My 11-year-old female CAG (Olivia) is suddenly bonkers over chicken scratching my carpet and ripping out bits I hate carpet but I can't do anything about that any time soon. What would you all suggest? She kind of took to me giving her a special towel to scratch on, but she got over it and I have to chase her around constantly now to save the carpet - she'll even hide under the sofa and scratch under there, so I've blocked it off. She's getting quite annoyed at me for stopping her.

Should I try to get her a carpet sample and hope she likes to scratch it? I wonder what would give her the same satisfaction...perhaps paper shreddings? Unsure if that would encourage some kind of nesting behavior...

Any ideas appreciated! She's chicken scratched before but never with such intensity and frequency.

Seems that she has done a great job of training you to follow her around the house. Towel the places she is most interested in.

Take care, they are extremely intelligent...

NOTE: Carpet 'samples can be problematic as they are commonly treated to keep them bright and the off-gassing can be dangerous to her.

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In each Morning's early light; there is a promise, an Amazon makes!

My CAG has never spent any time on the floor.
It was always my Yellow Nape that explored the floor looking fot dark places to make a nest.

My CAG developed a liking for my kitchen cupboard and shredded the phone book by those “chicken scratching “. Every time I would open the cupboard I would be showered with confetti.

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cockatiel family :
Lucky (M pied)
Baby (M pied)
Pinky (F lutino) R.I.P.

Sunny mother (cinnamon)R.I,P.
Cheeky father (whitface)
Angel (eldest lutino F)
Mango (middle pearl F)
Popeye (male grey M)

Thanks! You're right, she's been having fun making me follow her around the house over and over...

Thanks for the tip about carpet samples being dangerous! I am just toweling off what I can for now

Parrot towels should never be expensive, but always at the ready!

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In each Morning's early light; there is a promise, an Amazon makes!