No Play

[cyra]

I have noticed something very strange about Venice, he does not play. At first I put it down to him just settling in, being somewhere new with a new family etc. but even now after all this time he will not play. I have tried numerous toys, bells, cotton rope etc. He showed very brief interest in some strips of paper but that is about it.
This is a constant thing both in and out of his cage. When in his cage he is either eating, sunbathing, resting or knocking on the bars because he wants out, when out he sits on chosen persons shoulder and even if he is taken off the shoulder he will just try to get back up there.
To me it seems a bit strange, especially when the other two love their toys, they spend most of their time hanging upside down off their toys lol.

[megzly]

Cyra, when i first got peanut he did this also, i had lots of toys for him but he didnt seem to like any of them! when i put in a wooden chew toy (for my rats actually but it is bird safe) he fell in love with it and chewed it to bits i then got a similar bird toy with a bell on it and now he is in love with that also- i think venice will play with his toys once he become used to them? mabye try putting him in a different spot in the house? i also found toilet rolls (the cardboard bit) to be a good toy, peanut like to push his around and tunnel through it. If you leave him in his cage for extended periods (not to saynot to take him out at all) or put him on his toys he may figure out what they are for- i also have a seed ball for peanut to roll around (another thing for the rats but peanut flogged it) and when he rolls it right treats come out- this also amuses him for quite some time!

[mydoona]

my new lovie doesn't play either,just sits on her perch all day...occasionally swings on her swing but never plays with her toys,I have only had her a month so I hope she grows out of it.

[farseeker]

Jedi used to be like this when I first got her. She never became HUGE on toys, but she did play. I would make a big fuss out of a new toy, act like it was my new 'favourite thing' and then leave it attached to the outside of her cage. They always had to be introduced slowly to her or she'd freak out. Once she got used to it I'd make a big fuss again over it while she was out, and more often than not she'd want to know what had my attention - in the end she'd give it a go herself.

[mydoona]

My new lovie is finally playing with the bells on a heart mirror I have in their cage...she is becoming more social with me now (which is good)..she doesn't run away like she used to.

[farseeker]

That's great, Mydoona! If she has taken a fancy to bells you could maybe use them to help her start to play with other toys. We did something similar for Tristan (one of our budgies) - we put in toys with bells cause they are the ones Anath played with most, and then waited until he'd seen her play with them and try them out himself. Then we attached a bell to toys that were 'cuddly' or 'chew' toys to encourage him to explore them. Now he likes to play with most of the toys in the cage- he just steers clear of one that Anath has designated as 'hers'.

[bickitrainer]

Bicki is exactly the same! I don't know how to spend time properly with him. He has no interests in toys and always wants to sit on my shoulder. The only way I spend time with him is teaching him tricks, it might not be a bad idea to do with your bird if you want your bird to do something good.

[silvercloud]

Thats great.Sometimes they just take time to settle.

Bickitrainer, there's nothing wrong with Bicki just sitting on your shoulder, you don't have to be doing things with him all the time, just being there with him close to you is a good thing too. ;D

[farseeker]

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that if that's what they want to do - Squee was big on cuddles, Jedi was a mixture of wanting cuddles and getting into mischief and Trouble at the moment - well, he'll cuddle for about five minutes and then want to go off exploring. Either that or try to help me remove that pesky ear of mine because it's FAR too big for me.

[cyra]

I have tried to teach Venice some tricks but can't seem to find a treat for him...he is so contrary he doesn't like anything. But I will keep trying anyway.
On the brighter side he has become very attached to hubby, I knew that was most likely going to happen as hubby is home more than I am. He actively seeks hubby out when he is let out of his cage, will hang upside down from hubby's fingers and is starting to take an interest in what hubby is eating, even tries to pinch a nibble while hubby is eating.
I also saw him playing with a popstick that he had in his cage the other day.

One thing I have noticed though is that if anyone has Venice sitting on their shoulder he will sit there very happily for a while and then all of a sudden for no reason he will lunge and nip at the person's earlobe. Not a friendly nibble but not a full on bite either, he does this to everyone. It can become very annoying and quite painful at times.

[bickitrainer]

Lol I know how you feel about the ear nibble thing.

I don't really like having Bicki on my shoulder because I'm afraid of boring him... I dunno... I'm weird.

Its good to see that he was playing with a popstick!! Tricks are definitley easier when you use the right treat.