Teach my Amazon to play?

[sleeepy2]

I recently inherited a 43 yr old Yellow Naped Amazon. Unfortunately, most of his life he had few if any toys and spent most of his time in the cage. He is generally healthy, but shows no interest in toys or playing. If I hold a paper towel tube, he'll shred it, but if I'm not holding it, he has no interest. Same with wood chew toys, only if I'm holding it. When not with me, he sits still in his cage, not doing much except occasionally eating.
Do Amazons lose interest in play with age? I have been trying, with no success, to teach him to amuse himself. Any suggestions?

[birdygirl]

Amazons will play less with age but the age of your amazon is really not that old. If you play with it like it is a fun toy the Amazon will enjoy the show you put on and the LAW OF PARROT OWNERS THINGS will be put into action.

THE LAW OF PARROT OWNERS THINGS is as follows. If you have it and it looks fun it is mine.

Your bird will take it from you and play.

Have patience

[sleeepy2]

Thanks, I'll keep trying.

[Jenny]

First, welcome! Yes- definitely, the more it looks like you're enjoying it, the more he's likely to want to play with it too. It can take a while to teach a bird to play on its own, especially if they have never been given the chance. I adopted a 15 yr old conure last year who had a small cage and only two, huge, boring toys. I've had him almost a year, and he's just now beginning to show more of an interest in amusing himself. Since most birds can be motivated by food, buy toys that have to do with food that make him have to play with to get the food out. You can also use food as the toy, like weaving thin carrot strips and other things through the bars, or, you can buy one of the birdy kabob-type things which you put fruits and veggies on. Dried pieces of fruit are also fun. Some birds especially like paper weaved through the cage bars. Try many different toys- I bought my bird two wooden toys, one he absolutely loved and chewed up in one sitting. The next one I got him which to me was extremely similar, he completely ignored and never even touched it. I finally took it all apart and used the pieces as "foot toys" and he then enjoyed them. Since your amazon doesn't yet know how to play, make sure his food and perches and cage are as interesting and stimulating as possible, and definitely get a big climbing tree (or make one) if you haven't. Just be patient, and good luck!

[birdygirl]

Making a climbing tree is much more inexpensive than buying one. I built a playgym for my flock and they love it. It looks pretty much like those parrot towers but only cost $20 to make. The parrot towers cost 175?

[JSimko]

While most birds like to play, some will not. An example of this is my green cheek conure. These birds have a reputation of being playful. Mine however does not play, he is a very serious bird. His favorite two things in life are eating (anything) and being held in someones hand.

[Jenny]

My green-cheek would rather be on my shoulder or in my hand than playing, but will play if I'm playing with him or if he's in his cage alone. His favorite game to play with me is with his little cat balls, which I put on the door of his cage and he rolls off with his beak, or pushes off with his foot. He also will hang upside down by one foot from the door of his cage, and hold the ball in his other foot and drop it for me to pick up and give to him! His favorite activities though include food, and he's even learned how to pull up a small basket hooked onto the climbing tree with a shoestring filled with treats! I got a small Listerine mint-strip pouch thing, and it is very small and has a clip on it. When I fill it with a few sunflower seeds and hang it on the climbing tree, it keeps him extremely occupied trying to get them out. Another of his favorite toys are these little wooden beads with small holes drilled through, and I wedge a sunflower seed partially inside and he loves getting those out too. He also likes his "toy box" which is just another food dish with all kinds of small toys in it.

[sleeepy2]

I'll keep trying with the food related toys. He had seed based diet most of his life, and is a bit reluctant to try new foods, but the sunflower seeds wedged in holes on the toys is a great idea.
I also don't want to overdo it. He may be perfectly content to sit there, but I don't know.
Thanks for all the tips!