|
|
Post by birdiegirl on Jul 16, 2018 0:45:31 GMT -5
Hi there. Birdy loves to play peekaboo and I am trying to broaden our repertoire of games to play with him.
I am interested to hear all about your play time with your birds. What games do you like to play with them so maybe I can try them out with my bird too?
|
|
|
|
Post by siobhan on Jul 16, 2018 15:26:30 GMT -5
Simon Says, Clyde's version. He whistles a simple tune and I have to copy it. If I'm successful, he whistles something a bit more complicated. Repeat until I can't copy it to his satisfaction, and then we have to start over with a two or three note tune again. When I don't whistle it properly, he squawks, much like the buzzer on a game show. LOL He invented this game and the rules all by himself.
|
|
|
|
Post by birdiegirl on Jul 16, 2018 18:52:37 GMT -5
That sounds fun, siobhan. Unfortunately I cannot whistle very well so would get lots of "buzzes" lol.
|
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Jul 16, 2018 20:04:46 GMT -5
Ralph likes to play fetch. When parrots play fetch with their human friends, it's the humans who do the fetching.  Ralph also likes to play tapping games. He'll tap with his beak on a perch, his cage bars, a tabletop or whatever is handy. Sometimes he'll tap twice, or five times, or any number up to twelve times, and may tap lightly or harder. I have to repeat what he did, exactly the way he did it, or I get squawked at.  My Grey parrot Scooter isn't too playful, but she likes to grab her food dish when I'm taking it out and pull it back in-- then I have to say "I want that food dish!" We'll play a sort of tug-o'-war with the dish three or four times before she decides she'd better let me have the dish so she can get fresh food. |
|
|
|
Post by birdiegirl on Jul 16, 2018 21:40:47 GMT -5
I will try the fetch game with Birdy. I haven't noticed him tapping his beak on anything yet though but when he does I'll be right on to it. I do have a tug of war with the food bowl and hadn't considered it a game until now ... so maybe I've been playing games all along and never realised lol
|
|
|
|
Post by siobhan on Jul 17, 2018 10:28:48 GMT -5
I can't whistle well at all, so I do get squawked at a lot!
|
|
|
|
Post by biteybird on Jul 18, 2018 5:10:08 GMT -5
This may not be approved of....but Bonnie and I play kind of rough games. She loves being roughed up. We play the "Oww!" game where I pull her beak with my fingers, then she nips me back and says "oww!". Or I pull her tail (not too hard, don't worry!). I also grab her in one hand and bounce her up and down, saying "eee-aww, eee-aww", which she likes speaking/squawking along with. I also sit her on one thumb (with the rest of my hand across her back) and swing her down so she's hanging from my thumb upside down for a couple of seconds, then swing her back up again and we both say "Waaaahh!". This is a good one, as if she can't hang on my fingers are already underneath her back, so she's safe. I know these 'games' might seem a bit silly, but she really enjoys them. |
|
|
|
Post by dinucci on Jul 18, 2018 6:13:08 GMT -5
Siobhan. .Simon says we play a bit of here too. Clyde sounds like such an entertaining lil guy. We also play fetch,like ralph,with a little basketball that he picks up on the table and throws it to the floor for..well you guessed it. .me to pickup. I had him delivering it to my hand,but he gets excited and forgets the rules. It's the 1st step to training him for the birdie basketball set. Gonna have to work with him more on that. If I give him a treat on a little glass plate,once he's done he will tap the plate with his beak or pick it up and drop it,shake it in his mouth or like yesterday, toss it off the table and break it...if I'm not watching ! That was a mess to clean up.
Since he's now an adult,if I'm feel like I missed my opportunity to train him to hang upside down on my finger. He has done it twice by accident and seemed puzzled. Every time I've tried after,he squirms out of position. But I'm gonna try your way bitybird! I swing him around,raise him high then drop him low real fast..he screems,flaps his wings and holds on for dear life,but seems to enjoy it.
Whistling games he loves too..he listens very well and will chime in if the both of us are singing ,whistling dancing around him!
Buddy likes to box too. We have a yarn ball with a couple buttons for eyes and a smile and also one of those windup chicks ya get around easter..now I thought he would like and hang out with the chick,but he beaks it and fights it...I bring them out only on occasions where he is so demanding of attention that he needs a release hahah.
|
|
|
|
Post by biteybird on Jul 18, 2018 8:40:46 GMT -5
Oh, did you know that if you put your finger under their tail and suddenly lift it up...you can tip them over from the perch?! Literally, Bonnie tips forward completely off balance!  It's the funniest thing ever - although she does her little quaker grumble when I do it. I'm bad sometimes. She does love it, though. |
|
|
|
Post by siobhan on Jul 18, 2018 12:58:20 GMT -5
Rocky 'Too likes to hang upside down from his perch on the porch and say "hello!" but do not pet him when he's upside down. He chomps. I don't know why, since he hangs upside down because it makes us laugh. He's the only one of the birds who likes being upside down.
|
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Jul 18, 2018 20:27:13 GMT -5
This may not be approved of....but Bonnie and I play kind of rough games. She loves being roughed up. We play the "Oww!" game where I pull her beak with my fingers, then she nips me back and says "oww!". Or I pull her tail (not too hard, don't worry!). Ralph and I have a variation of that one. He'll pretend to bite my finger. I have to say "Ouch! The parrot got me! I'll get that parrot." Then I have to touch his beak or tail, then he pretends to bite again, and so forth. Once in a while Ralph will forget himself in the excitement of it all and will actually bite, but not too hard. George the YCA enjoyed a game where I would pretend to sneak up on him while his back was turned. When I got to his cage, he'd turn around and give a fierce growl. Then I had to say "What a grouchy parrot!" and George would laugh. |
|
|
|
Post by birdiegirl on Jul 19, 2018 1:35:08 GMT -5
I have a mini trampoline and have just started to do a bit of bouncing on it with Birdie on my shoulder. He squawks a lot but I'm not sure if he's scared or enjoying it?? He very quickly fluffs up afterwards so I guess he's not too traumatised .
|
|
|
|
Post by biteybird on Jul 19, 2018 5:00:46 GMT -5
...That was a mess to clean up. ...But I'm gonna try your way bitybird! I swing him around,raise him high then drop him low real fast..he screems,flaps his wings and holds on for dear life,but seems to enjoy it. Oh yeah, the other thing I do with Bonnie is hold her in my fist and swing her through the air making whooshing noises and/or singing the Superman Theme. |
|
|
|
Post by biteybird on Jul 19, 2018 5:05:12 GMT -5
This may not be approved of....but Bonnie and I play kind of rough games. She loves being roughed up. We play the "Oww!" game where I pull her beak with my fingers, then she nips me back and says "oww!". Or I pull her tail (not too hard, don't worry!). Once in a while Ralph will forget himself in the excitement of it all and will actually bite, but not too hard. Ha-ha, very familiar to us, Gary! Bonnie is often over-zealous with the nipping. She does, however, seem to realise she's transgressed - when reprimanded she blinks a couple of times as though she's sorry, but then reverts to her normal egotistical self within a few seconds.  |
|
|
|
Post by biteybird on Jul 19, 2018 5:07:44 GMT -5
I have a mini trampoline and have just started to do a bit of bouncing on it with Birdie on my shoulder. He squawks a lot but I'm not sure if he's scared or enjoying it?? He very quickly fluffs up afterwards so I guess he's not too traumatised . Hey, it can't hurt. If Birdie hates it he'll fly off your shoulder and go somewhere he wants. I say go experiment with your ideas and he will "tell you" (AKA bite you!) if he doesn't like it. Well done! |
|
Ralph also likes to play tapping games. He'll tap with his beak on a perch, his cage bars, a tabletop or whatever is handy. Sometimes he'll tap twice, or five times, or any number up to twelve times, and may tap lightly or harder. I have to repeat what he did, exactly the way he did it, or I get squawked at. 
My Grey parrot Scooter isn't too playful, but she likes to grab her food dish when I'm taking it out and pull it back in-- then I have to say "I want that food dish!" We'll play a sort of tug-o'-war with the dish three or four times before she decides she'd better let me have the dish so she can get fresh food. 
It's the funniest thing ever - although she does her little quaker grumble when I do it. I'm bad sometimes. 