Play problems...

[Birdieman]

Hiya all.

I wonder why my cockatiel not playing with his toys ... he has a big ring ..and he never use it?.. What is wrong? :O(

/Henrik Sweden

[asulli]

I do not know your cockatiel, but what I have noticed in my birds is that if I play with it for a little while and show them that I am having fun they will usually get very curious.

You might also want to put his favorite treat on it -- sometimes that works for me.

I am sure that other members of the board will give their input.

[LovelySydney]

My birds rarely play with their toys. If they do its the one specific one that they have deemed their "favorite" and thats the only one they touch. I know they are happy and healthy and Im sure they dont really play because they are out exploring our house half the day. Oliver doesnt really enjoy coming out of his cage but he also doesnt really enjoy toys - hes just kind of a neutral bird who likes naps & preening!! As long as your bird is being active in other areas I wouldnt worry about the toys too much. All birds are different - some like toys, others dont. Your bird could wake up one day and love all the toys in his cage - it all depends.

[Emmilyy]

maybe you could try some different kinds of toys? i know some birds are super picky

[Ashling]

My cockatiel isn't much of a player, while my lorikeet loved to play with her toys. Tiels aren't renowned for their love of toys but there are ways to get them interested. A big ring doesn't sound like enough, or very fun! My tiel Peanut has a bunch of rings and never plays with them at all! He loves mirrors with beads attached to them. He picks at the beads and rearranges them while admiring his reflection. Sometimes he grabs the whole mirror then drops it, letting it crash into the side of his cage with a clang. He loves this game and will bang it around for ages! He will hold onto the bell and tap on his reflection. Toys with lots of fiddly bits to preen and shred are often a favourite of tiels. Consider just wrapping up a sunflower seed in some paper for him to shred and find. Simple yet effective. Show him how a few times so that he gets the message and actually realizes there is a treat in there! Peanut also likes his 'traffic light' toy which has three balls (red yellow and green) and some beads in between attached together with a bell at the end. He pecks at the balls sometimes. I have lots of ropes and material he can preen and chew on, as well as a hollow ball that I pack with fresh foods like grass seed greens. You can also encourage your tiel to play games. Mine loves to tap on any surface that makes a hollow noise and starts singing and talking, and sometimes plays peekaboo. The treats idea said already is good- if Peanut has to dig his favorite treats out of somewhere, that keeps him amused for hours. If you get engaged with his games and encourage them, he will be more willing to try things out.

Ps. right now he is holding the mirror's bell, licking his reflection and 'preening' the plastic frame :) Oh and smiling his cockatiel smile!

[Birdieman]

Thanks for information guys :)

/Henrik, Sweden