When T-Bird sits on my knee watching TV, or my hand, I can't think of how to play with him. He won't let me touch him, and I can't feed him constantly! He gets full!
any ideas of things to do to entertain him easily would be greatly appreciated...I feel bad for him just sitting there like he is "waiting" for something to do. He isn't much interested in my talking at him, or if I am watching TV, the other people in the room dont' appreciate my babbling at him...
Lori

Dexter will play tag, or chase. He loves it! I give him a kiss and he runs back and forth trying to give me one back. Foot toys are nice. I'll put a couple on my thumb or pointer finger and he'll play all day. Peekaboo is another one he likes. Just cover your eyes and say peekaboo like you do with babies. Watch a comedy and laugh alot! They love that!

i'll give cricket paper towel or kleenex to shred... that usually keeps him occupied or sometimes a q-tip or even the plastic cap of a soda bottle. he likes scratching his beak across the ridges. it's the simple things they seem to like the best!

I was going to suggest a paper towel. Clyde likes to kill them. Then there's the ever-popular "gonna gitcher nose" (you try to touch his beak; he tries to bite your finger) and the "unscrew your head" (Hubby and Clyde play this one): Hubby twirls his finger in one direction, Clyde follows it round and round with his head, Hubby twirls the other way to "screw it back on." Sounds silly, but they can go at this for a long time. Clyde also really likes glasses. He'll chew on them and carry them back and forth and up and down for an hour at a time. I got him some kiddy sunglasses and we took the earpieces off because Hubby was worried he'd get his beak caught in the hinge, so Clyde carries just the lenses part around and around. These things all entertain him without us actually having to touch him, though he likes that, too.

I think I'll try a paper towel. That's a great idea.

I keep a small bowl of toys by my chair so there's always something to entertain whichever fid is hanging out with me at the moment. It has things like tissues (they all love those), q-tips, beads, short lengths of string and leather, some small pieces of fabric, a few monkeys (from the barrel), a few plastic paper clip-ish doo-dads. They're really not hard to entertain, just lay a few odds and ends on your lap in various places and let him start checking them out.
For birds that aren't still a bit skittish it's a great way to trick them into forgetting how close they are to you

Verde and I sing songs, play in the bathroom mirror and preen each other.

These are great ideas for my Ness actually
as she doesn't like new toys generally going
into her cage so these will be great to rotate

I also give her gumnuts to play with when we
watch tv, she'll act as if she wants to murder it
by shaking the living daylights out of for ages.

If you can get something like that in your area
that could be fun

Oh yeah, kleenex or paper towels are Simon's favorite! He will shred those all day. We also play "get yer beak", but not as often as we used to because hubby is just sure this is making him more aggressive...even tho he never bites me when we play, just beaks at my hand without biting down. Now Pogo the caique is hilarious with a tissue or paper towel! He will sit on my finger and "surf" the tissue all over the place...which just means he pushes it around with his chest. He will even roll around in it and play with it like a little puppy. The funniest thing of all is that he will "polish" my hubbys bald head with it if I hold him over his head and put the tissue on top. OMG we laugh so hard!

Dodger loves to play under a blanket.I will drap one over my lap and the arm of the couch and he will dart under it, laugh and run back out..over and over again.Just make sure noone sits on said blanket
He also likes beads..which I have purchased from a local craft shop..he will take one from me and run to put it in a dish I place on the other end of the couch, he will go back and forth all night

Kiwi and I sing songs as well.. Play peekabo.. (covering his face or mine) and he loves that... playing the ima gonna getcha game.... i thinik shredded paper would work great.. i usually just grab some odds and neds toys andlet him toddle around and play..

yea, sounds like you need to make some foot toys. I wrap Popsicle sticks with twine and he takes a while to completely unwrap it. I also buy mini straw hats from Michael's arts and crafts, and other shredable things like that. Paper towel, Kleenex, and q-tips work great too. Sometimes I soak the q-tip in water, Darwin really likes that!

On Verde's tree stand (which I keep on the coffee table next to me when watching tv or surfing the net) he has hanging toys, apple slices, and millet spray hanging from the branches and at the base he has foot toys, a bowl of water and a phone book and tissues to shred.

He loves playing in the water. I drop toys in there and he has to get them out. And he loves drinking water and apple juice out of my coffee mug. We also play "get your nose,tail-etc. and cuddle. And share snacks. This is a full day for him!:D

Don't forget the EASIEST and CHEAPEST foot toy around-- all my birds just love to play in piles of feathers! I save most of their feathers- the long, pretty ones go in a box for me and all the smaller and downy ones go in a box for them. I toss a few in their toy boxes or put a bowl full of feathers in their play areas and they just go to town preening, sorting, and stashing them

I get the fids to dance, or let them play with plastic bottle lids.

Think tomorrow I'm going to make a birdy necklace for me whoohoo.

Going to string some beads, some of their little fruity blocks, paper muffin cups.. you get the idea.. then let the fids play (hopefully not strangle me in the process lol) while we're watching t.v.

That should keep them away from my earrings too.

I have a nasty habit of chatting with them while watching tv too.. makes me pretty much the person nobody wants in the livingroom during a movie

Oh gosh! This has not only been informative, but entertaining! i wish I could visit some of you and see this playing in action!
I have so many great ideas now, thank you!
I didnt' know they could have Q-tips, but did see some pics with birds with them, and putting a variety of things in a bowl is a great idea, this will be fun!
Thanks you all very much! We only played the get your beak game, and he is very gentle, I am trying to get him to let me scritch him, but I didnt' really know if the "get your beak" was OK, just knew he likes it.

Lori

Just watch your QP the first time you give him a Q-tip. If he just rips the cotton end off and plays with it in his mouth a bit and then drops it, then it should be fine. The only thing you don't want him to do is eat the cotton, but I doubt very much that he will do that.

thanks all, he's doing great, we are having fun playing now!
And he didn't eat the cotton, yeah!
Lori

that's good to hear! I didn't think he would eat it