# Do your tiels play with toys?



## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Just curious, when we got Echo we spent quite a bit on toys, and he hasn't touched them. The only one he even takes notice of is a string of eucalyptus leaves he likes chewing. Otherwise he entertains himself sitting in front of a window and yelling at animals we pass (we live on a farm, its hilarious when he growls at our dog) and clambering around perches. He much prefers to just sit and watch us humans do things as opposed to actually playing with things. Are your tiles like this? we're building him a new extra large play gym as the one he has now doesn't contain mess very well and I'm starting to wonder whether I should even bother leaving room for toys, as he seems totally uninterested.


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

It really depends on the toys with my two. The all singing, all dancing, expensive toys are totally ignored, the cheap beads threaded alternatively with drinking straws, or the cardboard tube with a treat inside, is played with all the time. I have spent a fortune on "real" toys but not any more, my two get toys that I've made out of bits and pieces and they love them.


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## Tike2 (Jun 16, 2008)

I bought toys for Tiki too, before I got him... he hasn't touched them... he too jumps from perch to perch, now that I have him out quite a bit he is more interested in watching what is going on... or sitting on my hand eating millet...his treat for being a good boy...he climbs around on his play station... the only thing he has shown any interest in is a coconut shell I bought him a couple of wks ago... it is halved with rope holding the top and bottom apart... I see him bite on it once in a while and sometimes he roosts in the bottom half... otherwise he doesn't touch anything else.. oh, I got a small toy with short pieces of frayed rope, wood pieces and such... he roosts on that too... doesn't play with it tho... 

Not much point in buying expensive toys I guess....


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## Keet1976 (Jan 2, 2008)

Mine would prefer playing with me, but I have caught him playing with the Insight ActiviToys http://www.petco.com/product/11195/JW-Pet-Company-Insight-ActiviToys-for-Parrots.aspx
That is an example of one of them
Plus he really likes home made ones...I have just hung up some hemp string with knotts tied in it and no beads....I also have cut strips of white computer paper and used scissors to curl them and hung those up.........I have used white paper muffin liners and hung those up also....I haven't done it for my tiel, but my friend's quaker that does not play with toys liked it when I stuck straws through a plastic cat ball and hung that up.....So alot of times the cheaper homemade toys are more fun!


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would leave room for toys, sometimes they have not learned to play yet. I would try making some toys and see how Echo likes them. Spike likes to play with his toys but would much rather be with me. I still make sure I have a toy on my desk when he is out with me though. Spike likes things to chew, he also likes bells. This is his favourite toy http://www.cjexoticbirdsupplies.com/petstages.html I cut off the part with the plastic ball because it has a loop and knowing Spike he would hang himself with it  I had to cut off the bell on it and he is not happy with me. I put a new bell on it but he will not play with that bell, so I will be buying another one of those toys for him. Spoiled brat


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Echo has a zillion toys LOL, most were homemade, a few bought. The only things he shows even mild interest in are those that have papersticks or shredders incorporated, the rest he just ignores. Though he does quite like destroying books, Mum has a heap of old falling part paperbacks that we give him, but otherwise toys just don't register, whereas the budgies are absolutely nuts over toys, and will spend hours playing with them.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

None of my four really play with toys, I have quite a few toys sitting there untouched and its been like that since I got my first Georgie over a year ago the only one they have touched is one that has paper wrapped around it that they can shred.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

My guys mainly play with toys that can be shredded!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Some of mine play with toys and others don't. I gal gave me a pair with their cage and toys. They play. I got 3 birds from a breeder in Olympia. They were in an aviary with no toys in sight. They don't play. I did get a baby from her that I am hand feeding. He was 3 weeks when I got him. As soon as he has enough feathers to go into a cage I supplied him with toys. He plays. I think Spike is absolutely right! They have to learn how to play. I am hoping that when I have them all together in the aviary they will learn from each other. I have 5 of 8 that eat pellets. The same three that don't play don't eat pellets. They never learned that either. I figure with other birds enjoying the pellets they will eventually go for them. The same with beans and vegies. Once there is competition for it...how could they resist!


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

My 'tiels have their favs and ones they won't touch. There's a couple there they will have a play with every now and again, but then there is the ones they will sit there and play with 24/7.

I s'pose they're just fussy little things, it depends on if they are interested in them or not, I'm forever buying mine toys, so soon enough they're gonna have way too many and have an over-packed cage full of toys, wonderful. You just can't help yourself when you go into a shop and see these toys that you think your tiel(s) would love so you have to get 'em.


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## Malorey (Jul 23, 2008)

Mushu does here and there. He likes to chew up his perches and wooden fruit toys.  Other then that not really. He usually just hisses and attacks them. Althouh he liked the Peacock Feather we got him.

He likes playing with the toys outside of his cage more then the ones inside of his cage. We need to find a new playstand. The one we got from Petco for 20$ more then everywhere else fell apart. So, now all he has on the outside of his cage is a Ladder and fake bird he loves.


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## thecrabbykeet (Mar 24, 2008)

There is only one toy both my tiels will play with while in the cage and that is one of those leather kabob toys, they've chewed it to death but still love it. Tara will play with anything but she mainly prefers trying to dislodge the toys from the top of the cage. And I think Mister prefers just seeing which new wild bird he can con into hopping through my open front door (today we got a black capped chickadee and a starling) He's making friends  (I of course don't let them stay, they are quickly escorted out but that chickadee is a daily visitor).


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Malorey said:


> Although he likes the Peacock feathers we got him


I would be very careful with the peacock feathers. Spike had some and he chewed it into a noose and hung himself. It was attached to the side of the cage beside a perch. He would of died if my Mom had not broke him free.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Since I have put 6 of my birds in the aviary now I've noticed the birds that didn't play getting pretty cozy with some of the toys. One pair slept cuddled up to one one them next to sleeping shelf I put in on their first night in there. They are 5 years old and as far as I know had no exposure to toys before they came here. Another has made a few tentative swipes at a toy with rope and a bell. As soon as she got it to ring she beat a hasty retreat. They're learning tho.


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## gforce (Jun 28, 2008)

George didn`t touch his toys for the first few weeks, he is playing with them now. I have started to make my own.

gforce


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## SweetEmotion (Jul 25, 2008)

Lucky plays with his toys from time to time, but not very much. He'd rather play with paper objects, pens, and my cell phone.


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## Kfontan (Oct 10, 2007)

When I first got the tiels (who were youngsters), I spent a fortune on toys. I bought what I saw the other tiels were liking and playing with. But they didn't seem that interested in what I bought.

Through tral and error, I have found that Pucca & Peaches seem to like small plastic chain that they can chew through. 

Also, I bought this little contraption that can cut drinking straws into a little coil. Like the old fashioned phone cords. They just love it. I tie a bunch of them together and hang it for them. It occupies them for literally days. And if you do the math, it is literally less than half of an American dollar to make.

In addition, I have gradually introduced the toys that I had bought earlier. And they seem more interested. I guess that like children, they grow up and mature thus changing their taste in toys.

But the straw thingies, they adore. I'll take some photos.

Kathie


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## Keet1976 (Jan 2, 2008)

The plastic ring from milk containers....I put that on a perch and mine goes crazy with it. Also I have bought fruit flavored paper rings from the pet store and put that on the perch!


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