New Toy

[jenica1026]

Hi all,

Just an update - Rise and Shine are back in the same cage and okay with that and their play area is only on the bookcase now so that helps me put them to bed at night. Of course, their play area is anywhere they want to be as they are flying over to sit on our laptop screens and the back of the couch - lol! They are checking us out! As I made their balls yesterday, Rise was flying over and sitting on the finished ball and even playing with it in my hand which just thrilled me so as you can see they are very spoiled - lol!

Okay to the new toy - I found what they call milkshake straws yesterday at Big Lots - I think the Dollar Tree might have something like that - it seems like I have seen them before but yesterday, I thought maybe they would like these. I got 50 for $1.80 and I am cutting them in thirds for foot toys and they do like them - I laughed to see Rise put his top beak inside the straw as he was checking it out.

I am now in pursuit of how to use them besides foot toys as they think it is fun to drop them on the floor and have me pick them up - anyone who has a baby has played this game and it gets old for me but apparently not for them. Well, I just thought I would tell you all about these new types of straws and if someone has found them before and has some ideas, please let me know. Jan

[AJPeter]

Thank you it is nice to have updates ask Microsoft!

[jenica1026]

Hi all,

I decided to try stuffing the milkshake straw with some Wrights 12/32" / 9.5 mm cotton filler cord (it came in a 6 yd. package) I got from JoAnn Fabric and Craft store. I cut the milkshake straw in thirds so about 3" and I cut the cord about 6-8" and stuff the straw with it and knot the ends. I gave them to Rise and Shine and they treated them like foot toys and eventually dropped them on the floor so after a time or two like that, I decided to put each of these toys on a string of hemp rope and hang them from their play stands.

I would not put these in their cage as I have seen Rise get entangled with something in the past (can't remember what I had created but he doesn't get that any more) and I just don't like the idea that they may have something that could harm them if they are unsupervised - while they are out playing we are around and usually with them but when they are in their cage it could be while we are gone or during the night, etc.

Anyway, here is a video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTs9c9_ZTGY ) with Rise playing with one of the new foot toys - Shine was not allowed access to them as they were all on the top of their cage and Rise was protecting them - once I hung them then Rise would fly off Shine from one end of the play stands and he would land on the cage and play with the one on the cage door and so it went back and forth until Rise gave up and played with the one he was nearest. And like I said once they started dropping them on the floor, I decided to string them - they have even unknotted them from the string which I like I say in the video they do like to unknot knots so a lot of fun with just this simple toy. Enjoy, Jan

[ringneck]

Wow, look at Rise go! He sure is adamant about undoing that knot! You're so right, a busy bird is a quiet bird.

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C

[jenica1026]

Hi all,

I am trying to find a new way of present drinking straws to Rise and Shine as I think our run with the milkshake straws is over and they are screaming more and not playing - well, Shine seems disinterested.

My problem isn't as much with them as I understand boredom but my husband is screaming "No", "Shut-up", etc. at them and even though I tell him not to that they don't understand and he should understand that, I am playing the oreo middle man and getting very frustrating in what I am seeing happening - please help.

What do your baby(ies) like to play with? I am trying something different today in that I have taken an 18" piece cotton rope and knotting then end and placing a bendable drinking straw in the knot and knotting the straw like I have around the cat toy drum as seen in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZiBo_ ... litPN3juJA and then putting a putting a piece of 2" - 3" piece of milkshake straw and knotting the long end around the straw and putting a popsicle stick in the knot (tightening it as much as possible) and then putting another piece of milkshake straw and another knot with a bendable straw and continuing in this manner until the cotton rope is full and knotting the end then holding the end knot together I take a piece of hemp string and tie the ends together and hand this circle from their play stands.

My husband has a headache this morning so the boys are in their cage for now but I am hoping this will give them something new to play with and keep them busy. I have pulled out some new (old) toys for them to revisit with the same hope as boredom is no fun for them or us.

What is your IRNs favorite toy(s) - what do they play with the most? Please help as my husband is ready to take them back to the bird aviary where they came from (they will take them back which I am thankful for but I love Rise and Shine so please help me). Jan

PS I am making headway with Rise as he sits on my knee or arm as I make toys and will come over to me and fly down on a milkshake straw to play with me - we are learning step up. Shine has been approaching my husband and usually he likes the attention from Shine - Shine will even sit on the couch back very close to him, on the floor lamp stand and even on his laptop screen top which he doesn't mind but because they are screaming more (either learned or just doing it on their own), he is making Shine fly off as screaming that close to him does hurt my husband's ears and I understand that. Thank God it is rare that they both scream at the same time and it usually doesn't go on for more them 5 or 10 minutes but that is a lot to listen, too even for that. My husband can't even endure that quieter noises from them and I keep telling him to talk to them for if they learn to talk, I am hoping the talking is like their quieter noises which he used to tolerate. We have them in our livingroom and there isn't another room to put them in but even if we did, I would think they would scream from their and probably longer and louder. Their cage is covered up around 5 p.m. and they quiet then obviously. Well, please help me as I love my boys and want peace for all - thanks.

[AJPeter]

My Alex hen has the hood of a gaberdine raincoat with zip taken out and the fur lining, she loves to scratch on top and underneath this is her main toy, but in the past she loved beads and before that my buttons some of my shirts have no buttons left. She also has some large plastic triangles she loves to bang these about when l am watching TV!

[Wessel Gordon]

Jenica,

I have a 6-7 month old Congo African Grey that seems completely fixated on buttons so I thought that if you take the straws, some odds and ends buttons and somehow attach it to the straw it might make a good toy. Perhaps it's a good idea to run a piece of rope up the straw(s) depending on how long you want the toy to be first and attach it to the top of the cage. The buttons and the straws hanging from the top should keep them fascinated for hours.

I'm going to try and come up with something similar for my African Grey since whenever he sees a button he turns into a heat-seeking missile and nothing distract him from trying to remove the button.

Wessel

[jenica1026]

Hi AJPeters,

I have heard IRNs (well maybe all birds) like buttons - can you give them any kind of buttons? I purchased some from JoAnns that are various shapes with a Christmas theme imprinted (not painted) on them - could I give this to them?

Since you have a female, is she trying to find somewhere dark to make a nest so you think - would my boys like a dark tunnel type of thing do you think? I found this video yesterday as I was searching for toys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9s7-PkVW7s and wondered if they would like that - what do you think? She sells them on Etsy (well I thought her video said so but all I am finding this video by someone and it doesn't have holes for toys but I am asking about whether they can drill some holes for toys and will let you know) - anyway this is what I found on the Etsy website when I searched for bird tunnel - https://www.etsy.com/listing/215445853/ ... panel=true

Also, notice that whoever this is on Etsy has foot toys and platforms - 83 different items for sell - I don't know them so I can say whether these items are good or not but I am thinking of purchasing the tunnel if you think they would like going into a dark place and sitting and/or playing. I am not sure how your female is using your hoody exactly - can you show me a picture/video? Thanks for your help, Jan

[jenica1026]

Hi Wessel,

As soon as I can figure out what are safe buttons, I think I will try what you suggested.

Oh, I put some peanuts and straws in a 8 oz clear plastic bottle and I guess I am finding out they can't get the cap nor the items out of it but it has kept them busy this morning and thank the Lord, my husband has done better with them today - he really does like the birds - just not the noise and I understand but like the old saying "if Momma ain't happy..." - that's my husband - they really should change the saying - lol! Thanks again for your help. Jan

[AJPeter]

Jenica my hen is an Alexandrine parrot a cousin to a Irn l watched some of the video the idea is good and maybe one day she might get some pipe. She is a lot bigger than IRN
and l got her a Chinchilla nesting box which is ideal because she can turn round in it.

Billie my bird likes pearly button but only when they are sewed on she cuts through the thread and then she loses interest in the button.

Most toys l buy her she ignores or chews them up, so l keep it simple just things she could find around the house.

When l first go Billie she screamed the place down and so l blew a refereee's whiste at her and now she does not say a mumbling word!

About this time last year she started to look for a nesting site and flew to all sorts of places that looked interesting and finally laid 10 eggs she ate the first six. l broke one she laid from the top of the cage and the that egg broke l cannot remember what happened to the other two, then she started to look for a nesting site again in September this tme flying to the floor and getting into the most awkwards places then she started to lay again in October, the first one she ate and then two in October and two in November I put them into the nesting box inside her cage and she sat on them until the middle of November when l gave her Dummy eggs to sit on and she sat on these until the middle of December when l took them away from her.

[Wessel Gordon]

Jenica,

Around my African Grey the only safe buttons seems to be the ones hanging in the cupboard...if it's within eyesight it's fair game.

If I had to bet I would say a fairly large metal button (such as those you find on overalls etc) might be your safest option. They're big enough so an IRN won't accidentally swallow them and they're big enough for a decent foothold. Any small plastic buttons or ones covered in cloth I'll be wary of for the simple reason that bits of the button can splinter off and be ingested, leading to emergency visits to the vet if it blocks the airway (worst case scenario but better safe than sorry).

It's a bit hard to predict how your boys will react to buttons since birds are like humans: fascinated by different things.

Wessel

[jenica1026]

Hi Wessel,

I was thinking about plastic buttons and not metal and thought you would be telling me to be wary of metal buttons since my boys could get some sort of metal poisoning (zinc, etc.) so I am surprised you mentioned using metal - although, I can see that metal would be much more appealing to them.

I don't know if they make all steel buttons but as I type this, I do have some all steel washers I purchased to hang some wood platforms in their cage.

Perhaps the steel washers could work in place of metal buttons? As I know I could hang them on string and incorporate them with drinking straws. What do you think? Thanks for your help, Jan

[jenica1026]

Hi all,

I made a new toy today again with milkshake straws and this time with a whiffle ball and I put some popsicle sticks inside the straws where I could as some straws were bent or very open without being pushed by other straws and so the popsicle sticks fell out of these straws.

So here is the video where you can see Rise playing with my new creation http://youtu.be/pgxWiKKcCjY Hope you enjoy see my boys, Jan

[Wessel Gordon]

Jan,

You're right...I forgot about the danger of metal poisoning and was just thinking of the "bling" factor that seems to always catch a bird's eye.

The steel washers should work so a trail run might be a good idea.

Wessel