clever, but doesn't play with toys

PouchFairy

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Hi everyone,
I'm now a month in from getting Pika the Parrotlet. He has taken to training really well and already had a list of tricks he can do (target, spin, tunnels, shake hands, kiss etc), he lets me give him head tickles if I have millet in my hand, and will fly onto my hand (again, with millet!). So he's doing really well it seems.
His normal routine is: I get him up about 7am for his breakfast of chop, seeds and pellets (pretty sure he only eats the seeds), then open his cage about 9 when I start work, he will come out on a perch or fly out and we do some training, then he will fly back into his cage and sit fluffed up under his UV light, repeat throughout the day, he likes chirping along to music, by 5pm he is settling himself down to sleep it seems, and I close the curtains and door to his room about 7pm.
However, he does not play with toys in any sense, doesn't seem to even notice that they are there, even when stuffed with his favourite sunflower seeds.
I still don't know how old he is, the place I got him from described him as young. But on his ring are the numbers 24 1 19, could that be his hatch date?
Anyway, I just wondered if there are any tips for getting him interested in his toys? Or if anyone sees I have been getting his routine wrong with something? I would appreciate any advice 🙂
Thanks!
 
Hi,

Feed him his chop in the morning and provide pellet or seed etc at a different time so he cant just pick out his favourite thing which will most likely be the seed. Do you just feed him in the morning? Mine get chop in the morning and then some seed or sprouted seed at dinner time. He was probably hatched 2019. I dont know how old mine are for sure but i think around 4 years. Mine werent interested in toys for almost the first year that I had them and then one day they just decided to start shredding one of their toys. Their favourite toys are ones they can shred and their swing. Try a variety of different toys. Mine still dont play with foot toys. Sounds like you're getting on well though 😊
 
Dear Pika he sounds like he is doing well and has his routine. I would not worry about him not playing with toys, he may do one day though.
 
Thanks 🙂 he gets fed in the morning, then I add a bit more seed and pellets at lunchtime and again around 4.30. Not too much though. He sits by his bowl and chirps at me which I took to mean he's hungry! I have tried just giving him chop and then give seed and pellets later, but after a minute of investigating the chop he sits there and squawks, perhaps I should have another go and persist.
 
Sounds to me like his a 2019 also does he have a colored ring? 2019 was black if i remember correctly. Not all have colored rings.
 
I can only say all my birds have always have food available 24/7 plus of course water, they eat what they want when they want but we all do things differently.
 
Sounds to me like his a 2019 also does he have a colored ring? 2019 was black if i remember correctly. Not all have colored rings.
Hi friend 🤗 pretty sure it was black if i remember correctly from previous post 🤔 so 2019 would be most likely
 
Hi friend 🤗 pretty sure it was black if i remember correctly from previous post 🤔 so 2019 would be most likely
Yup i think its his date of birth on the ring although reggies reads really confusing looks like his a 2014 bird lol but its that he was 20 bird an number 14 🙄
 
I can only say all my birds have always have food available 24/7 plus of course water, they eat what they want when they want but we all do things differently.
Sure, I don't take the food away from him, I add to it twice a day after breakfast, and he eats millet and sunflower seeds when training 2 or 3 times a day. I don't think he's going hungry 🐦
 
Don't worry if you bird don't play with toys. Some of our birds do and others don't. My Hahn's only seems to play with her noisy toy's, but she has toys that I never see her play with, but judging by the bite marks in them, it appears that she does when I'm not looking.

Try enrichment and foraging for your bird.

Try the foraging tree show at 7.33 in this video

 
Don't worry if you bird don't play with toys. Some of our birds do and others don't. My Hahn's only seems to play with her noisy toy's, but she has toys that I never see her play with, but judging by the bite marks in them, it appears that she does when I'm not looking.

Try enrichment and foraging for your bird.

Try the foraging tree show at 7.33 in this video

Thanks 😁
 
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