How to teach my BG to play

[Kevinlunde]

Hi all!

I just signed up to this forum, and i really appreciate all the nice comments from you. I will soon make a post where i present both me and Blu, but I just wanted to ask a quick question.

Im trying to get Blu to be more independent and play on his own, and i was wondering if any of you could give me som hints and tips on games or toys i could try out?

When he is out of his cage he prefers to be with us all the time, which is ok, but not all the time.

Any suggestions?

.Kevin

 

[tab_xo]

hello
fargos actually not a big fan of his toys at the moment, he will chew them a little bit, but doesnt seem entertained by them.. but he loves foot toys
and he also loves his big 4 draw foraging toy! it keeps him entertained for ages!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi Kevin and welcome to the forum Is Blu a Blue & Gold? How old? When my Niko was VERY young he didn't show all that much interest in toys (3-5months), and wanted nothing more but to hang out on me - all day if I had let him.

Slowly introduce him to different toys, and watch his reaction. Their facial expressions speak volumes. Tab is right about foot toys, they always seem to be a favorite (that is until they realize what their beaks can do to them in a fraction of a second...)

And I also agree on the foraging toys. BIG hit!

Again, much depends on your baby's age, and what he is used to play with. More info would be quite helpful.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Sorry for the double post. It's still REALLY early here, so with Sandman still in my eyes I missed that Blue is in fact a Blue & Gold. And I saw that he's only 3.5 months old, so he's a baby! How adorable!!

 

[Alisana]

I find that parrots are more interested in things they can't have. If there is a toy I want a macaw to play with, I play with it by myself, away from the macaw, but in sight. They start doing the shuffle around trying to see what you are so engrossed in, then finally, they give in to find out "what's that cool thing you have over there? Show me!"

 

[Kevinlunde]

Thanks for the tips

He is still a baby, and I know I have to be patient. But I would love it if he atleast was showing a little bit interest of doing stuff on his own.

Today I somehow got him to actually stay on the sofa and chewing some peanuts. Woho!! Progress!



.Kevin

 

[brianlinkles]

Kevinlunde I hear you! I have a baby greenwing, just under 5 mos. He likes nothing more than to be on me! If he sees me then he is coming over to hang out on me. I have given him two chances and on the third time he goes to his cage. I am trying to get him to hang out for a little while on the tree and eat some snacks or play with toys. He will play on his cage top if I am around the corner however once he sees me that's over with! LOL I'm hoping with age he will get a bit more independant!

 

[JJones1719]

I would not allow my Macaw on top of their cage. I have play stands and play gyms for both my boys. Sometimes ontop of the cage can lead to aggression. I find that getting on the floor or couch with a bird safe toy or ball and behave in a way that may seem a little crazy, the more excited you get over playing with a toy, the more they seem to enjoy it. I also hide treats in their toys so they are pleased to find their favorite treat in a toy and this too gets them to play with their toys. Best of luck Joe

 

[Kevinlunde]

Thanks for all your comments=)
Blus cage is in a seperate room. Whenever we are home, he is let out of the cage, and can go wherever he wants, so we dont have a problem with territorial behavior yet.
My concern is that since he is handfed, he can become to attached to me, and that it may become a problem later. So I want to teach him from an early stage how he can play on his own, and actually be able to be in the livingroom minding his own business sometimes. I do understand that he is young, and still a baby, but if I do this from the beginning it will never be a problem. I want him to be independent, but at the same time, I really love having him in my lap, just cuddling=)

I bought a chewing toy for him today, wich he really liked. He spent a good 30 minutes on the kitchen table playing with the toy, but when he saw me going in the livingroom, he dropped the toy and came right on my shoulder. There is hope, but i guess it will take som time=)

.Kevin

 

[JJones1719]

kevin, hang in there. Like you stated, your Macaw is just a baby and will grow up with more independents.

If your looking for a more independent Macaw, you have to start out by placing them on a schedule just like having children.
This mean, putting them to bed at night, waking them in the morning, feeding times throughout the day. Play time with you and your Macaw, Alone time, and even play time with the Macaw on their own but never out of your sight. They will thrive with this type of schedule and will let you know when your not on their schedule.lol

The most important thing at this age is bonding time with you and you making your home a happy safe place for your Macaw.

Best of luck and please post pictures. Thanks Joe

 

[Kevinlunde]

Thanks Joe
You can see pics on my album on dropbox here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e4tcbzohz2n0bgt/bPd6pzJ7iC

.Kevin

 

[Kevinlunde]

The weekend has landed!
During the last couple of days we have done a lot of playtraining with Blu, and things are already going forward

One thing he really enjoys is water, which you can see in the video

[ame="http://youtu.be/gSnGbhEWyK4"]Blu drinking water - YouTube[/ame]

I have just uploaded the video, so I guess it will take a little while before its ready

Have a nice weekend!!

 

[plax]

What a cutie blu is He certainly has drinking from the faucet down to a science!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Great video! Thanks so much for sharing. Blue is so precious, what a pretty baby!

He sure enjoys that tap water, doesn't he? :32:

 

[Kevinlunde]

Tap water is the best he is still afraid of the shower, but this is good progress