teeny gyms?

[bug_n_flock]

What do y'all use to keep your budgies entertained? Fatty is soso smart and playful, and it seems like after 1 day (or less depending on how long he is out for, we are up to 1-3 hours at a time now, whoo-hoo!) He is bored with his gym and is donedone with it. I put some ladders around on cages and shelves and stuff and he explored that yesterday and busied himself stealing hay from the chinchillas as they slept (lol!). Today he keeps trying to investigate "the door with claws" which is the door behind which my cat is desperately and pathetically trying to get my attention. Fatty is stupid when it comes to the cat. She tries to eat him thru his cage bars, he tries to flirt with her paws and nibble on her claws. I'm having horror flashes of him getting close to the door while she is sitting there and getting got. Best solutiin I can come up with is to get him interested in something away from the door.

He will watch videos with me on my phone, but when I start typing he gets bored and wanders off (or tries to help type, with adorable results). He is too interested in Alex, who still isn't a member of the Fatty Fan Club, and avoids him or hisses at him and pouts.

Thinking about getting a few nontoxic house trees to cycle thru letting him destroy. Been thinking of this a while but have never acted on. I have a decent sized hibiscus, but can plant a few other things. Anyone ever done this or similar or have any other tips on entertaining a very puckish parakeet?

From phone

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Bumping you up to the top here....

"Fatty Dingdong" That name is so hilarious it makes me just thinking of it! Poor Fatso lol.

Budgies (from my experience at least) are a very busy little birdie! They love to investigate,explore,chatter/sing/talk,cause havoc,be a little PEST,but be soooo loving and adorable,all at the same time!

When I was just a young teenager Mom got me "Wally" a baby light blue (gorgeous) little guy. He tamed down in no time and became an instant loving pet within weeks. He was full of mischief.."helping" me with homework at the kitchen table by jumping on my hand while I tried to write,boxing/beating up the pen or pencil,chattering away,calling it names,as I tried to write then he'd hop off and grab whatever papers were on the table and drag them to the edge,just to throw them off and watch as the paper fluttered to the floor
As soon as he came out of his house (which was on a stand in the kitchen) he'd ZOOM as fast as he could,down the hall's to the living room,and land a top of the large mirror that was affixed to the wall,and hang UPSIDE DOWN as he whistled/chatted/swore ( yep,SOMEONE taught him a bad word :54 at the other birdie in the mirror!

Mom had an indoor kitty (Moe) who knew NOTHING about birds,and Wally would often pick at Moe's tail while she flipped it around,then climb onto her back,as Moe walked around lol.

On the kitchen table he had his very own play gym..a ladder to climb up,a spinning wheel (like for a hamster) that he loved to get into and RUN as fast as he could..a little 'keet mirror he loved to whistle to and bang with his beaky. Wally also would love to roll a small,empty medicine bottle around the kitchen table,usually throwing it off the edge to watch it hit the floor,and then watch DAD (ME!!) pick it up again for him.

Budgies/'keet's love greens! I remember "Hearts Mountain" manufactured all sorts of budgie seeds and toy's ( don't know if they are even in business anymore..we are going back over 45 years now!) They had this little green growing thing. You'd snap the sprout grower to the inside of his house and water it daily,and in a couple days "sprouts" would grow,and Wally would stand on the little plastic perch and chow down on his greens!

I guess what i'm trying to get at is this..'keet's/budgies are pretty well self-entertaining! I THINK I have seen little gyms advertised on Amazon. 'Keets are very smart for such little things,and learn fast. Toilet/paper towel tubes are very interesting to them! they chew 'em to shreds and run thru them. They love little whiffle ball type things to roll around and chase and yell at.
Just experiment with Fatty (lol.."Fatty".. )

Another pic of the cute guy would be awesome also! Good Luck!!




Jim

 

[GaleriaGila]

Good stuff, Jim.

Fatty Dingdong, the puckish parakeet!

And then we have Alex... he needs a good nick-moniker, too!!!!!

 

[jugoya]

Stuff something under the door or get a door cozie too keep kitty claws from getting under the door
... Or poor Fatty from doing the same.

My budgies used to squeeze under the closed doors.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Straw can be dangerous, it tends to be full of aspergillosis and other baddies that make fat little b@st@rds, I mean budgies, sick. And one tiny cat scratch can deliver enough gram negative bacteria to kill. So yeah, some kind of plastic like mylar around the outside or woven through the bars to keep kitty out would be well advised. As for toys... in good weather, you can stick a whole maple or other safe branch in there leaves and all (washed well of course) and let him enjoy destroying it. Some people weave greens in the cage bars, or paper towels, or something else chewy. Does he like to ring bells? How about a box of little foot toys he can steal and hide away?

 

[bug_n_flock]

Straw can be dangerous, it tends to be full of aspergillosis and other baddies that make fat little b@st@rds, I mean budgies, sick. And one tiny cat scratch can deliver enough gram negative bacteria to kill. So yeah, some kind of plastic like mylar around the outside or woven through the bars to keep kitty out would be well advised. As for toys... in good weather, you can stick a whole maple or other safe branch in there leaves and all (washed well of course) and let him enjoy destroying it. Some people weave greens in the cage bars, or paper towels, or something else chewy. Does he like to ring bells? How about a box of little foot toys he can steal and hide away?

Eh, Aspergillis may be hiding away on stale/moldy pet store hay, but the critters who I mostly feed the hay to are very very sensitive critters. I don't buy pet shop crap, I get my hay from a quality source, and it is fungus-free, at least thus far. Way I see it, Budgies and other grass parakeets eat grass with their seeds and what is hay but dried grass? I don't offer it specifically to the birds(tho I have been considering it lately), but the little bits they steal from the other animals aren't going to hurt them any. Chins are *very* delicate critters, I'd know if there was an issue with their hay.

Fatty has plenty of in-the-cage toys, I'm more looking for suggestions on keeping the little s#!& occupied while out and about. Tho that is a good idea about the box of foot toys, think he needs one of those.

posting from old computer in desperate need of a new keyboard, please forgive any typos.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Hmmmm, anyone ever try those gyms that fold into a box on the wall? They worth it or junky? Might try and DIY something similar but modular to allow for more interest hours.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I just bought this climbing net and so far Kermit loves it! Ducky is super afraid of it (lol he’s such a scaredy bird) and my budgies haven’t discovered it yet. If Fatty like to fly up on high places, this is ideal. Can add some real excitement to a room and is a nice alternative to a normal, boring play gym. Just add some toys and watch your bird go crazy!

 

[Inger]

I just bought this climbing net and so far Kermit loves it! Ducky is super afraid of it (lol he’s such a scaredy bird) and my budgies haven’t discovered it yet. If Fatty like to fly up on high places, this is ideal. Can add some real excitement to a room and is a nice alternative to a normal, boring play gym. Just add some toys and watch your bird go crazy!

Where did you get that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I just bought this climbing net and so far Kermit loves it! Ducky is super afraid of it (lol he’s such a scaredy bird) and my budgies haven’t discovered it yet. If Fatty like to fly up on high places, this is ideal. Can add some real excitement to a room and is a nice alternative to a normal, boring play gym. Just add some toys and watch your bird go crazy!

Where did you get that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Amazon. Here is the link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071CYD64S?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

 

[bug_n_flock]

Oh that thing is fabulous. Thanks for the tip, I think I'll get some hemp or sisel rope and just make like 8+ of them to put in various places.