I went to PetSmart today -- I gotta stop doing that, I always come home with more and more STUFF -- but I bought him one of those branch-like perches and a sandy perch to help keep his toenails trimmed. I also bought a Happy Hut because I've been looking at them for weeks and finally decided he needed one. Well, he's terrified of it. He was still in his cage when I took it out of the sack and he took one look and said no way. He has this particular sound when he's afraid of something and he made that sound. So I laid it down out of sight and got him out of his cage so I could install the new perches and then tried showing him the Happy Hut again with him sitting on my shoulder. Same frightened sound, and he backed away and got behind my head under my ponytail, all the time saying (in Quaker) "no! go away! scary!" He has a different sound for being mad or annoyed, so it isn't that he just doesn't like it. Now what? Leave it where he can see it and get used to it? Hide it? Give up?

Please don't give up. Kiwi was the same way when she got hers and it took her a while but now it's the love of her life. Her place to hide in the daytime, sleep in at night and it's her favorite gourmet restaurant the rest of the time. She goes down to her food dish and brings food up to her HH to eat. It's so funny. She has to take it inside, turn around and bring it back to the door to eat it.

To get her used to it, I hung it on the outside of the cage for a while...in a place she wouldn't have to go too close to it. Then I moved it closer and closer to where she slept until finally it hung right beside where she slept. Then the next step took it inside and she slept away from it for a few nights, then eased on in. Once she finally got in, she loved it.

My Bo, (Sun Conure) loves his too, but chewed windows in both sides so he can see everything that's going on in the room!

You sound like me.. i am always coming home with some toy or another...I just went to a site last night and bought about 21 items-----all for 120. not bad.. no taxes and they had a good sale... windycityparrots.com...and they sent me a coupon $5 off the next order....

i bought a sleepy hut for my 3 parrots, i hope they like theres.. thanks for the input and i am crossing my fingers... maybe he needs alittle time with it.. like a week i would try.. if he doenst go in it or show any interest then i would remove it.. but its only my opinion.. good luck keep us informed on how your birdy made out...

I agree.. Clyde may end up loving it and the benefits for them using the happy hut are galore! I love tht our lil kiwi gets to rest his feet while sleeping..

Just hang it outside the cage and interact with clyde with it near you so he can get used to seeing it around.. he'll come around soon enough! Our lil green chicken is scared of almost evrything at first too :0

The good news is, he likes the sandy perch. I put it where he usually hangs on the side of the cage or stands on his mirror, and he took right to it. I'll try keeping the Happy Hut where he can see it for a few days, then I'll try putting it on the outside for a few days and maybe he'll get used to the idea. I'm sure he'd like it if he'd give it a chance. Maybe he doesn't like yellow. I should've gotten the blue one. Perhaps he thinks yellow clashes with his green plumage.

Becareful of him using the sandy perch too much he could end up with foot problems..a better solution is natural wood (brances) perches varying widths to excersizae the feet...along with rope perches for variety..
Don`t give up on the happy hut yet Quakers are little chickens with new objects...

He has a rope perch and a branch perch and plastic perches and a banana-flavored chewy perch as well as the sandy perch. He usually prefers the rope perch but the sandy one's new, so that's where he's been sitting today.

I read somewhere where it helps to have the Happy Hut match their plumage! Not sure about the validity of that, but Tucker's is green and he is green and though he was afraid of it at first, he likes it now. I see him preening it more than sleeping in it, though occasionally some of his foot toys mysteriously appear inside it.

Jen

I got one for SweetPea (I work in a Petsmart...) It is green. At first he didn't pay any attention to it, but now he seems to like it. He likes to snooze in it during the day. Sometimes he uses it as a tunnel when he does "laps" around his cage. It is hilarious!
If Clyde ultimately doesn't like his Happy Hut, you can always return it or exchange it. If you don't have a receipt, you can still return it for store credit. It's just a nice Petsmart perk.

I made one for Kiwi and hung it in the cage, he didn't go near it for approx. a month. Now he goes in it at night. I was so excited when he started using it. So I guess I'll be making him another one, I bought enough fleece to make 3. Don't give up yet, Clyde just might decide he likes it after all.

I got one for Max a few years ago and she hated it. She attacked it and shoved it right off the top of her cage (where I had put it for her to adjust to it). Since then we've gone without one...lol

I agree with the others and just put it near his cage for now so he can get used to it. After a week or so, move it closer. Once you get it on/in his cage, then put a favorite treat inside to lure him into it. He may decide it's not so bad after all

I showed it to him again today while he was feeling mellow and relaxed and instantly he started trying to bite it and making his frightened sound, so I laid it down again. I'll just keep trying to get him to accept it gently and if he just won't, then he won't. It's HIS bedroom, after all.

I believe when we got the one for kiwi we have from pet smart it says right on the package to get one that matches the lil fids colour Green it it was our lil quaker! He likes to use it to "run through.. meaning he runs in and out the other side as well as sleeps in it every night,, cuddles right up in there and rest his feet! With patience i'm sure any quaker can adjust

Place a favorite toy inside the hut so he has to enter the hut in order to retrieve the toy. He'll quickly learn that the hut is not a threat.

Mark

He doesn't like toys much and generally ignores them. His favorite toy is me, and I'm afraid I won't fit. He won't even tolerate the Happy Hut within his sight, and would definitely freak out if I actually put it in his cage, so it's lying on the kitchen table with the other toys he has rejected.

what about a favorite treat mine love unsalted cashews and I use to put a fw in the Jolly ball to entice them in , they were scared at first too (looked like a big mouth ready to eat them ) but they love their snuggle ball now play and sleep in it too...

My quaker just hates happy huts he turns them into sad huts by destroying them.
You got alot of good advice already on how to get him used to it.

Majj those jolly balls look so cool I need to buy some for my fids.

I agree with Mark and Majj. Maybe place a favorite treat near it and if he seems to calm down, then try moving it closer the next day, etc. I know a lot of people don't believe in food rewards, but reinforce any getting closer with soft praise, too.

QUOTE (equineRtist @ Jun 28 2008, 05:16 PM)

Please don't give up. Kiwi was the same way when she got hers and it took her a while but now it's the love of her life. Her place to hide in the daytime, sleep in at night and it's her favorite gourmet restaurant the rest of the time. She goes down to her food dish and brings food up to her HH to eat. It's so funny. She has to take it inside, turn around and bring it back to the door to eat it.

To get her used to it, I hung it on the outside of the cage for a while...in a place she wouldn't have to go too close to it. Then I moved it closer and closer to where she slept until finally it hung right beside where she slept. Then the next step took it inside and she slept away from it for a few nights, then eased on in. Once she finally got in, she loved it.

My Bo, (Sun Conure) loves his too, but chewed windows in both sides so he can see everything that's going on in the room!

AWWWWWWW~!!! Sounds so cute~!