Lesson 3: Decision Made - Now What?

Toys – Which to Choose?

Now we come to the fun stuff. There are dozens and dozens of bird toys to choose from and most are really enticing. The first thing to consider, with your grey, is that they are shy and very sensitive. That big red ring with all the colored ties, bells and sqiggly stuff may be great for a macaw or cockatoo but your grey is going to screech and climb to the top of his cage when you try to convince him its fun. They don’t like loud colors and they seem not to prefer the multi purpose toy. Greys learn from watching. When I want to introduce a new toy I play with it in front of my bird before putting it in the cage. I show him how it works and try to impress him with my enthusiasm. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. If he has made a prejudgment about the toy because of its color, or size, or something about it he just doesn’t like then all my effort may be wasted. When this is true I don’t leave the toy in the cage. Instead I take it out and place it on a table nearby so the bird can see it but doesn’t have to react to it. In a few days I try again. If I meet with failure a number of times I usually give up and see if one of my other birds is interested in playing with this particular toy. (Surprisingly the smallest bird in my house, a lovebird, really likes to tackle those too bright, too large toys the grey rejects).

Greys are destructive. In the wild, they spend their days chewing on trees, plants or anything that comes their way. In their cages these parrots have the same instinct. Buy them destructible toys, especially wooden ones, and your grey will be happy. My bird especially likes the wooden ladders. It keeps him busy for hours dismantling them one rung at a time.

Toys should be rotated from time to time but don’t change them all at once. Make sure your bird is comfortable with a new toy or an old one coming back in the cage before you leave him alone. If they are frightened they will probably spend all day at the top of the cage as far away from the toy as possible or even start screaming or growling at it. Greys do not forget, or forgive, easily.

I have found one toy that my grey doesn’t want to leave his cage. It’s a small hard plastic oblong with three colored beads. When I gave him this toy he actually hugged it to his face. It still remains his favorite and is never taken out of the cage. I have no idea why this particular toy was so favored. Spend time watching your bird at play. Notice the toys that just hang there or are thrown on the floor and not picked up again. Pay attention to the ones that are played with again and again. He will communicate to you when he’s pleased and when he’s bored.

I find that one of the essential toys that also will not leave the cage is the preening toy. These are usually pieces of short cotton rope attached to a cone like shape and suspended from the cage top. Of course my grey has reached the age of sexual maturity and it is more important for an older grey to have this type of toy than a baby. They will pick, pluck and groom the cotton ropes to their heart’s content. Treating the toy pretty much as they would treat a mate.

The link http://www.nalanitoys.com/ is a must see since a majority of their toys are designed to please greys. Have fun shopping!

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