Little Playgrounds - Big Playgrounds

Time spent out of the cage is fun. These little guys have great setups. The little white-eared conure on the rope enjoys climbing around on his cage-top rope gym. The two little girl cockatiels have a chance to stretch and explore on their coffeetable basket. A basket like this can go to any room and become a great place to station your bird while you are busy. No reason to relegate them to one room. Why not a visit while you're in the office or even the bathroom!

Indy, the hyacinth macaw, has larger plans for his playtime! I combined all three hanging rope gyms to give him enough room to frolic. He hangs and swings and climbs from top to bottom. He needs to keep busy or he wants to be in my lap! I'd get nothing done if he got his way. He hangs by his beak and presents his big feet to be collected. If I ignore this...he starts saying, "Come on!" "Come on!" which is his version of "step up."

Big Bird - Big Mischief

I have the pleasure of caring for this wonderfully precocious young Hyacinth macaw. He is big and has a mind for mischief. His size lets him think he can get away with just about anything. He loves to hang out on his Atom (www.motherpluckinbirdtoys.com) and, because his parents brought his from home, he has one downstairs and one upstairs in my office. He can hang on with his big feet and flap wildly getting the Atom swinging around and around on its swivel! He becomes a blur and ends up getting lots of exercise! In this photo, you can see that I caught him trying to swing over to Chauncey's cage to climb into trouble! I always have one eye on this guy because he has a tendency to find his limits. Most parrots are contented to play and entertain themselves and know their boundaries. Not Big Blue Boy! He always wants what is just out of reach. If not supervised, he would eat my house!

More on the Avian Maze Craze!

Had to show you how successful this toy is! Buster and Bug both chip away with abandon! Instead of large toy parts piled at the bottom of the cage...there is a cagefloor full of teeny tiny wood chips. My new ones came in and I had to snap a photo because it won't look like this very long! Some people would get frustrated to spend $11.50 on a toy and have it disappear so quickly. I, on the other hand, find it extremely satisfying that this toy keeps them busy and happy. Who wants to introduce a toy that lasts forever? Keeping these guys busy is a constant challenge. They can't eat all the time. They can't sleep all the time. They can't just sit there and look out the window! They need a passtime. Chewing wood is good for their beak and gives them "a job." www.motherpluckinbirdtoys.com

Great Toy Find

This toy is only days old... It seemed like such a simple toy...a block of pine with slots in it...and yet, I have just ordered four more. Why? Because both of my greys have gotten such joy by chipping away at this wood. I originally placed paper and cardboard in the slots. This got them busy immediately! However, I find that they chip away at the wood with great satisfaction.
The name of this one is the AVIAN MAZE CRAZE. I purchased mine from Mother Pluckin Bird Toys. www.motherpluckinbirdtoys.com Michelle Staker of Mother Pluckin has very high quality toys and is famous for the wonderful ATOM hanging rope playgym. A while back I took care of a little Goffins that had just recovered from some serious feather/mutilating issues. He had one of these and I faithfully took it out every morning and squished seeds and paper in the slots. He also loved to dig the goodies out and chew on the block. Now that I've tried it on my greys, I'll always have them around. Simple and yet effective! After all, a bird needs to chew!

Cage Bound Birds

Many birds become accustomed to being in their cages. So accustomed that they are not comfortable outside of the cage. It is important to encourage your bird to spend time outside of the cage (supervised) and explore new surroundings. Ben had spent much of his 26 years in a small cylindrical cage. He is a classic cage bound bird. I put him in the large Exotic Enclosure the other day. This 4' x 6' x 6' cage is filled with ropes and toys and perches of all kinds. Although Ben is not actively mobile...he gets around but it's not easy for him, I thought he would shuffle around and explore. I left to run errands and when I returned, he was in the exact same place. He has never really become comfortable with climbing around. In his cage, (a larger more horizontal cage), he manages to get around to the food and water dishes. He will find his bell, the love of his life, so I move that around to encourage new exploration. As you can tell my the condition of his tail feathers, he likes to cling to the side of the cage. He is a "work in progress" and will slowly come around. However, he is an excellent example of what can happen to a bird that has a small world. One interesting sideline is that Ben has a new neighbor. I found that when I placed Chauncey next to him in the neighboring cage, both Ben and Chauncey seemed calm and quiet. They like each other! They eat at the same time and enjoy looking out the window. Chauncey used to be in my "noisy room" with the two macaws and Josey Wales, my umbrella cockatoo. Now he resides next to Ben and he seems quite relieved to be out of the noisy room. Ben has been known to be quite noisy himself...but with Chauncey around, he remains quiet! I love it when a good plan comes together!

Is That The Phone? Or the Greys?

I share my home with at least two African Greys. Buster and Bug are continually ringing and having phone conversations including the beeps and dial tones. Anyone with a grey in their home probably knows what I mean. I will be busy with the never-ending chores around here and the phone will ring...or not. I am distracted to listen intently to determine the source. Sometimes, amazingly, the greys ring just prior to the actual phone. Other times...they just enjoy ringing and talking. When I am outside, this is a big problem. Stop what I'm doing and run inside...no phone call. I have relented to this high tech world and now carry a Blackberry clipped to my waist. (Like I need extra bulk there!) However, I can forward my home number to the Blackberry and it will vibrate to alert me to a call. Voila! Problem solved. Please get used to calling me at my cell phone number because I will probably cancel my "land line" soon. No sense paying for both! This marvelous device also receives emails from any of my email addresses. Please know, however, that I will not answer if I am driving. You can always leave a message and I will get back to you asap, of course. The number is 925 451 1873. Now only the Greys will ring!

A Lesson For All of Us

This is Tuesday, a very sweet umbrella cockatoo that did the unimaginable. This is an extremely sad story but I post it because there is a lesson to be learned. I, myself, have fully flighted parrots and this horrible mishap could happen to me or anyone at anytime. All it takes is one moment...one scary moment. Tuesday was out on her playgym. Something startled her. She flew. She flew outside, over the pool, over the fence, and straight into traffic. She only knew to flee her perceived threat. She was probably unsure of her actions but proceeded out of instinct. Birds don't fight, they flee. If her mom could redo the day, things would be different. Tuesday had never done this before. Who knew? Now the flock is missing one of its members. Tuesday was hit by a car and killed. Know the gamble when you have flighted birds. Know that this, too, could happen to you. It is never a good idea to take a fully flighted bird outside without restraint. Even lightly trimmed birds can become quite "flighted" at a moment's notice. It only takes a split second for your entire world to escalate into pure panic. Try to imagine what a horrible experience this was. Now make sure it doesn't happen to you. My heart goes out to Tuesday's family and flock. I am so very sorry this happened.

Making Foraging Challenging

Foraging for food and treats is a very good way to keep your parrot busy during the day. This is Joplin, a noble macaw, that is challenged to reach through her cage bars to grasp the foraging cage toy and retrieve her treats. This would be a "no brainer" if it were in her cage next to her, but because it's hanging on the outside of the cage, it keeps her busy for quite some time. For some birds, just hanging the toy in a more difficult location within the cage would significantly add challenge to the task. For instance, not near a perch or behind another toy. Once our birds get things figured out, it's time to make things just a little more complex. This isn't cruel and it keeps them busy, thinking, and not bored. Try it!

Breakfast Produce Behavior

I observed an interesting behavior with my slender bill cockatoo, Chauncey. As you know, all parrots will selectively go through their bowl of produce and toss whatever doesn't suit their fancy. Heaven help you if the good stuff is on the bottom! All the less-desired pieces end up on the floor of the cage. Alas! Chauncey (my smartest parrot) stood on his dry food bowl and carefully removed the top layer of produce and placed the pieces in the dry food bowl. Then he ate the chunk of apple and proceeded to place the other pieces back in the produce bowl. Then he seemed to take delight in arranging them and re-arranging them by moving them between the two bowls. I found it interesting to watch him as he redistributed his morning breakfast. He is truly a thinking bird.