios]

Originally posted by SinJin:

***EDIT/UPDATE
Thank you all. Here is what I learned to do......

Go to the ZONES tab at the bottom of the screen.
Select the Pasture that I would like the animals to be placed in.
Then, select the *+rabbit* looking tab.
A new menu/list appears and this will allow animals to be assigned to this Pasture or they can be unassigned too. The Caged animals too !!! :)

Wow !!! I cannot believe this task had be stumped for almost three real life days. Soooo many of my animals died before learning how to do this.
*****************************************************************
I have this Op's same issue but this issue is with any creature I have received via Trading at my Trade Depot. Cows, cats, dogs, pigs... all of them. I'm overlooking something and I've been stumped for a few days (RL) so far. All of my Traded critters end up dyeing in their Cages. (I'll keep trying. :) ) Thank you

they must have addet that later my animals in cages never die ( i wish they would) because caged hostile critters would pile up for me i made a world when df came to steam and never made a new one .

[AurelianDio]

Originally posted by Endemonadia:

If the caged creature is HOSTILE>>>
1. Place the cage from the Cages/Restraints menu
2. Place a lever
3. From the lever menu click LINK and then click the placed Cage
4. Instruct someone to pull the lever

If the caged creature is TAME>>>
1. Create a Pen/Pasture zone
2. select the caged tame creature from the list

NOTE: you will need a few Mechanisms to be able to link them together

Don't you have to unassign the animal from the cage for the second option as well?

[nazerick]

Hmm I just assign mine to a pasture and everything works out. Does the caged animal show up in the 'other' tab instead of the pet tab?

[tom_mai78101]

My method, in case the caged animal is stuck in the Trade Depot.

1. Build a Restraint outside near where the grass are.
2. Click on the Restraint and assign a caged animal to it. A dwarf will move the animal out of the cage and will chain the animal to the restraint.
3. Click on the Pet/Pasture zone and assign the restrained animal. A dwarf will move that animal to the pasture.

[Smurf-O-Pax]

I usually place a Cage in my Tavern and assign all Vermins to it. Occasionally a Dwarf snacks a Vermin out of it.