Toys and Birds!

Birds can get very bored when left alone. It is good to get them different types of toys to play with. They need to have toys in their cage. This gives things to do while you aren’t giving them attention. They also need toys to stimulate their minds and they need them to shorten their beaks, so they don’t get too long. Some good toys can be ones with multiple colors, textures, sounds, variations in size, or toys that produce a challenge for the bird.

A bird will want colorful toys because they can see a wider spectrum of colors then us. They will like having colorful toys because they are so pretty. The colorful toys will also make the cage look really nice since it adds some pop to the cage. It will add color to the cage making it happy, like your birds.

A toy with textures can be fun for birds because it simulates the mouth and feet. The bird can chew on the toy, and enjoy the texture. The bird can also climb or sit on the toy enjoying the feeling of the texture. The texture could scratch their feet or be comfy on their feet, causing them joy and happiness for having a great toy.

The sounds in a toy or a toy that can make sounds can be important. The sounds make the birds happy hearing them. Birds like to make a lot of noise, so getting a toy that can make noise is perfect. The bird may even try to imitate the noise. This can stimulate the birds mind. The birds would be highly entertained and satisfied with these noise making toys.

A bird’s toy size and challenge are also important. The size of the toy can help determine what birds can use it. If you get a toy that is too big for the size of the bird, it will scare the bird making the bird unhappy which in turn makes you unhappy because of the screeching that you are probably having to endure. It is important to match the size of the moving parts on a toy to the size of your bird’s beak. This will allow the bird to chew and manipulate the moving parts making the game more interesting. Challenging games can also be really good for birds because it will challenge their brains and thoughts. It will challenge them to think about how to play with their toy and stimulate their minds to really think.

Overall, it is really important to have toys for your birds. The birds need to play and have things to entertain them. They need to have things to keep them stimulated and happy while you are gone or not taking them out.

November 14, 2018 0

Training to do Tricks!

Have you ever wanted your bird to do a trick or say something? Here I will be providing some tips to help teach your birds how to talk and do tricks. It will take a lot of time and hard work, but it will pay off by watching your bird do amazing things!

To get a bird to do a trick, it will take a lot of preparation and repetition. First, start by

introducing the trick to the bird. Show the bird videos or have the bird do the trick with you. Another way to introduce the bird is to guide it through the trick with your hands. This process can take a very long time, because your bird will have to take quite a bit of time to get used to the trick. For example my conure, Hershey has been working on a trick for about half a year, but she is just now really getting the concept. The trick I have been teaching her is hanging upside down. I flip her over and she will climb back up to the top of the hand.

Teaching your bird to talk takes a very long time. It takes a lot of repetition of the words, noises, or phrases for the bird to finally learn the words. For example if you are teaching a bird to say hello, you wold need to repeat hello to them every day. The first thing I taught my birds to do is make kissing sounds. They can both make the sound, and now they make it whenever they want lots of attention. My cockatiel, Snickers, also knows how to say Pretty Bird from me repeating that phrase to him so many times.

You can either teach the birds by word of mouth or play a recordings or phases from a device to teach the bird. The birds will imitate what you sing or say, so be careful. A bird can pick up bad words even if they only heard it once. Your birds will then continually

repeat phrases, once they know them. A helpful tip for teaching songs is knowing how to whistle. This gives the birds a good way to really hear the song and mimic it. My cockatiel, Snickers knows how to do a whistle that goes “Wooo-Woo”

Have fun training! Birds are great and will always be fun to be around. They will learn tricks and sing songs for your enjoyment. Just work with them for awhile, and they will know their tricks and songs to entertain you with.

October 23, 2018 0

Working With Your Bird

A recurring challenge that can be found with birds is finding a way to play with them

while multitasking. Your bird may have an attitude, and only want you to pay attention to them. You must multitask while playing to get your job done. They will really want to be out no matter what you are doing.

How this challenge of multitasking first comes up, is that they will try to distract you from your work. They could scream, bite,

annoy you, and more. They will continue doing this until you pay attention to them, and only them. If you give them attention and go back to work they will start distracting you again, so be prepared.

But, since this happens, just give your bird lots of love when you

are not working, also try different things with your bird. You could also take breaks every now and again to play with your birds. Also talking to them while you work distracts them. Another tip is if your hair is long to let it down, for your bird to play with.

How I met this challenge with my birds, is by moving them around. I will have both my birds out at the same time, but I have to keep them separate. For example I might have one bird on my knee, while the other is on my shoulder as I

work. I will talk to them and let them play with my hair while they are out to distract

them. I will also move them around to different spots on me.I might move them to my opposite shoulder, knees, or head. One of my birds really likes the top of my head. and will be calm there.

This still challenges me because my birds find new ways to get my attention to them. My conure, Hershey, finds ways to prevent me from doing homework all the time, and I just have to find ways to get her to stop. Like one time, I was reciting the Gettysburg Address, and she would stick her head in my mouth! So, find methods that work for you, and have some fun with your birds while you work.

Holding birds together, but keeping separate

September 25, 2018 0