New and Have a question.

[galeriagila]

That does it. I'm gonna get one of those laser thingies! And see if it serves as a carrot or a stick!

[Wolf]

I have tried a large assortment of laser pointers but the plastic mouse one lasts the longest as far as battery life and the dot seems to project a bit further as well.

[seagoatdeb]

i have a budgie perch that came out of their cages that i use to take them outside. Anyway, when they get too agressive in their beaking I have used the perch to come between them, so i wont get a bite when they are so revved up. Its really funny when they are beaking each other now, and it looks a little too agressive, i hold up the perch and they both stop beaking at the same time and look at me holding the perch and then back to beaking, it looks like a cartoon when they do that....lol....but sometimes i can just hold the perch in the air now and they will stop what they are doing.

[galeriagila]

My ol' man has a laser-pointer. I tried it, but... DANG! The RB is not interested one way or another. I am so disappointed. Shows to go ya, ya never know what's gonna interest them.

[seagoatdeb]

My hubby has tried the laser and Gauagan ignores it and Sunny chases it, so it is no deterrent in this house.

[galeriagila]

Seriously, it doesn't make much sense to have many expectations when it comes to their preferences in toys. The RB still has me in hysterics watching his primal battle with the bouncy-ball-thingie (picture #4 wherever I posted those pictures)! It makes him so crazy I keep thinking he'd be better off without it. I think I'll start a thread about how to determine this...

[Wolf]

If Sunny chases the dot, then you might be able to lead him to where you want him to go or even just away from where you don't want him to be. Mimi gets into a screaming mode even while we are right there, mostly when she is working something through her mind that she was not allowed to do before she came here. Her only reaction to the dot is to quit screaming. Kiki Flies away from it and Kookooloo is somewhat lacksadaisical about it but she will follow it. It once again is just a matter of taste for which there is no accounting for.

[Pajarita]

If she stops screaming sudden-like, she is, most likely, not happy with it, Wolf.

[Wolf]

While this is true or might be it only stops her for an instant. I think that it is more like a what was that and where did it go type of thing, but sometimes that momentary distraction allow us to be heard so that we can further distract her. If she is not screaming she will follow it as long as it does not move too fast and try to pick it up. If she can't pick it up you only get a couple of tries and then she just ignores it. I tend to use it when she starts this screaming because she is also usually pacing upside down from the top of the cage and she is so focused that she forgets this and sometimes lets go and falls. She is good and usually catches herself and ends up gliding out of the cage but still sometimes hits the doorway or one of the perches and I really don't want a broken wing or other damage. I can see that she might not like the dot, but she is not afraid of it either so I think it is worth the risk.

She also forget to hold on to the cage or the perch when she gets intent on playing with toys, which is why I have moved most of them to the outside of the cage. I put one of those boing type ropes hanging from the ceiling about 6 weeks ago and we have gotten her to start playing on it. That relieves some of my concern as she has plenty of room to drop and safely catch herself.

It was an accident that I discovered that it would distract her from screaming for a second as I was playing with one of the cats with it while she was screaming one day and flashed it towards her and when the dot suddenly appeared on the toy in her cage next to her she stopped screaming and tried to pick it up. I have used it for this since that time.

[seagoatdeb]

i am really glad you found something to help with her screaming Wolf. Even if she did not like it much, it is great as a method to take her attention away from screaming. Sunny is a really good parrot, the only thing he ever does that is dangerous, is to sneak into Gaugans cage and he will come right out when I tell him too.

Sometimes he is a little bratty about going back to his cage. He sees me put Gaugan in her cage and he does not want to go in so he hisses like a Meyers does, but it is all show, when i pick him up he may try to jump back out of his cage before I can get the door closed, but i found out that i can start play fighting with him and then he goes back in his cage very easily. I just clue him in with the clicking sound I make with my tongue when i play fight with Gaugan, and he is very happy to do his very mellowed down play fight version, so even if he was hissy, it just vanishes into a playfull mood. Gaugan flips upside down when we playfight, and keeps flipping all over the place, and that is too much for mellow Sunny, he just want to sort of beak fight and he makes the cutest sounds when he does.

i love the playfighting, that i do with the Pois, they like it a lot, and it gives me the oppportunity to be touching their beaks a lot and them the opportunity to learn about the correct pressure to use with me when they are excited. I always touch their beak as a greeting and a goodbye too.