Bored bird has picked up a risky hobby!

[Castlerock]

My two budgies are finally settling into life here at their new home... Pluto, the younger one, is doing fine, but big brother Gabe has decided he's not interested in any of the toys in the cage. They have a few different plastic toys that do different things (bells, colored pegs & rings, etc) plus foraging toys I make with paper, but he just doesn't want to play with any of them. He won't even shred anything I put in for him except the occasionally rolled-up newspaper. Instead, he's decided to make his own fun. Aside from the birds, we have a (very vocal) cat. This cat is obsessed with watching said birds, but we made sure no matter what he does he can't get at their cage. There's no way to jump to it + it's too high for him to just reach, and it's in the middle of the wall so he can't climb up elsewhere and jump from there. Gabe, in lieu of playing with toys, is learning to imitate the cat's various coos and noises. When the cat leaves the room, he chirps and squawks to get his attention and get him to come back. That accomplished, he'll sit on the side of the cage closest to where the cat is sitting and make these mimicked sounds at him, as well as fluff his feathers at him and generally do all manner of things to taunt the poor kitty. He seems to find this a great passtime, but I'm worried this could one day end badly. I'm already worried about taking him out of the cage, because if we lock the cat out of the room he'll be jumping on the door trying to get in if Gabe keeps screaming for him. (This is... not the smartest cat in the world, fyi. He once walked into a wall because I was talking to him and he was looking at me instead of paying attention to where he was going. Owwies.) Is there anything I can do to get Gabe more interested in toys than tormenting my poor kitty? :C

 

[suebee]

lol his toys do not come on his command! although it is funny, i'd just keep them apart when no one else is about

an gabe probably has no idea how much damage and pain the cat can do to him, bless

 

[MikeyTN]

Haha!!! My birds tornment the dogs and the cats. But they can't get to the birds. They only go after the smaller ones but they're in a glass aviary. But the birds sits on the edge taunting them...

 

[Gypsy]

I almost had a heart attack the other day. My little foster keet Bitty decided to let me know he could fly, after playing at being flightless for a week. He was on my shoulder as I was putting away dishes and I dropped a glass, which scared him into flight....where he landed right in front of my foster cat who had been licking her lips at him for the entire said week. I of course started to panick, and then realized after giving the bird a sniff, the cat just walked away.

 

[MikeyTN]

You got lucky there Gypsy!!!! If it would of been my big cat, he would go after it!!!! The other one is too chicken, she would flee....

 

[Mike]

Have you tried smearing peanut butter on a plastic toy? Use a toy which can be washed afterwards to remove the peanut butter--old food=sick bird. Assuming he finds the new coated toy more interesting than in the past, you should be able to get a similar interest at a later date once you've removed all the peanut butter.

I've heard a similar result can be achieved by rubbing bananas on the toy.

 

[ann]

this might intrest or freak your bird out lol- mabey get a wind up mouse (it sounds crazy but yes, the mouse is for the bird! ) and tie some millet spray to it and see if he goes after it! just be sure it is safe and non toxic, no metal or stuff he could get stuck in. good luck. btw i think its hilarious that your cat walked into a wall lol, poor kitty!