Birds inventing organized sports

[clark_conure]

I don't know how this developed organically over time but my conure has invented an organized sporting event.

The rules are simple I have a big downstairs basement den and I lay down far from my desk and he hops off. He hangs around a bit and the game begins when I get up on my hands and knees.

He is completely bonded to me but in this situation he will evade and try to get to the ladder going to my desk or the sliding door track of the adjoining bathroom shower. If he makes it he wins and expects to be immediately picked up and put on my shoulder and go back to my desk. Note: if I pick him up before that he will jump off and run for the two goal posts.

Rules: I can but my arms in a circle around him but he can jump over. I can pick him up but can't place him farther back than where I am,(that would be traveling). I can lay in front but he's allowed full freedom of movement to get past me. Also, he always wins.

And I can't stress this enough it is a game or sport to him, he's trying for the goalposts. He evades till he gets to the objective then he expects to be picked up. He doesn't want me to pick him up after the contest has begun until he wins.

I was wondering if anyone else came across something like this with implied rules and so "structured" ...what sport you play with your bird. And what are the rules.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Now that is a LOVELY sport!

The closest the Rbird comes is a game one might call "Tour de Livingroom".

The Rb (flighted, fearless) will fly to an out-of-reach perch over the high wall-molding in the livingroom and engage in a rude behavior (screaming, name-calling, beaking something he has stolen)...
I yell at him to stop.
He won't.
I stand up and approach.
He still won't.
I grab a little portable ladder.
Now he knows I mean business.
He then flies to perch B, over the drapes, then perch C, on the chandelier (long since disabled, for safety), then the grandfather clock top mantel. Then back to the
high moulding. Same order, always. These are progressively lower perches. Teaser! Only ends when he gets tiered of it. The big rule: if I don't pursue with ladder, etc., he will absolutely scream and flap and tantrum untl I do.
I'm a lousy behavior modifier. I reward bad behaviors. Or... I play the game!

 

[SailBoat]

I read this Thread several times trying to understand "how this developed organically" and I cannot find a string of events that would structure into this game. Congratulations to the both of you for developing this event!

My Amazons over the years have created 'series' style activities that start, proceed to different activities, and have an ending with them 'lighting-up' with joy when that end point arrives. They commonly involves the Amazon ending upside down at some point. But I have not seen your level of 'game!'

Again, Congratulations to the both of you!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Plum will on occasions play go seek, I hide behind the sofa usually and then hubby asks Plum "where is she?" and Plum will come find me, usually shouting "come on then!". (still a work in progress LOL).

He looks at me like I'm mad when he finds me (not wrong!).

Not as complicated as those before but still fun LOL.

 

[Anansi]

Clark_conure, like Steven I have found myself completely unable to figure out how that game involved organically. But I think it's amazing! What I love the most about it is the level of communication implied. Humans and avians communicate in such different ways, so bonding to the point where you can construct a game with such well defined rules is impressive.

While I play lots of games with my ekkies, such as finger boxing, fetch and flight drills, the only game that developed over time the way yours has with your GC was one I used to play with my cockatiel (He passed a few years back).

At first, I would whistle a tune and he would listen and copy it ('tiels are known for the whistle mimicry). He enjoyed this well enough, but what really got him going was playing the game in reverse. So he'd whistle a tune, starting off with something almost insultingly basic. I'd copy it and he'd do a little dance of approval before moving on to a slightly more complicated version of the same tune. When I got that, he'd get even more excited and jazz it up even more. This would continue with progressively difficult and intricate whistled selections until, being only human and all, I inevitably screwed up. Once this happened, he'd **** his head to the side as though to say, "WTH?!?", and then start over with something simple enough that even I could follow. Lol! I miss that bird!

Loving this thread. Plum's "Come on, then!" never ceases to crack me up! And I laughed out loud at Abigail's enabling. Hilarity!

 

[clark_conure]

GaleriaGila I can totally picture that game. Plumsmum2005 that sounds like a game that could develop into more. I'd try adding a hiding space and see if he makes the rounds after he finds that one.

In response to Anansi and Sailboat I think it started out because he was used to being picked up quickly in those two areas. I encoraged/trained him to use the ladder to get up to the desk and would pick him up when he made it to the top. And in the bathroom he would follow me in because he has no compunctions about privacy and that was the easiest place for him to get to above floor level, and I'd pick him up there.

When he wanted me to stop laying on the floor reading a book he'd start heading that way and I'd kind of crawl after and he would go to those spots knowing I'd pick him up and I would not be crawling after that.

So now like I said he won't leave me behind and so the game starts when I get up on all fours. Then it's him walking and saying "come on", "come on" till he makes it to the goalposts through whatever mockish attempts I do to impede him.

 

[clark_conure]

Another sport if it could be called that would be wire-frame cage ball MMA.

I took one of those plastic balls with the little bell inside it on a string and then re-tied the knot so I had a "play ball". I gave it to him on my shoulder and he went nuts trying to kill it to death and smithereens. I thought he hated it at first then one day it was sitting on the desk he went down, picked it up, carried it up my arm as calm as could be, and then killed it to death and smithereens again. Then when he dropped it we both looked over the chair together to see where it landed....and if it had any life left.

Between that ball and his four beaded mirrored abacus thing he does his calculus math on I'd have to say it's his favorite toys.

Inside the cage it's the basket ball hoop with the chain attached ball and the three way mirror.

 

[LordTriggs]

Rio had a game he liked. 2 in fact, one I liked and the other I didn't.

Game 1 was whenever he was out he would take a toy throw it off a shelf or the sofa. If I caught it he would give a friendly happy chirp. If I didn't catch it he would let out a low volume screech.

The other game he played was exclusive to saturday mornings. He would fly to his boing hanging from the skylight. Every time he saw a bird flying he would screech, take off and do a lap of my bedroom before landing back on the boing.

guess which game I preferred