# How do you "play" with cockatiels?



## Justice361 (Dec 30, 2012)

I'm making excellent progress taming my tiel, but I'd like more to do with her. She'll mostly sit on my hand and preen herself, or eat food out of my hand when I offer it to her. 
Is there any kind of playful activity cockatiels typically enjoy that I could do with her?


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## SunnyNShandy (May 24, 2012)

You could try teaching her tricks? Google trick training for cockatiels or watch youtube videos - tons of fun info out there.


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## JennyLynn (Feb 13, 2012)

yes, try utube lots of great videos


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

I like to do all kinds of stuff with my :tiel4:

You can include your tiel in your daily activities at home.

For example, mine does laundry with me. Its pretty funny. She likes to ride on the hamper basket. I also let her get on top of the warm clean clothes while I'm folding. She loves that. She starts picking on the clothes. 

I let her play on my desk while I'm writing checks. She ends up chewing my pen. When she starts wanting to chew on my keyboard she gets put back on the floor. 

Some times, I let her exercise on top of the bed. She likes to pretend to fly. She is on my finger the whole time but her feathers are trimmed so she extends them out and moves them as if she was flying but she isn't really flying. She enjoys this a lot. Every time we pass by the bed she starts to do her wings. 

She likes to lay next to me and my DH while we watch TV or read. 

I don't let her in the kitchen though but I do let her watch me from the next room while I cook. While I cook I play music and she loves it. 

The tricks suggestion is a great idea. Mine has learned to come to us when we call her (well, when my DH calls her). She'll walk a good few feet to get to him.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Foot toys are excellent to help play with your tiel and teach them to pick them up and place them in your hand.

I have a little skateboard I'm attempting to teach my tiels to ride (well, I push it, they just stand on it, but they haven't quite got the hang of it yet)

Also, foraging trays can be a fun way to get your tiel to interact with you, we play the 'I drop it off the edge of the table and human picks it off the floor' game with straws, q-tips, buttons etc.


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## tielz (Nov 29, 2012)

My tiels love to pull the keys off of my laptop.  Not really my favorite game, though. They enjoy decorating the desk with paper confetti, which is preferable to the key thing. Most of the time, they just like to hang out on me while I am here on the computer. Willow loves to ride on my shoulder when I vacuum. Mini loves to sit on me in the kitchen at lunchtime (no cooking). Tiels always love to eat with you. My diet is bland and less exciting then the foods they get, but what I eat is safe for them to share and if nothing else, is great fun for them to shred and toss. If you ever want a tiel to try a new food, make it part of your plate (even if you don't do the eating). Popcorn is always fun (air popped and cooled down, of course).
I have a shower perch if anyone wants to go in the shower (it suctions on), but they mostly enjoy misting with the bottle (or the mist of the shower--never under direct water spray). Our home here is on a spring for water, so it is only bottled water for the tiels and no showers with me anymore---just in case because I am paranoid. 
Like Belinda posted, you can have a tiel who teaches you to play their version of fetch---they drop the object (Q-tips are always a favorite!!) and you pick it up. 
Some of my tiels have enjoyed riding in their carrier for a walk or in the car (belted in). 
Most of all, have fun!


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## hysteriauk (Jun 24, 2012)

zippy has a new game he will climb on my head then jump off then run back up my arm and back on to my head and repeats , He likes to jump off of things it's really funny to watch


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Mine like to tug on the yarn that I use when I chrochet, they love to ride on my shoulders when I go about my daily house chores. They like to punch holes in my magazines and papers. They like to "steal" the chess figurines my son and I play with. They usually run off with them, it's really funny. They "help" me clean their cage, meaning they will drag and chew things that I am using. Things like that. Sometimes, I give them a few drinking straws and they chase those and chew on them. Their favorite thing to do is share popcorn with me, LOL


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## Bird Junky (Jul 24, 2012)

Justice361 said:


> I'm making excellent progress taming my tiel, but I'd like more to do with her. She'll mostly sit on my hand and preen herself, or eat food out of my hand when I offer it to her.
> Is there any kind of playful activity cockatiels typically enjoy that I could do with her?


*Hello. Try this simple game...
B.J's. TREASURE HUNT 
Use you birds favourite food as a reward treat food during 
play sessions.
A simple bit of foraging play enjoyed by all birds. You will need 
a few plastic bottle tops, but only use one until your bird gets the 
idea of the game. 

(1) The game is for you to hide a tiny piece of treat under one 
top & encourage your bird to look for it. Show him where it is 
if you have to, many birds equate hidden with gone. 

(2) When your bird is happy to knock over the one top for his 
treat. Add a couple of decoy tops, again help if you have to. 
After a few minutes most birds will knock over as many tops 
as it takes, to get to a favourite treat. 
Remember small treats, the longer the game will last...B.J. 
*


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