How to make play-time fun?

[BirdCatLady]

Okay, so prefacing this with -- I've only had Brodie for a little over 3 weeks. He's an African Grey, and on weekdays gets between 2-3 hours of time out of his cage per night. Weekends, it's much more (closer to 5-6 hours depending on our weekend plans).

Keeping that in mind -- he doesn't usually let me pick him up from his cage. He knows the commands "step up" and "step down" but he's pretty territorial regarding his cage, although less so with me than with his previous owners. So whatever playing he does, will have to be done from either on top of his cage or inside it, for the time being.

So right now, when he's outside his cage, sometimes I'll stuff some vine balls with food (which he'll usually just throw rather than pull apart, although sometimes he'll pull them apart if he's not in a cranky mood ). I just stuffed a wiffle ball tonight with some shredded paper and foraging goodies (almond halves, pine nuts, a couple sunflower seeds, a few small pieces of "banana cracker" [dried banana]), but he showed little interest in that tonight. There's another ball on top of his cage that he'll play with sometimes -- it's just got shredded paper in it, but he likes bouncing it on the top of his cage and watching the paper fall through the wire and all the way to the bottom. We also kind of play "kickball" (he'll pick it up, drop it, it'll roll to me, I'll roll it back to him). But that's not every night.

So I guess, I'm not really sure how to keep him intellectually stimulated while he's outside his cage if he doesn't ever venture away from his cage. I do know it's early days for us, but I feel bad because a lot of the time he'll just come out of his cage, perch on the door, and hang out. I'll sometimes show him videos that I've taken of him, which he loves -- I'd love to be able to show him YouTube videos of other Greys since he loves those too, but I don't have WiFi here so he'd have to trust me enough to come to the other room where my desktop computer is.

And also, maybe I need to shift my views regarding what is intellectually stimulating and how much of that he needs. I dunno. New parront alert, haha.

The question I have also pertains to keeping him entertained in his cage when I'm not home. I'm trying to figure out things to teach him -- new phrases, tricks, etc. -- that he can think about and "practice" when I'm not around.

I currently have bought a lot of stuff from My Safe Bird Store (I love their stuff! and was actually clued into this website via their website, but not directly -- that's kind of a long story but here I am! haha). The one toy that Brodie loves (and actually uses, out of all of the toys I've gotten him so far) is Super Bird Creation's Snack Trays. Although I'm not super experienced at wood identification, the trays are made of a pretty hard wood, at least compared to balsa. I'm thinking pine, which is still considered a soft wood, but one that does take Brodie some time to destroy. Balsa and cork -- which were mentioned in the other thread about how to make parrots interested in toys -- would take him very little time to destroy, although I do have some cork lying around (that he refuses to touch currently).

I use the Snack Trays for foraging, but on the days when I haven't refilled the trays, Brodie will just chew up the wood (and it's really helped his beak look a lot healthier/stronger too!). I actually had a different Super Bird Creation toy in his cage for the past 2 days but he didn't touch it, so I stuck the Snack Trays back in today, while I figure out how to make the other toy more appealing. He loves toys with bells, but his thing seems to be that he won't chew up toys that have bells, so I'm thinking about removing the bell from the 2nd Super Bird Creation toy I got, and then trying it again and seeing if he'll actually play with it (it's also a foraging toy but not as brightly colored, and also made of a different material).

I also leave on music of "tranquil birdsong" when I'm gone (quick YouTube search on his first day or two here pulled up some 11 hour videos of just soft birdsong and natural sounds like water/rain, so I have three of those videos that I use regularly that he seems to enjoy).

TL;DR -- as a new bird owner, how do I make play-time out of the cage interesting for Brodie? (and is a mentality shift needed for me?) Additionally, how do I make sure that during the day he's entertained enough while I'm gone?

 

[sunnysmom]

@Greycloud ?

 

[Fatgirl]

Okay, so prefacing this with -- I've only had Brodie for a little over 3 weeks. He's an African Grey, and on weekdays gets between 2-3 hours of time out of his cage per night. Weekends, it's much more (closer to 5-6 hours depending on our weekend plans).

Keeping that in mind -- he doesn't usually let me pick him up from his cage. He knows the commands "step up" and "step down" but he's pretty territorial regarding his cage, although less so with me than with his previous owners. So whatever playing he does, will have to be done from either on top of his cage or inside it, for the time being.

So right now, when he's outside his cage, sometimes I'll stuff some vine balls with food (which he'll usually just throw rather than pull apart, although sometimes he'll pull them apart if he's not in a cranky mood ). I just stuffed a wiffle ball tonight with some shredded paper and foraging goodies (almond halves, pine nuts, a couple sunflower seeds, a few small pieces of "banana cracker" [dried banana]), but he showed little interest in that tonight. There's another ball on top of his cage that he'll play with sometimes -- it's just got shredded paper in it, but he likes bouncing it on the top of his cage and watching the paper fall through the wire and all the way to the bottom. We also kind of play "kickball" (he'll pick it up, drop it, it'll roll to me, I'll roll it back to him). But that's not every night.

So I guess, I'm not really sure how to keep him intellectually stimulated while he's outside his cage if he doesn't ever venture away from his cage. I do know it's early days for us, but I feel bad because a lot of the time he'll just come out of his cage, perch on the door, and hang out. I'll sometimes show him videos that I've taken of him, which he loves -- I'd love to be able to show him YouTube videos of other Greys since he loves those too, but I don't have WiFi here so he'd have to trust me enough to come to the other room where my desktop computer is.

And also, maybe I need to shift my views regarding what is intellectually stimulating and how much of that he needs. I dunno. New parront alert, haha.

The question I have also pertains to keeping him entertained in his cage when I'm not home. I'm trying to figure out things to teach him -- new phrases, tricks, etc. -- that he can think about and "practice" when I'm not around.

I currently have bought a lot of stuff from My Safe Bird Store (I love their stuff! and was actually clued into this website via their website, but not directly -- that's kind of a long story but here I am! haha). The one toy that Brodie loves (and actually uses, out of all of the toys I've gotten him so far) is Super Bird Creation's Snack Trays. Although I'm not super experienced at wood identification, the trays are made of a pretty hard wood, at least compared to balsa. I'm thinking pine, which is still considered a soft wood, but one that does take Brodie some time to destroy. Balsa and cork -- which were mentioned in the other thread about how to make parrots interested in toys -- would take him very little time to destroy, although I do have some cork lying around (that he refuses to touch currently).

I use the Snack Trays for foraging, but on the days when I haven't refilled the trays, Brodie will just chew up the wood (and it's really helped his beak look a lot healthier/stronger too!). I actually had a different Super Bird Creation toy in his cage for the past 2 days but he didn't touch it, so I stuck the Snack Trays back in today, while I figure out how to make the other toy more appealing. He loves toys with bells, but his thing seems to be that he won't chew up toys that have bells, so I'm thinking about removing the bell from the 2nd Super Bird Creation toy I got, and then trying it again and seeing if he'll actually play with it (it's also a foraging toy but not as brightly colored, and also made of a different material).

I also leave on music of "tranquil birdsong" when I'm gone (quick YouTube search on his first day or two here pulled up some 11 hour videos of just soft birdsong and natural sounds like water/rain, so I have three of those videos that I use regularly that he seems to enjoy).

TL;DR -- as a new bird owner, how do I make play-time out of the cage interesting for Brodie? (and is a mentality shift needed for me?) Additionally, how do I make sure that during the day he's entertained enough while I'm gone?

When we first got out Grey about 2 years ago, he was very skittish and wouldnt come out of his cage, and would refrain from playing with anything. However, we kept talking to him daily and kept the TV on for him even when we werent home, I find that people talking and movies etc are a great source of wonder for him. He slowly started to get curious and himself came out of his cage.

At first he would play with his perch, then slowly started ripping his newspapers and only playing with it at the top of his cage. Then he got more used to being out of his cage and started to latch onto he curtain, and then the dining room chair (which is now ruined haha). When he would drop toys and they would fall far from his cage we stopped picking them up for him as a way for him to get them himself. So after a while of him whining he himself climbed down and got it. That right there was a learnig moment for him and he had some problem solving (falling into the intellectual stimulating). Now he has a routine, he will wake up, then wake the whole house up and be let out of his cage. He will eat and then go down for his daily walk by himself, then play with his blue cap haha.

I say let your grey get comfy with himself and his new surroundings and hell get more active and more trusting even with you. One of the fun things I would do with my grey would be to have him sit with me and Id put a nut in a bowl and cover it and have him open it for his treat.

I havent had my grey for many years and he is our first parrot, but ive learned a great deal from him.

 

[BirdCatLady]

Thanks @Fatgirl! That actually gave me some really good ideas. Brodie has gotten to the point where he drops toys off his cage, and lately I've been getting them for him, but I think I'll start seeing if he'll get them himself -- eventually, since he's still settling in here. I also really want to get him a tabletop perch so he can hang out with us in a different room from time to time. He'd have different scenery and would probably feel like more a part of the family then. And intellectual stimulation is so, so necessary too but I've been having a hard time figuring out fun games for that for him.

 

[Fatgirl]

Thanks @Fatgirl! That actually gave me some really good ideas. Brodie has gotten to the point where he drops toys off his cage, and lately I've been getting them for him, but I think I'll start seeing if he'll get them himself -- eventually, since he's still settling in here. I also really want to get him a tabletop perch so he can hang out with us in a different room from time to time. He'd have different scenery and would probably feel like more a part of the family then. And intellectual stimulation is so, so necessary too but I've been having a hard time figuring out fun games for that for him.

After my Bobo started getting more familiar with everything around him, he himself started coming to us in the kitchen when we'd be eating, so if you get a chance to show Brodie parts of the house and have him be with you whenever you're there that would be amazing. Also I find that windows are great for Greys, mine goes and sits there and chats through the window to himself and other birds haha! We have some Green Parakeets flying everyday to our balcony and Bobo has made friends with them through the window haha.

As far as intellectual games goes, we started showing him his favorite toys and describing the color to him, for example he knows his toy caps are blue. Im also in the process of teaching him numbers, so far we are on 1 and 2 haha. The best way is when you have time sit with him or near his cage, take toys say the color, then show him one of the toys and then two, each time narrating what you're showing him. He will start to pay attention and you'll be able to tell when he's actually processing what you're saying. Ive even done a step up between two hands each time raising my hand higher getting him to step up. You can be as creative as possible when it comes to fun and learning games for greys. In my experience (even though its been for a short time) there is no wrong method of teaching them, they learn fast and positive reinforcement always help! I hope this helps

 

[Chantilly Lace]

Climbing net! They are the best thing you can buy for you bird, mine have all enjoyed it so much. You can attach toys with plastic baby clips, and foraging toys, treats, etc. They actually have to move around like they would in the wild, and they really get so much out of it. Definitely worth the price, so far ours has lasted a good 3+ years and these are big boys who love to chew. Should last you forever.

Climbing Nets|Cargo/Canopy Nets for Parrots|Discounted - Free Shipping Available

 

[scoobdoo63]

I keep an eye out at second hand shops for games pieces to use as foot toys. Over sized candy land game, checkers, fake plastic coins I found a bag of alphabet letters with out the magnets, colorful straws I cut in half & I put a tray on top of stormys cage and he drops them off the side or in his water then plays in it.. his new thing is let's run through the bird food on the tray and see it FLY! I also show him bird vids he gets vocal back at them. He was by a window but had to be moved for the time being..my Christmas tree goes where his cage was. But now he right by my chair..He also would come find me if I was in the kitchen or else where..He would squeal then say...what you doin?

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Start a game of "tag" that you play through the cage bars and with the door closed. When I first started trying to get Emily CAG to allow me to touch him, I would walk over and chant, in a happy, teasing voice, "Tag, you are it." and then I would touch a bar on his cage close to him and laugh. Soon he would come toward me when he hears me say "tag" and now we do "birdy toes, birdy toes, get the birdy toes" tag. He allows me to touch his feet and legs all the way up his leg to his belly. He also now allows me to do four or five scritches to his forehead every day now. He will only step up for me if he is flat on the floor and feeling vulnerable.

I used the same birdy toe tag ruse to teach the Amazons to allow me to touch them. It even worked for Pedro, as Pedro could not resist a game.