Your bird and your computer, are they compatible?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

So, Scooter's cage is in the office, which is a room we spend a fair bit of time in. Naturally a lot of that time is at the computer. Whenever I am there, he wants me to bring me over. Just being on the playstand across the room is NOT good enough. So... first he decided the keyboard drawer was a good nest-like place and began to get territorial over it. So I too the keyboard and mouse out of the drawer. Now he thinks the little ball in my Apple mouse is the best bird toy ever. How do I explain that it's MY toy????? Is it realistic to think that one day he will be happy to perch on my arm or shoulder with occasional cuddle breaks when I am working or surfing? How does your bird get along with your computer?

[MandyG]

Is it realistic to think that one day he will be happy to perch on my arm or shoulder with occasional cuddle breaks when I am working or surfing?

I've come to believe that the birds you're referring to that do that are myths... My Amazon cannot sit still on my shoulder or on a chair, he has to always be chewing on something, whether that's me, a pen, various computer related wires, or whatever else he can find. I have to keep various foot toys around to keep him occupied if he is with me when I'm on the computer!

How do I explain that it's MY toy?????

The thing with parrots is that he probably fully understands that it's your toy, which is exactly why he wants it! The more you treat it as off-limits the more they want it .

[Michael]

Yeah good luck with that.

Top Ten Bird Rules
1. If you like it, it's mine.
2. If I can reach it, it's mine.
3. If it's in my beak, it's mine.
4. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
5. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
6. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
7. If I'm chewing something, all the pieces are mine.
8. If it looks like mine, it's mine.
9. If I saw it first, it's mine.
10. If you have something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

[bmsweb]

We had a pet Budgie for a number of years called Marty and unfortunately he passed away about 6 months ago. If you took a bird seed to this bird it would freak out like "What the hell is that!!". Now if you approached him with anything that involved Technology, he would come straight up to it and start having a play!! Mobile Phones, Digital SLRs, Video Cameras, Ipods, PSPs, PDAs etc.

When working on the PC I would have to put him in his cage because he would get upset with me because I was playing with His Mouse and Keyboard!! I made him this great perch with toys etc that I hoped he would use and he never showed any interest in his toys at all. The only toys he was ever interested in was mine!! Unfortunately I don't think there will ever be another Marty :'(

Our new Cockatiel seems to have taken a liking to my Laptop . . need to keep an eye on that!!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

LOL! Now we have THAT in perspective.

So, I was working at home today, and had Scooter out on the desk while I was on a telecon. He was absolutely fascinated by the speakerphone. He listened at the speaker, he perched on it, he butted it with his beak, he knocked it over.... thank goodness for the "mute" button.

[Michael]

They key is and this may be difficult for many people, is to not play with your toys when the parrot is out. Play with the parrot toys and make them look cool and your stuff boring. That way the parrot thinks it is playing with all the cool stuff. It's difficult though but if you can dedicate your attention to parrot rather than your own stuff when it's out, it may help you preserve that computer for later use.

[bmsweb]

They key is and this may be difficult for many people, is to not play with your toys when the parrot is out.

I kind of agree with you but the birds personality also comes into play. I work from home and during the day I'm pretty much always on the laptop, doing video tutorials and electronics etc. Our old budgie was always curious and wanted to play with my toys. After Marty passed away we purchased a new budgie and my routine hasn't changed, this bird is in no way interested in the computer or the mouse or anything like that.

Having said that I take on board what you say and I'll need to be careful with the Cockatiel because I don't want to be fighting him for the Laptop . . I think he would have a better bite than a budgie too! So I don't want to start bad habits

[entrancedbymyGCC]

They key is and this may be difficult for many people, is to not play with your toys when the parrot is out.

I definitely try to spend time with the parrot when I'm not on the computer, BUT he would get a lot more time with me if I can work this out, so it seems desirable. A lot of the time he's pretty good, but the computer mouse issue could become a real problem. What do other birds do when a bird claims their favorite toy?

A related issue is that he needs to get better at playing alone and at staying on his playstand when the cage is open. He tends to just sit there and beg to be picked up.

[Michael]

Play alone. Haha! That's a good one. Mine only plays alone when I'm not there.

[MandyG]

Have you tried foraging toys with his favorite treats in them? Those really work with my Amazon, but Amazon's are also known for being pigs and they definitely love their food! Not sure if it would work for a GCC.