Tips on livening up Gizzy

[Jennamilito]

I got Gizzy from someone who wasnt taking care of him. He didnt play with toys, and sat on a plain perch that ran the width of his cage. I get him to play with some toys, and I've incorporated different types of perches for him. He seems to adapt ok, but he still seems bored.
Any tips on how to entertain him. How do you guys play with your amazons? What's safe and not safe?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

well, I've never had amazon, but Rosie came from a home were she never had toys. She liked foraging toys. For a long time the only toy she really played with was a coconut that I would put her pellets and seeds in and she would eat out of it. She also liked paper or cardboard she could hole punch lol

 

[weco]

You may have to teach him what toys are & how to play with them.....my patty didn't know how to play with toys, so we'd get down on the floor & I'd pull hanging toys around, rolled balls & jingled bells until she developed interests in them.....toys are not something a bird would naturally know about.....

 

[oled]

First company company company....and food stimulation...something working for food
Try to have a small stand so that he can eat together with hes family. Good luck

 

[SandyBee]

Include him in your routines at home, I bring Bosley with me to load the dishwasher, fold laundry, pretty much anything that doesn't pose a safety risk. Amazons love being the center of attention so lots of animated praise. They also want what they can't have, so pretend that he can't have the toy and then let him take it/steal it from you.
They are very curious by nature and also very food driven.

 

[Jennamilito]

Thanks everyone. Today, I put him on the carpet and now he's obsessed with it! He doesn't want to go back into or onto his cage. I take him with me around the house, and today, I took him out when I walked the dog. That was interesting. He seemed skittish but not harmed in any way.

Any tips on decorating his cage? Where to put perches and dangly toys?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Please be very careful when taking him outside. Any bird, including clipped, can fly when startled and even a very small breeze can give clipped birds lift. I highly recommend learning about the aviator harnes or [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Pak---Bird-Stainless-Steel-Carrier/dp/B004ZM6DBO/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1366162132&sr=1-4&keywords=celltei+pak+o+bird"]birdie back backs, [/ame]

This is a members bird flying with clipped wings

this is my fully flighted galah flying her her harness. When she only had one feather on each wing I was very lax with her harness and often took her out without it on. One day she suddenly had this really freaked out look and was really jumpy for the whole outing, right in front of our house she suddenly flew off my hand, all the way across the street and to the other side of a court. I felt so lucky I didn't loose her then and after that never took her out without her harness again.

 

[Jennamilito]

Please be very careful when taking him outside. Any bird, including clipped, can fly when startled and even a very small breeze can give clipped birds lift. I highly recommend learning about harness or birdie back backs,

This is a members bird flying with clipped wings

this is my fully flighted galah flying her her harness

Thank you! Gizzy is clipped but I didn't know he could still fly. Is it better for them to remain clipped?

 

[SandyBee]

health wise it is better if they fly, clipping is a personal choice that must be made with your lifestyle in mind. As copper said clipped birds can still fly and many owners have lost their bird this way.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

When it comes to clipping everyone has their own opinion.

In my opinion a flighted parrot is much healthier, and if for some reason they ever do escape they will be more likely to escape predators. Most pet birds don't have a lot of muscle, so at first they may seem like they hate flying. It took a lot of work and exercise to get Rosie fit. I also fly her outside on a long rope, also in wind, so she knows how to use the wind to her advantage rather than fight against like many pet birds do.

Not everyone is able to handle a fully flighted bird, it takes a lot of training and dedication. Many older birds, like my galah, don't fly as much as a younger bird who grew up flying would.

 

[Aquila]

Wings molt and grow back, so even if you clip once, you can decide if it's for you or not. Sydney isn't clipped but he's unable to fly, he can only (barely) coast down to the ground, and even then he's very uncoordinated. My green cheek flies great, unclipped. My Sun conure is still clipped because I'm training her, I intend to let them grow back in once I get her used to a harness.

As for toys? PHONE BOOKS! Sydney loves his and tears it to shreds, just remove the covers first. Also paper towel tubes, and they're great for hiding food in.

 

[Jennamilito]

Does anyone have any ideas on why Gizzy loves to hang out on the carpet? He's never done so before, but yesterday I put him on the floor to play with a small tennis ball. No interest in the ball, though. However, he's all about walking sideways and clucking and humming to himself while rubbing his beak across the carpet. It's weird, and cute. He says good boy to himself, and when I put him on his cage, he climbs right back down. He's never done this. Did I introduce him to a whole new play area?

 

[ShellyBorg]

My birds love to feel new textures. The TAG will roll on a couple really soft blankets. Even Danny is learning that some of my shirt jackets feel nicer then others. His favorite is my flannel one.
This may be the first time he has felt anything like it and really likes the feeling under his feet.