Hey all,
My lovebird has been with me now 9 days. He has made great strides in gaining confidence and enjoying many new things EVERYDAY but one thing that has never progressed is
his fear of inanimate objects.
No, I don't go poking and prodding him with his toys or have ever FORCED him onto one. (I have set him up on perches that took him a day or so to get used to, but never a toy. Left that experience to him.)
I figure my bird is scared of the toys since they are new to him, colorful, and I imagine pretty intimidating to the little guy.
Toys that REALLY scare him are the ones that have a bell so they jingle. The balls I got that have the bell inside scare him so much that if I even just pick one up and LOOK his direction while holding the ball he backs away from me like a mugging victim would from a knife.
I understand he is scared and will need time, I am not asking for advice necessarily on why. The fact that it just scares him is good enough reason for me, and I completely have patience for the guy. What I
am curious about
:
What would make a good transitional toy? He loves my wife's hair, my clothes, fingers although that is a no-no in our house, he loves his millet spray of course FOOD FOOD, and he is ok with metal objects like my glasses, rings, or cutlery. But anything else is pretty scary to him.
What kind of toy have you guys found that birds just naturally love? What fits their instinct so well that they warm up to or keep as a favorite? Anything that doesn't have to hang but he can hold or have while playing outside of the cage?
Just looking for something that I can use to earn his trust for the world of inanimate objects
NOT attached to our bodies.
See that is it right there: Anything he can transition from us - his SECURITY and comfort zone - and go directly to the "toy" without leaving his comforts he is ok with. Yet, stuff that
isn't found on me, or something I don't already like to use he simply won't show interest for. If you are wondering now, "Have you ever tried playing with his toys first to build his interest?"
I have tried by putting those things in my hands, or playing with them to help him see that they are safe. But when I have done that, I see his reaction to them and how different it is to anything else I use or touch during the day. They scare him so much more, unlike his confidence when I pick up things like a sharp knife at dinner that he would perch on if I let him. (Not that he knows what sharp knives are of course.
)
Any ideas after all this rambling of mine and the following attempts of clarifying it all?