Won't play with toys

[ZivaDiva]

I have purchased a lot of toys for Ziva and the most she has done is picked at the baby links. She ignores everything. I visited the bird store this weekend that I adopted her from and was asking questions about her behavior. They would take food and toys to the woman that had Ziva as she is elderly. I was told that Ziva has never played with toys as the woman petted her and talked to her all day long so she never figured out what to do with a toy.

 

Ziva also doesn't have a favorite food or treat. It's been difficult as I can't figure out what to use for training. She will like a treat for a day or two and then refuse them after that.

 

So my questions are -

 

Any idea how to get her to play with toys? I play with them in front of her and act interested in them and she continues to ignore them. I feel awful that she's sitting in her cage all day while I'm gone. She sits on her perches and talks all day long - along with some lovely screaming.

 

Any idea about training without using treats? She's rather hormonal when she sees me and is crying and wants me to pet her. I'm avoiding that and would love to be able to use something else as a reward as I'm trying to teach her to step up. It's not going so well as all she does is run off.

[Raposa]

Wow, it sounds like you have a complicated situation there! Maybe if you start with smaller toys, just have them out and around and see if you can get Ziva to beak them at all? Have you tried treat/toy combinations to see if she will respond to them? Maybe you could pick a particular toy and spend a few minutes playing with it in front of her several times a day without trying to get her to play with it. Just let her watch, and act like it is YOUR toy. What is Ziva's diet? Does she eat at the same time as you? Does she show interest in your food? And how old is Ziva?

Sounds like I gave you more questions than answers, sorry about that!

[Tycos_mom]

I think that might be one way to help her learn to play with toys try some simple foraging toys with what she usually eats in them so that way if she's hungry she will have to figure out how to get the food show her a few times where and how to get the food and the let her go for it try someting simple first like string a few small margerine cups together and then in every second cup put some food and to get it she has to pull the lid off. Just a suggestion it might help her to start enjoying toys.

[ZivaDiva]

Thanks for the responses.

 

In answer to the questions -

 

I've tried all sizes of toys. She will take foot toys when out of the cage and drop them and laugh. If they are in her cage, she ignores them.

 

I play with toys nightly in front of her and have kept them out of her cage and she shows no interest, she talks instead. She also ignores the toys in her cage.

 

She is 6 years old and I've had her 3 weeks. I was told she has never played with toys. Her diet consisted of seed. I think she might have eaten worms from the garden also or at least that's what she says! (I'm not feeding her those. Yuck!)

 

I have been able to get her to eat grapes and apples but only 3 different times and now she won't touch them. She will eat some hard boiled egg, birdie bread and a bird pasta mix I boil. She only eats the pasta from the mix. She hates vegetables so far. The staff at the bird store said they've never seen a bird refuse peanuts before. I bought a bag of different kinds of nuts and she won't eat those either.

 

She will eat a few of the Harrison's pellets but she also likes making them into powder and throwing it around. She did eat some Lafeber popcorn treats the other night.

 

She does eat with me and has no interest in my food. I've offered it to her by hand and pretended to not notice if she got near my plate but it hasn't worked.

 

She has some foraging toys with toys and seed inside them and they are also ignored. I haven't been brave enough to hold food from her and only have it in the toys as I'm afraid she might drop the food out and then have nothing to eat.

 

I will continue to work on her diet and offer her different food and hope that works. I really want her to play with toys so she has something to do while I'm not home. Half of her cage is in front of a window and she does enjoy looking at the birds and traffic outside but it's not enough. I do play some music for her but no tv as I don't have one.

[Tycos_mom]

Give her time and she will do all things. When I first got Tyco 2 years ago she didn't know how todo anything she was locked in a cockateil size cage for 4 years she is 6 years old now and even though she still won't play with hanging toys except her boing and her bell she now loves foot toys and readily destroys and has a geat time with them. I bought her one the other day at walmart in the baby section that she just thinks is the best. when you move the handles back and forth it laighs,goes boing, says hello, and I love you she loves to smash it and throw it and its acrylic so she can't break it it also has a rattle in its bottom. we call it her bug a boo she says bug a boo bug a boo when she drops it and wants me to pick it up for her

 

[ZivaDiva]

That toy is awesome! I'm going to look for one the next time I'm at a Walmart or Target. Ziva loves to say boing, so she will love it. Thanks for including the picture. I really appreciate it.

[Storm_2007]

3 weeks is no time in the scheme of things. in fact you have made great progress in a short time for a bird that has been 6 years on seed. habits dont change over night.

its normal from them to grind pellets. there is always some powder

[Dave007]

ZivaDiva

It's a good idea to understand that as greys gets older many start to lose interest in the toys that many liked when they were immature. They revert back to their instincts of constant chewing and many toys get pushed to the side. If your bird doesn't wanna play with toys, he simply won't. It doesn't mean that there's a problem with his habits or personality. They also start paying attention to being very aggressive towards items in a cage that will fight back such as heavy duty bells. That kind of habit helps them with pent up tension. A bird may start chewing on a rope for hours at a time and you should consider that it's something that relaxes a grey. As they get older they become less active and spend more time relaxing as opposed to constantly playing with all the toys that are around. Usually with a grey, it's a good idea to make things that the grey can destroy. They find that very satisfying. Buying so many toys from pet stores is a waste of money when it comes to medium to large sized parrots.

[Guest jamalbirdbiz]

My mature greyz ar'nt into traditional toyz. They like seek and destroy missionz and flying, and the okaysional tennis ball seemz to peke there intrest two.

 

Jamal

[ZivaDiva]

Dave,

 

Any ideas what to give her? She's 6 and has never enjoyed toys. Her previous human had them for her but she always ignored them as the woman petted her all day long.

 

I can get her a bell but if she likes it, I'm not sure how much the neighbors will like it. I've given her paper and that shredding rope stuff and no luck yet.

 

I will do a search for toys she can destroy.

 

Thanks to everyone for the replies and advice.

[Luvparrots]

Perhaps foraging toys would be ideal for Ziva. There are many kinds some like pinatas made of paper with treats inside to enjoy after the trashing of the toy. Or plastic balls with slots in the sides so the grey can wrestle out the treat inside. And shredding toys made of different fibers, ropes, reeds and straws. Have patience with your sweet grey, they are so worth it!!!

[Dave007]

"""""I will do a search for toys she can destroy.""""

 

You can make them yourself. A couple of small blocks of wood with a hole drilled in it attached to a strong rope or a chain. Let it hang somewhere. Color isn't important when it comes to a parrot that wants to chew.

 

Go to the pet store and look for a cow bell. It's about 2 inches in diameter and has a clapper. They're usually attached to a chain. Hang it in the cage. Eventually, your bird will get into violent fights with it, knocking it all around. The bell will swing away and swing back and crash into the bird which they love. They'll retaliate over and over. Don't be surprised when sleep time arrives if you see the bird cuddling and resting with the bell next to it. The bell becomes their close friend and the bird relies on the bell to have fun with. And as far as your neighbors are concerned, I doubt that they'll even know whats going on. The bell will cost about $4 and will last forever.

 

PS--don't expect your bird to instantly take to the bell. Your bird will need a little time to study it and push it around to see what happens but once he takes to it, you won't be able to take it away.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/14 23:58

[ZivaDiva]

Luvparrots - I have no problem with patience. I just want her to not be bored and maybe she isn't, I don't know. Thanks for the advice. I will keep trying with the foraging toys. She has several!

 

Dave - regarding the bell, I've read they are not safe as they can remove the clapper and get their beak stuck in the hole where it connects. Have you heard of that? I do know of a bell - but not the cow bell shape - that is stainless steel and long so she wouldn't be able to get to the clapper. I might have to pick that one up.

 

Btw, the walls in my apt. are so thin, I hear the man in the apt. next to me and the one below me when they pee. I guess that means that can hear me also!

[Dave007]

The bell you're talking about is one of the cheap ones that are made for smaller birds and yes, they can cause problems.

If there was any chance that the one I'm talking about would cause problems, I wouldn't recommend it. In this bell, the clapper is permanent. It can't be removed even if you wanted to. This bell is rust proof and can't be bent. Just like any other item in a cage, the only thing that can happen to it is that it can get dusty. I have about 6 of these and I've never had a bird get it's beak stuck in it. The shape makes it impossible to get the beak or the head in. My friend has 2 of the next size larger ones and his macaws can't get their beaks in those bells. This bell does cost more then most but it's worth the money. This one is about 14 yrs old and only has scratch marks on it. About the only thing a bird can grab is the tip of the clapper.

But, don't get it if it will make you feel uncomfortable and more nervous and worried. No need to feel bad. It was just a suggestion. I'm very glad that I have them because it keeps my birds busy for hours. In case you're worried, let me make a suggestion---when hanging the bell, just make sure that the bell doesn't hang below your bird's head. As far as your neighbors, what can I say? Have them evicted.

 

 

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/15 02:33

[ZivaDiva]

Dave,

 

You are very funny. Trust me, I'd love to have my neighbors evicted! The building owner is a bird person so I'll be fine. I was just trying to be nice. But, Ziva is quiet at night so that should be enough.

 

Thanks for the photos and info on the bells. I will track one down and give it a try. I really appreciate your thoughts and ideas.

 

Joann

[Tycos_mom]

All my birds have one of those bells and Dave is right like I said the only hanging toys Tyco plays with is her bell and her boing all other toys have to be foot toys. She is very protective over that bell and if I ring it or touch it when shes not in her cage she comes running right now to see whos touching her bell.LOL Gizmo and Fergie also love their bells. Shady has one that I just bought to put in his new cage he hasn't quite figured out how to get around that huge new cage of his but I'm sure when he does and finds that bell he will love it also. They aren't expensive only about 5 dollars but worth every penny.

[she]

I agree,older greys prefere to wreck things, Charlie is made up if I give him an old phone book to chew up. It makes a real mess but so what if he is happy.