Toys for a conure...suggestions?

[Ambermai]

Hello! We recently adopted a 13-year old black capped conure. She is really wonderful and almost potty trained, so thank you to her previous family for that!
She's very active and inquisitive but so far is unimpressed by bird toys. We've got three in her cage right now and she avoids them. She looooves chewing on a big cardboard box....I mean, she is killing it, tunnel down in between her feet. But toys. Not so much.
I also made a half hearted attempted to teach her to wave since I read this is an easy first trick, and she didn't get the hang of that at all (I didn't try that hard because she seemed quite confused!). I just want to make sure she's amused because she's so high energy and smart.
Any suggestions on how to keep her entertained?

 

[kellie]

Bells! Lukah loves bells. He has five different bell toys in his cage and would kill me if I removed any one of them! Also foraging toy filled with almonds and nuts and paper (fresh fruits and veggies if you're dedicated and willing to clean it and refill it every day/ few hours). Lukah also loves those shredable kabob toys! But mostly bells. He loves bells.

 

[kellie]

He also has a hut with foot toys that he goes in. He takes all the toys, picks them up and throws them onto the ground... but he seems to have fun doing it!

I can't find a picture of the hut he has but it's big and has a door and folds in half... it is not a happy hut and has no fluffy stuff in it... I will check the brand when I get home. He's obsessed with that hut. Sleeps in it inside my room and hangs out in it all day in his cage!

 

[Ambermai]

Lukah looks adorable! She does have 1 bell that she rings to summon me...maybe I'll get her a couple more. If you could give me the name of the hut, that'd be great. I'm waiting for a snuggle hut to arrive in the mail tomorrow. She loves snuggling inside our shirts, so I figure its a no brainer for her.

 

[psittac]

Petrie loves a specific four sided mirror with a bell on the bottom. They come in a toy pack at petsmart. Problem is she goes bannannas on it until the bell gets ripped off. Doesnt even last an hour. I got a sturdy bell and hung it next to the mirror with bell ripped off.

Anything with bells and mirrors together. Also placement matters. If its right on a perch she goes non stop. If its hard to get to she rarely uses it

 

[kellie]

He is the most beautiful and adorable bird ever in my super totally unbiased opinion! haha

It doesn't say who makes it on the hut (woke lukah up while he was sleeping to check! haha) but here is a picture.. if that helps!

photo (24) by kayeehaych, on Flickr
and i will let you know when I figure out who makes it!

 

[psittac]

whoa that's really cool, I need to get one of those for petrie. I think she's going to get a little more independent now that i'm teaching her to fly.

If anyone finds out where to get those please let me know.

 

[mangokeaton]

I'd also like to know the name of the tent if anyone knows

 

[MonicaMc]

Look into cardboard toys if she enjoys destroying them so much! Also look into yucca, balsa and popsicle/craft stick toys!!!!

Teach her how to forage, too!

 

[Ambermai]

He is the most beautiful and adorable bird ever in my super totally unbiased opinion! haha

It doesn't say who makes it on the hut (woke lukah up while he was sleeping to check! haha) but here is a picture.. if that helps!

photo (24) by kayeehaych, on Flickr
and i will let you know when I figure out who makes it!

That tent is really awesome. Is it like this? Sunrise Solutions Hide N Sleep Birdie Condo - HUTS AND TENTS by Bird Paradise

 

[Ambermai]

Look into cardboard toys if she enjoys destroying them so much! Also look into yucca, balsa and popsicle/craft stick toys!!!!

Teach her how to forage, too!

How can I teach her to forage? I would love to. She's so smart!

 

[MonicaMc]

Check out the enrichment books on the following website as well as the foraging section of the website!

Parrot Enrichment


Placing small dishes around the cage with a little bit of food in them is one way to do it. Another is to place food in toys around the cage. You can build up to placing food in muffin paper cups and tying those up to getting foraging toys to make birds *think* on how to get to their food.

Be sure to start with simple, easy foraging items and slowly build up to more difficult foraging activities!

 

[ruffledfeathers]

My bird really likes pinatas (it gives him the multi tasking experience, lol--destroying the cardboard and shredding and taking all the dangly pieces off!) and he loves rolling around on the floor of his cage with any of the toys he turns into 'foot toys'. (They don't begin that way but he chews balls or sticks off other toys and then rolls around, kicking them around.) I am thinking of getting him the basketball hoop since he likes to run around with a ball in his beak.

 

[Ambermai]

So, her latest thing is diving into my travel laptop bag and mumbling to herself in the dark. Anyone else see this type of behaviour? Any suggested diversions for conures who like dark tunnels? We might try constructing a cardboard castle for her this weekend.

 

[Iago]

So, her latest thing is diving into my travel laptop bag and mumbling to herself in the dark.

Iago loves going under any blanket and then he just chirps. Creating a tunnel system sounds like a great idea!

 

[Abigal7]

From my experience Clover and Captain Jack (who is about the same size as a conure) loves bells, shred able kebabs, chewing on wood. I made this toy out of Chinese finger traps and bangles and hanging extension which is a hit with both of them. This is a hit with Captain Jack Super Bird Creations Activity Wall *NEW* - MEDIUM BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE. I found both liked these sort of things Planet Pleasures Flower Tower Medium - MEDIUM BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE Planet Pleasures Balls and Stars Mini - X-SMALL- SMALL BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

 

[kiwiS]

I think anything shreddable they will like. Sometimes it takes Kiwi a few days to even notice a toy in her cage (maybe because I cram a bunch in there). Maybe if you populate your conure's cage with many different toys, you will see which ones she likes best and then go from there?

 

[Ambermai]

From my experience Clover and Captain Jack (who is about the same size as a conure) loves bells, shred able kebabs, chewing on wood. I made this toy out of Chinese finger traps and bangles and hanging extension which is a hit with both of them. This is a hit with Captain Jack Super Bird Creations Activity Wall *NEW* - MEDIUM BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE. I found both liked these sort of things Planet Pleasures Flower Tower Medium - MEDIUM BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE Planet Pleasures Balls and Stars Mini - X-SMALL- SMALL BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

Thank you for the suggestions. I worry about those play web things because apparently there's a danger that they get caught up in it. She's so little! My husband keeps reminding me that she's survived 13 years already, she's probably quite street smart!

 

[Ambermai]

Small success today! I taught her to forage in a cupcake liner that I closed with a clothespeg with raisins inside. Success! However, she hates the plastic foraging ball, even with a big chunk of apple in it. That might take some more patient trying. I have worn her out, she is now quite happy to snuggle and nap!

 

[MonicaMc]

Well done! And yes, conures tend to like dark places! My Charlie in particular goes crazy over them.... so much so that if he can see a carrier, he'll hunt it down and try and figure out how to get in one! He usually doesn't get too much access to them, but still enjoys them. Now if he was a female and he decided it was a nest, we'd have a bigger issue!


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