How do you play with your Sennie?

[Pictaker]

Last night I gave both birds some playtime with me (one at a time). I put a blanket down on my bed and found a few safe toys...a ball, some rope, a stuffed mouse with no hard parts...etc and then I had no idea how to play with them.

Patience chewed on the rope for a bit, but then just wanted to climb on my back and stay there. Kermit did much the same.

How do all of you play with your birds? Any thing that works really well for you. I guess it will take some time for the birds and I to figure out "playtime".

[Pepper's Pa]

“How do I play with Pepper?” . . . . carefully.

Pepper loves to play, but he also can get revved up and I have to closely watch his energy level if I don’t want to get bitten. Also, there are times that he gets very possessive of his toys.

Fetch is one of Pepper’s favorite games. He throws a toy off his play gym and I have to get it and return it to him. He can do this with everyone of his foot toys if I don’t choose to play his game. He’s also “tossed” toys into my lap to get me to play with him.

Tug-of-War or Catch-the-Chain are two games he enjoys. I have a small chain made of plastic links that I’ll swing near him and he’ll try to catch it. He especially likes to hang upside down when trying to catch the chain. After catching the chain we’ll have a gentle game of Tug-of-War, but he greatly prefers catching the chain to pulling on it.

Flapping practice is something I consider play. You can teach your Sennies to do this, but start very slowly and cautiously. You can progress to this level: monty3.flv video by oncue1984 - Photobucket

Training if done properly is play. Trick training is a very positive interaction between parrots and their parronts. Clicker training is a simple and successful method for training.

Towel games are great to play. Peek-a-Bird is a favorite of many. Pepper enjoys being in a towel, while I’m holding the four corners together over his head and he’s sitting in the “sack” formed at the bottom. I’ll gently swing the towel and he’ll come peeking out and then return inside while I’m swinging him.

Pepper loves playing on and in my hand. He’ll climb all over my hand. He’s an expert at doing a somersault and lying on his back in my palm. He loves receiving scritches in the soft spot of his neck below his beak, on his neck and over his crop.

I don’t know if it’s play, but I know Pepper finds it enjoyable for me to place him on his play gym and then I’ll let him watch me go into another room and usually in less than a minute he’s flown to me.


One thing to be aware of is that at the age of your Sennies, they may not be big players since they’re still learning so much about their environment and themselves. By the time they are one year of age you may have two Sennies who love to play.

[Pictaker]

Wow! Thanks so much for your response! I learned a lot and you answered my question just like I needed it!

I am going to try all of these things, but of course slowly and not all right away. I get what your saying about how young they still are. Building trust between the birds and I is our first main goal. So far we are doing great! Patience just let me lay her upside down for the first time a few days ago. She has done it before, but this time she looked happy and relaxed rather than worried and a little nervous.

Thanks for helping me out here...I really appreciate the advice!

[critter]

kito's fave game is playing with a practice golf ball (small wiffle ball) - like pepper's games, it is a game of fetch, with me being the fetcher, and him being the fetchee.......

[Pictaker]

*lol* Critter! I'snt that just the story of owning a parrot? We don't OWN them, they OWN us! I can completely see Patience enjoying watching me scramble after things that she throws. Oh well, whatever makes her happy, a Wiffle ball is going on my "buy for parrots" list.