Does your bird play alone?

[KOZKO]

Our Sun Conure - Nibbler doesn't really seem to play with toys very much - I hear lots of comments of people and all the toys that your bird should have but he doesn't really seem to play alone - for the most part he just wants to hang out and be with us like a puppy dog he wants to sit on you, to scratch him and he will occasionally play will you if you want to play with a toy and interact with him but for the most part he's a "lap dog" which I am fine with - lol. Just wondering if anyone else has a bird dog...

 

[Xraysrrad]

Hi KOZKO,

My conure doesn't play with toys except in the evening, after dinner, before he settles in for the night. His cage is open from the time I get up in the morning, until bedtime, when we are home. He much prefers human companionship and is currently using me as a jungle gym while I am typing.

I also have 2 children and they both have their separate play times with him as well. In the evening, he is the biggest cuddle bug. Snuggle time while we watch TV.

I think they all have their own personalities.

Robin

 

[Kiwibird]

Kiwi would PREFER to hang out 24/7, but he is not given that option. He had to learn to self-entertain (that or he can nap or stare into space, that's his choice, but in any case, he does not get to be attached at the hip to a human at all times). Both my husband and I used to work all day, so he spent all day alone (and was fine). Now that I no longer work outside the home, he STILL gets several hours (usually in the afternoon) to be alone.

Is he ever alone for more than a few hours at a time? If not, you need to make some changes to prevent behavioral issues from arising.

 

[RavensGryf]

My boys love to play alone. I can have an unpredictable schedule, and I used to work long hours, so they are used to AND are completely fine with their alone time. Many times they want to be alone to do their own thing too. Conures might be a little more inclined to want to be your Siamese Twin if you let them, but any species should learn what alone time is, and be able to self entertain if need be. I hope not, but I always think when I hear this situation *what if* a bird owner has an emergency that takes you out of the house all day? It would be of great benefit if the bird was trained to be independent.

 

[mh434]

Both of ours play alone all the time. They do each have specific, favorite toys that they won't be without, though, and these toys figure into ALL their play. Our GCC has a bunch of hard plastic "angry birds" (ironic...isn't it?) cat toys that he adores. He chases them around the bottom of the cage, carries them up to the top, and bomb-drops them into his water dish. Then he fishes them out, and the process starts again.

Our blue-crowned, on the other hand, has a dangling toy (blocks, rope, and a bell on the end) on the outside of his cage. He spends hours playing with it, particularly with the bell, ringing it every 10 seconds or so.

Both, of course, show off for us, but they're perfectly happy playing on their own.

It might be that Nibbler just hasn't found his "favorite" toy yet...

 

[JerseyWendy]

All of mine play quite well alone, especially if they know I fiddled with something in their cage. New things to dismantle, new things to make toothpicks out of, new things to rattle, clank or ring.

 

[Allee]

My birds are almost always willing to hang out with humans but they can also entertain themselves for long periods of time. Like Wendy said, new things to destroy are irresistible.