new baby brown head

[len]

About two weeks ago, we brought home a wonderful baby brown head who was about 12 weeks old at the time. He's been very sweet and the vet who checked him over was totally charmed by him. We love him already. My biggest problem, though, has been trying to teach him how to play. My husband and I have spent a lot of time with him, showing him toys and playing with them in front of him. He seems totally not interested. Consequently, when I put him in his cage, he sits and stares for hours. He ignores his toys, even though I swap them in and out every day or two. I know this is not good and he has to learn how to entertain himself. Does anyone have any foolproof toys or games for a young parrot that will give him the idea about what play is all about?

[tdmsu]

I would just leave toys in there for a few days so he can get used to them. Also, I only change the cage when Fidrych is not in there... he seems fine with that arrangement.

[Addicted to Tequila]

Mine like foot toys best. Try a tub of them on the floor of the cage and for when he is out playing on the couch beside you and such (we encourage independent play at our house... but not segregation. There IS a difference.) They ADORE Q-tips to play tug-of-war with me as a supervised toy (not that I think they are harmful really... but my GCC is intent on trying to off himself in new and unique ways every day it seems! LOL)

Also, I went to WalMart and got one of these:

I have never seen birds adore a hanging toy more! The chime in it is completely bird-safe and actually pleasant to listen to!

Another big favorite of my GCC in particular is a nylabone peppermint dog chew! They are fully digestible (in case he actually eats it), have no nutritional value to cause problems, and are actually made of corn! I bought the small one with nubs on it and drilled a 1/4 inch hole in each end and used PollyRope to make a swing of it. My guys fight over the darn thing (they fight over anything the other seems to want badly and look like fun doing! LOL). They come in coolmint and spearmint as well... not as sure on those. I know the peppermint is 100% safe.

We go through about 25 1" birdy bagels a week... and a few 2" ones that I stuff in the bars as well. They would go through more of the small ones (they now last about 15 seconds... once they got the hang of them!) if I let them.

Bird safe leather is a biggie. I take a 1/4 cord and put an oversized pony bead, a 3/4 leather disc, another pony bead... with a knot at each end but room for the pieces to slide a bit. These sometimes last a full two weeks before being chewed in half. Now that Rexy has taken to giving them a daily bath... I do not think they will go that long! LOL

Also... you might be swapping TOO much. If he is not playing with it... then growing bored or demolishing it, don't swap. Some birds are more reserved than others and just take longer to warm up to a toy (mine are fearless and attack any new item in the cage with gusto... if they are still playing with it 2 minutes later... it is a keeper!).

Also... try some foraging toys. Does he have a favorite snack or treat?

And also put in a plastic chain (mine drapes down from the center top then over to the side near the bottom. You can stuff treats like grapes and carrot chunks and such into it for him to climb after!

[Cpip]

my brown headed parrot doesnt really touch toys eiether.. but has chew up his wooden perch

[schwabism]

I have had my brown head just over a year now, and he is not into toy playing much either. He would rather be out of the cage on his top play gym and just stare. He is completely content with that and if you read alot about the species you will find that most of them are not hard toy players like the senegals and red bellies are.

[len]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

To tdmsu -- We've left some toys in for two weeks and he doesn't seem to play with them at all.

To Addicted to Tequila -- Great ideas. I'm trying to find the toy you mentioned that you purchased at Walmart and can't so far. Do you remember what it was called and whether it was a pet toy or a baby toy? I'm going to buy a nylabone dog chew today as well and a plastic chain if I can find one.

Zuri (African for beautiful) is learning to forage for his favorite treats. He gets one peanut a day or so and I wrap it up in a bit of kleenex or paper towel. I'm also covering his food dish with paper every morning and now he rips into it with gusto. I also made a little "house" for him out of an old shoebox with a hole at one end and another hole on the side. He likes to go in there and scrounge for little treats.

To Cpip and [b]schwabism[b]: I did a lot of research before I got Zuri and I was under the impression that the brown heads, although quiet, were quite playful and a bit silly. I'm a little sorry to hear that yours are so reserved - since I was expecting a little guy that I could interact with a lot. I hope I can bring out a playful side of mine.

Thanks again to all of you.

[SydneysMommy]

my brownhead Jack is VERY slow to play with new toys. There are times it takes 3 months before he touches a new toy, then spends an entire day shredding it to bits. He also loves to shred perches etc... I have read that brownheads are cautious of new things in their environment, so i guess that is why it takes them a long time to play with new toys. Waiting to make sure its not going to attack or explode LOL

Here's a picture of my brownhead Jack. Good luck with yours. Ours is also very sweet and has never bitten ever. We got ours at age 3 from a bird shelter.

[kimba]

The brown heads I've raised like ferret balls to play with on flat surfaces. I used ferret balls with the bell inside, but the plastic is thick and harder than cat balls and the holes are smaller so it is safer to use. You could use them on the couch, they also like to crawl into things. I used to use plastic hamster huts that were big enough, And they would crawl inside and play with the balls. Wood ones work as well.

here is what I used to use
Small Animal Kingdom Ferret Fun Ball & Wagon Wheel at PETCO

Prevue Hendryx Animal Hut Large Guinea Pig-Small Animal Hideaways

[Addicted to Tequila]

Originally Posted by len

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.


To Addicted to Tequila -- Great ideas. I'm trying to find the toy you mentioned that you purchased at Walmart and can't so far. Do you remember what it was called and whether it was a pet toy or a baby toy? I'm going to buy a nylabone dog chew today as well and a plastic chain if I can find one.

The chime toy is at WalMart in the baby section (I get alot of baby stuff... as my guys are conures and chew like mad!).

You should read the Parrot Enrichment Handbook if your guy likes foraging! It has some really GREAT ideas. It is here:
http://www.phoenixlanding.org/PEAB_V2.pdf
Good news: download is free!
Bad news: It is HUGE! LOL

The bone I got was by Booda and was peppermint (looked it up). It is fully digestible and was completely devoured in less than 2 weeks by my guys!
If you are like me and are better at finding something by sight:


That should get you started. I used to do rehab work and had many "does not play with toys" birds. Even finches will "play" if given the right "toy" (a metal cat "cage ball" stuffed with straw!). Many just need to be inspired! Keep trying! (have you tried a Q-tip as a foot toy? Or birdie peanut-butter stuffed in a tube-bead?)

[len]

My brown head, Zuri, is finally starting to play. We gave him some Q-tips and he loves them. We also filled a shallow dish with buttons and he loves to sit on the rim and pick them up one at a time. The game is to drop them and make a big noise!

Anyway, I'll try the other things you all recommended but I think our baby is finally feeling relaxed enough to play a little. I even caught him pushing one of his cage toys around (he thought I wasn't looking) so I hope we can encourage him to continue.

This is a great forum and I'll be back often. Can't thank you all enough.