Getting my boy to play....?

[Calace]

Ok, so I'll start by saying that I *know* he's only been with us for less than a week and is still adjusting... but I'm going to ask this question anyway!
Whenever I put Ollie in his cage (which is jam-packed with toys) he races up and down along the floor of the cage or climbs around frantically squawking, not loudly, just incessantly!!! He only does it while he can see me, if I leave the room he settles after awhile. I know he is telling me he wants to be with me but sometimes, like when I'm cooking, he just can't be!
I think, if he realised what his toys are for they would occupy him and he'd settle while in his cage. So, how do I get him to play with them because apart from a quick nibble on some leather and rope, he hasn't touched them! I have tried hiding food (making them into foraging toys) with little success.
Do you think he'll figure it out eventually or is there something else I can do to encourage him or speed up the process?
Thanks!

 

[Ashleigh86]

Maui is the same way! No touching of the toys really, just makes some noise here and there or tiny nibbles but that's it. I will say once we played with footie toys outside of the cage (the game of bird throws and you pick up over and over and over lol) she got super excited and I'll catch her playing with those. I found a website for making foraging toys and this has helped keep maui occupied while we are at work. The foraging bowl is her favorite! here is the website: Foraging for Parrots
Hope this helps!

 

[strudel]

I have a galah, not a conure, but I'd say he'll get to it eventually. I spent a fortune on furnishing my girl's cage and she did the same thing, ignored the lot. Now she plays with her "stuff", I've seen her on things and she's chewed off the sandy stuff on her ladder. I've seen her "downstairs", I've seen her on her bungy thingie, her swing, and today I found her upside down doing gymnastics. I think at the moment he's focusing on you, but when he's used to you more, he'll start looking about for other things to amuse him, and he'll start to check out his "stuff".

Definitely give the foraging a go. I put some treats/nuts in empty toilet roll holders. She fished around and had to find all the treats. She did that before she started playing with her "proper" toys. She likes her tucker, my girl. I also put her treats in her block thing, to get her looking at that.

 

[getwozzy]

Maybe try to play with his toys with him while he's out of his cage, so he understands how fun they are. It may take a few sessions but I'm sure he'll get it eventually.

 

[FreddyCheeks]

Fred was the same way at first. He had the same toys in his cage for the first 2-3 months he was with us before he started playing with them. I think once he got into a routine he started. He figures he isn't coming out no matter what he does until 4 so he stays self entertained. Now I have to make him a toy a week to rotate the destroyed ones out.

 

[Calace]

Thanks guys! All great suggestions. Will give them all a go, and will just wait until he's ready I guess!

 

[Calace]

I found a website for making foraging toys and this has helped keep maui occupied while we are at work. The foraging bowl is her favorite! here is the website: Foraging for Parrots
Hope this helps!

That's an AWESOME site! Going to try the foraging bowl tomorrow!

 

[MomtoPercy]

I can vouch for the foraging bowl idea too! Percy loves his. I stick all kinds of things in there - food, toys, whatever. Some things I wrap in paper (which I noticed today he's getting too lazy to take off so he just soaks if off in his water bowl!), others I just toss in. One thing Percy doesn't like at all is if I cover the bowl with strips of paper.
Another thing that worked well when he was new with us and I realised he'd never foraged before was a "rope of treats and toys". I took a long, safe cord and tied nuts, toys, etc, wrapped in brown paper, onto it at regular intervals. Then I threaded this rope through his cage bars and tore open some of the parcels just enough to give a glimpse of what was inside and he took to it almost immediately!
Good luck.

 

[strudel]

I gave my girl a tube with goodies inside and some paper towels stuffed in the ends. I put a few goodies on the outside of the paper towel so she'd get the idea to pull the paper out to look inside, but she didn't. I wonder if she'll figure it out tomorrow, or if she knows there are treats inside but is just too lazy to bother

 

[Annesosilly]

I've had Calvin 3 months and he still doesn't touch any of his toys. And we have tried EVERYTHING! I like the idea of showing him how to play, though - I'll have to give that a try!

 

[GreenBelle]

My conure wouldn't play with any of her toys for about 2 years. No matter how much or little I put in her cage, she'd sit there and stare at me. Last year I started using more foraging-based toys, and hiding little treats in her other toys while she watched. I ended up having her on the floor with me and was fiddling with a shredding toy and hiding it when my hands when she came near. THAT got her interest. I took all the toys out of her cage except for three or four, then rotated them out every week to keep it interesting. I think it was just the overload of not knowing what to do or how to play. Now I look over at her cage and she's 'fighting' with a hanging foraging toy