playing in cage

[Lauramarie]

Any suggestions on getting my caique to play with toys in his cage? He will play with toys with me and on his own outside of his cage, but seems disinterested inside. He also does not use all his different perches. I change up toys and have a wide variety for him. Any suggestions?

[SpaceLion]

Hi there.
My BHCaique Sunny doesn't play with toys a whole bunch. But I have noticed also that he tends to be rather sedentary while in the cage and doesn't play with toys as often as when outside of his cage. In fact, sometimes he'll prefer to play with the toys inside his cage when he's out and on top of the cage and pulling them up through the cage bars
Another thing that's rather bizarre is if I can see him playing with his toys from inside his cage (often from a distance) and I say "Goodboy Sunny" or do anything that makes him notice my presence, he almost always stops and watches me while going back to his favorite upside down position.
I should also mention though, my caique is cagemates with my sun conure Sweetie. She is (how can I say it...) a little cage obsessed? lol The second I put anything new in her cage, she will stare it down and be interested in it for a long time. While Sunny doesn't seem to pay attention at all. I think that sometimes when Sweetie begins to play with a toy or try something new and Sunny sees it, he often does the same.

I'm afraid that's all the advice I can give from Caique owner to Caique owner. But seeings as no one else has given you any advice yet, maybe this article from Birds USA might give you some ideas?

"Once a parrot has developed independent toy play, it can reward its own behavior if the environment is rich with interesting playthings that are presented in compelling ways. The key to piquing a bird's interest in a toy or item meant for play is the construction, presentation and modeling (showing how to play with an object; "how it works.")
Construction:
Toys are more enticing if they have parts that move and make sounds. If toys don't have moving parts that bang together and make noise, more than one toy might be hung from the same hanger so that they do shake, rattle and knock against each other when moved.
If bells are included, they should have inaccessible clappers (pipe bells). If clappers are removed for safety reasons, a well-constructed toy will have permanent hard components hanging beside the bells to keep them ringing even without clappers.
Presentation:
Again, toys are best presented in ways that facilitate movement and sound. They should be hung at beak or eye level beside perches that are frequently occupied. If a parrot doesn't readily take to them, toys might be hung so that they interfere with bowls. This setup requires the bird to move them out of the way to reach food or water. (Watch to ensure that your bird is still accessing food and water.)
Toys might also be hung on both sides of a perch where the bird most likes to sit so that the toys have to be moved out of the way to access the rest of the cage. If the bird can't go either way on the perch without having to move the trinkets, and each one has brightly colored parts that make sounds when they move, the bird is more likely to explore these accessories with its beak and initiate interaction.
Modeling:
Often pet owners who complain that their parrots won't play with toys are perfectly willing to admit that they don't play with toys themselves. If humans in the home are focused and hard working, the bird may have seen them only get dressed, come and go from the home, prepare meals and engage only in necessary, human-work-like activities. TV watching probably doesn't look like play to a bird either.
Parrots love to copy behavior; they are more likely to learn toy play if they observe their humans playing with toys.

Toy Phobia-Toy Jewelry
Because parrots copy the behavior of others, a parrot can learn that an object is not dangerous if it is worn or played with by a favorite human (or other bird). Keep a lanyard handy, or hang that new toy around your neck with a piece of cord like a pendant for a few days. Examine or manipulate the toy frequently during the day in front of your bird, showing your enthusiasm for it. This works well if the toy has a bell or otherwise produces sounds.
Competition and Keep-Away
Parrots are curious by nature, and a toy will be even more interesting if it is hidden or kept separate from the bird. First wear toy jewelry inside your shirt for a day or two, then gradually reveal more and more of it. In addition, anything in the possession of a person or another bird is especially interesting, as parrots retain the instinct to compete (for food, mates and nest sites) from their wild predecessors.
Accessible But Challenging Presentation
Parrots can be quite focused on trying to pull objects into the cage. A new toy may be most attractive if it is unreachable during unsupervised time or if it is hung on the outside of the cage. A toy hung between two cages can be very appealing -- especially if one of the birds is accustomed to toy play -- and the birds can jointly "attack," compete for or play tug-of-war with the toy.
Enhance or disguise the toy. Indestructible toys can be made more appealing by adding fun-to-chew destructible elements, such as paper, cardboard and wooden or fabric parts. Likewise, simply cutting up an old shirt and tying strips of the fabric onto toys can entice a curious bird. It's even more fun if the bird gets to participate in destroying the shirt, "helping" to tear or cut the material into the strips that are then attached to the toys.
If the bird is reluctant to play, the strips might be tied to the toys while the bird is sitting on the perch beside the toy. In that way, the owner is demonstrating that the object is there for the purpose of interaction. (If the bird is already protective of a particular item, then, of course, it's safer for human hands to tie the fabric strands onto the toy when the bird is away from the cage.)

Provide Opportunities to Make Successful Decisions
If more than one new toy is provided at a time, a parrot has the opportunity to make decisions about how to interact with each one. If the bird is shy, introduce toys when it is away from the cage. Three or four new items can be simultaneously installed, perhaps attached on the outside of the cage if the bird is extra fearful.
It might decide that one toy is dangerous, or one of the toys is simply best avoided. Eventually, the bird will learn to self-reward its curiosity and gradually show fewer behaviors that communicate fearfulness of objects in the environment in general.
Assemble toys in front of the bird. One of the best ways to stimulate interest is to construct a toy as your bird looks on. Assembling toys in front of the bird is a dynamic combination of the principles of modeling use (showing the bird what to do), safety (demonstrating that the toy is not dangerous) and competition (you have to keep the toy away long enough from your bird to complete it). Many companion parrots that previously feared new toys or avoided them for weeks have eagerly grabbed new toys from their favorite humans' hands as quickly as the toys could be put together."

Good luck!