INTRODUCING CASPER'S OVERALLS TO BUDDY
Though I consider Buddy a very experienced forager and a parrot accustomed to all sorts of new toys and experiences, I still take the same precautions with him when adding something very different to his environment that I would for a toy shy parrot. I also keep in mind that location matters as well. If one of my parrots seems nervous when I try to put a new toy in their cage, I will place the same toy out on a play stand or on the counter to see if they might be more receptive to the toy in a different location.
I'm mindful of one time I thought I'd cover his food dish with newspaper to have him forage more. You can see from the SS Measuring Cup Foraging toy video on the "Foraging Toys" page that Buddy is not shy at all about tearing into the paper on the stainless steel measuring cups. I had put those newspaper covered measure cups in his cage over a dozen times. Buddy was perched by his food bowl eagerly awaiting his breakfast. I put the paper covered bowl in the cage and Buddy fell off his perch trying to get away from it. The newspaper covered food dish frightened him - where the newspaper covered measuring cups didn't. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Never take it for granted that they won't be afraid of a new item - no matter how adventurous they are.
The video clip below demonstrates how Buddy lets me know in very clear body language that he isn't ready for me to put a pair of "Casper's Overalls" in his cage.
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INTRODUCING A NEW TOY TO IRVING
The Munchkin Foraging Baskets are a favorite with most of my parrots. I was putting new ones in the cages and noticed Irving was dancing from side-to-side and ringing his bell while watching me put a Munchkin toy in Elvis's cage. I made one for him and I'll share that experience with you here. Below you have two videos to watch.
In the first video Irving is not keen on the toy. You will see he approaches the toy through the cage bars, but then backs away when I attempt to put the toy in the cage.
The second video shows another toy I give him that has new items strung on but it is one that he is receptive to because it has the same shape and form of toys he had previously accepted in his cage.
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