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Hi y'all.
I was just looking at mom2tiels video of Sera. That bird is having so much fun!
My poor little Spike (who drew blood on me yesterday - my fault), well, he doesn't play. I don't think he knows how. I have scads of toys for him. Wood, plastic, bright, plain, noisy, hanging, etc. But nuthin'. I've tried to show him, but heck, I've never really played with a bird or even watched one play.
Little fella was so neglected!
Any clues out there as to how long it might take him to learn? I know not to be rushed. Was it Pebbles who took 18 months just to settle in and trust a bit? And that was without the "home" hopping the Spikester endured!

My beautiful Spike!

Where did you get Spike from? Was he socialized properly? I've read in Bird talk (I think it was Bird Talk) that a good way to teach a bird to play with toys is to play with them yourself like you said you tried. Wear them around your neck as a toy necklace and when you go by him, show him you like it( or pretend to like it) and play with the toy. You might also try getting toys that food can be placed in them. If he is food motivated, he will play with it to get the food out. Maybe sitting down with him on the floor and having a bunch of foot toys on the ground will help. What type of bird is he? A GCC? or somethin' else. I've heard some birds aren't interested in toys for a while but when they hit a certain age they love them. Good Luck

Oh, sorry. He is a sun I see. I was typing when you posted his pic.

Oh Spike is beautiful how lucky you are and he is to have each other!

Hi Lov'em.
He's a 6 year old rescue.
I'll play with the toys while I sit in the rocking chair by his gym. That's cozy time.
At least I've seen him have fun with a bath! Two whole times now! (I've had him 6 weeks tomorrow.)

He is soo beautiful. He is so lucky to have found a mum like you. I always love suns. They are so beautiful.

i must be confused with someone else? i don't have a bird named sera? sorry i cannot help you out. I just got my ys-gcc a little over a week ago and he only plays with his ball once his cage is covered for the night. i think it is maybe just something that comes with time and patience.

Well, now you all know how my memory works. Sorry about that, mom. It was a compliment, though. I found the cut on the cockatoo chat site.
Funnier than H E double hockey sticks.
I sat and played near him this evening. Another few weeks and we'll see how it goes.

BeckyBoo wrote:Well, now you all know how my memory works. Sorry about that, mom. It was a compliment, though. I found the cut on the cockatoo chat site.
Funnier than H E double hockey sticks.
I sat and played near him this evening. Another few weeks and we'll see how it goes.

not a problem at all. my mind works the same lol.

I have found that my conure learns very fast by observing, they are so smart. Monet learned how to use a water bottle in five minutes of me showing him with my finger. Just prior to that he was confused by the whole thing because he was used to a bowl of water. He finally climbed into his little hiding hut for the first time too after tugging on the outside of it for a week.

I think time is all that will be needed, and since Spike is your only bird he will relish the times you spend together even more and once he does start playing you won't be able to stop him lol. He is a beauty, I know you love him lots.

Everything requires patience. Oh, one of the things I lack! But I'm learning!

I was thinking this morning how the dog gets excited when Spike gets too animated. She has to be right there to watch, then he climbs to the top of the cage.
I'm going to have to separate them better. Crap. I'm just like the bird - I think everybody should be in the same room. Hmm. I'll have to figure this out.
Oh, and a question. The bottom of his cage is a tray with paper. Would he be more comfy with a grate?

well I would not say he would be more comfortable with a grate, but he would be better off with one to keep him from getting in contact with droppings.

as far as the dog, i would say if you notice spike seems scared of the dog while he is out then I would seperate them until you can train the dog to ignore the bird completely. for the birds safety of course. a dog is a preditor, and a bird is prey, and thy both can move faster then we can, you just never know.

My rescue took a year to even trust me.Take it slow.

As for the toys get some of those strips they call shredders and weave some through the bars. That might get him started.Play with the toys in his sight and make animated noises much as you would show a baby how to play.Dont force toys on him but rather try to make the toys so interesting he becomes curious. It's not easy at all to teach an older bird to play. Some will never play but keep trying.Learn to think like a bird.----Yogi