Extremely curious about the floor

[BeatriceC]

Help! Other than clearing an entire room, I'm not sure what to do about this.

Charlotte seems to finally feel at home and she's getting braver and more curious. She's refusing to stay on any of her play perches, preferring to drop to the floor and run at full speed around the house. She's got no fear of falling and will just drop to the floor given half a chance. Then she gets sassy when I try to get her off the floor. I've been slowly adding more toys to her cage to keep her from getting bored, and transferring her between three different play perches, each with different toys for the same reason, but for some reason the only thing she wants is the floor. Well, the floor and climbing the curtains. She likes that too. Today she's in a particular state. Normally she's content for at least a few minutes on my arm to just walk around, and she likes her training perch when we do trick training. She's not having any of that today. She wants to run free!

I'm thinking I should buy more climbing toys for her, or maybe a large outdoor aviary. What other things can I do to keep her entertained? Or is this just like a human toddler who's just having A Day and we'll be back to normal soon?

 

[Mariar]

You weren't around for my yellow nape Amazon Doolie....he didn't fly. He would climb down to the floor and walk everywhere. He had one eye...so he would point his good eye to the floor and get into all kinds of mischief....photo in my profile...maybe there is a reason your baby isn't flying....you can try more toys, or maybe she is just happier thinking she is human..keep us updated

 

[BeatriceC]

She doesn't fly because she only has one wing. I did get her to calm down after about ten time outs, but i think I will be having this discussion with her a few more times at least.

 

[BeatriceC]

And just like a toddler, she's expended all her energy and show she's asleep on my lap. I need to cook dinner but I don't want to move her.

 

[RavensGryf]

Griffin used to always love the floor. Now he rarely is down there. I started changing where I sit in the room. Now I sit near a favorite play stand of his, plus although he doesn't allow me to touch him, he likes to be near me. Maybe Charlotte is doing this to follow you around and be close to wherever you are?

At least Charlotte is large and bright down there. I hated having Griffin (small and gray) on the floor. He was very lucky when I stepped on him and only dislocated his beak, nothing worse thankfully.

 

[MagicalMerlin]

Merlin spends a ton of time on the floor. He doesn't fly yet, hes growing his flight feathers out from where somehow they were broken off or crudely clipped.

I got a huge cardboard box for him, he shreds the inside, the sides, the top. Hes due for a new one right now, since we're down to it having 3 sides instead of 4. LOL

I put a ton of toys on the floor for him, we roll wiffle balls and large jingly balls around all the time. Rope toys for dogs, he loves to throw those around. He will climb up on the cat tree and look out the window, but hes still really unsure of his new playstand. I also put newspaper on the floor or in the box for him to shred, I have some tee shirt pieces he likes to throw around and put holes in.
I sit in the floor with him a lot and he likes to get in my lap and let me pet him, he gets puffy and takes quick naps.

He does go into the kitchen and get on the backs of the kitchen chairs, but if he needs to go anywhere, hes walking it!

So maybe if there is a room you could "bird proof" a little bit, she could explore the floor with some shredding toys? And some foot toys? That cardboard box has been the best thing ever, Merlin will spend an hour totally content just shredding the inside.

Flip all the curtains up over their rods! Those big beaks will put some pretty distinct holes in curtains! LOL

 

[BeatriceC]

Where to you find a box big enough to satisfy a macaw? I'd like to try that, but I'm not sure where I can find such a box.

 

[GaleriaGila]

One of my biggest fears is that the Rickeybird might get stepped on. Everyone knows that when the sound of Patagonian wings is in the air, everybody freezes and makes sure where he is. He might be flying up or down to or from the floor. In Spanish, his species name is Loro Barranquero (Burrowing Parrot) because they nest in limestone burrows, usually canyon-sides. So he loves floors and hidey-holes. My advice... institute a similar house-rule that when her wings beat... or maybe just when you or whoever is unsure of her location, a word or phrase is called out, for everyone to freeze. I'm sure a red macaw is harder to miss than a green Patagonian, but still... I felt the need to pass my paranoia along to you all!

 

[BeatriceC]

Well, my carpets are blood orange (hideous, I know...I inherited them...it's not my fault), so she does blend in a little bit. Plus she's not nearly well trained enough just to get free reign. I'm getting a bit frustrated on the potty training bit. She's picked up everything else so fast that it's even more frustrating that she doesn't seem to want to learn potty training. I swear I can stand with her over the trash can for 30 minutes and tell her "go potty" and she won't, until the second I move away, then she makes a giant mess all over the floor.

 

[Flboy]

Ya may wanna build a big playpen,, many ideas here, inexpensive too! Your baby is getting very happy with her new life and is full of energy! Put plenty of climbing type items, cargo net, rope, chain,,all available from most Lowes/ homedepo. Consider a hammock as a nice net!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Well, my carpets are blood orange (hideous, I know...I inherited them...it's not my fault), so she does blend in a little bit. Plus she's not nearly well trained enough just to get free reign. I'm getting a bit frustrated on the potty training bit. She's picked up everything else so fast that it's even more frustrating that she doesn't seem to want to learn potty training. I swear I can stand with her over the trash can for 30 minutes and tell her "go potty" and she won't, until the second I move away, then she makes a giant mess all over the floor.

Potty training? Don't get me started.
Too late!
I had the RB trained once, for about an hour (20-25 years ago). I started saying "boo-boo" to him every time he pooped. Then after a couple of days I said boo-boo while holding him over a paper, and he pooped! Within the day, HE started saying boo-boo when he wanted to go. I'd take him to the spot and PLOP... perfect! For a good hour, that worked like a charm. But then he started playing me, saying boo-boo every five minutes until I realized I was beaten. I gave up, a defeated woman, and have not tried again.

 

[MagicalMerlin]

For the box, my husband works at a manufacturing company where they have big boxes. And lots of them! I get them for Merlin and the rabbit, both box loving creatures.

Ask a grocery store for any large plain cardboard boxes, maybe that only contained boxes. You wouldn't want something that had something wet or gross in it, of course. They break the boxes down daily, but if you asked someone to put some to the side for you they would I would guess. When I worked in a grocery store years ago, we had someone ask for apple boxes because they're strong and big, we saved them for the person. Apple boxes would be good!

Or! Order something large from amazon! When I ordered a dog crate, I got a dog crated sized box, it was madness!

Cargo nets and things like that sound like an awesome idea! You could make a cargo net easily enough and I'm sure all the birds would enjoy it!