Last night I put Clyde up on his cage so I could do something else besides be a perch and he was crawling all over the outside, carrying his glasses, and he stopped next to the school yard play stand I bought him months ago. It's sitting on the table next to his cage now and I was actually thinking I'd give it to Bonnie eventually when she calms down enough to be handled and come out of her cage.

Clyde's never shown any interest in it, and when I tried to introduce him to it initially, he freaked and squawked and crawled up my arm into my hair as if I'd suggested he kiss a rattlesnake. However, last night he seemed to notice it for the first time, and he stopped on the lip at the bottom of his cage and he sat there and LOOKED at that play stand, then he leaned forward and sort of touched it with his beak, and stared at it, and then reached out one little foot to touch it with that. Maybe in a month or two he'll actually PLAY on it, the little green chicken. He's had it since last summer!

Well that's good, at least he is curious. Next time you see him interested in the play stand, reward him with a favorite treat right away and make a big deal about it. That should get him playing on it sooner. He just needs to learn that it's something to be played with!

LOL!! And that is why we call them the green chickens! For some reason they are more leary of new toys, foods and things than my other birds are. I can usually lay a new toy beside a cage for a day or two and play with it myself while exclaiming what fun it is and the others are jumping all over it. With my quakers I have it beside the cage for a few days, then attached to the outside of their cage until I see them take interest in it and then it gets moved in cage. I don't know if its some kind of survivial instinct to be so afraid of new or change but they all definitely take time.

Now that he has shown interest, sit down next to it and start playing the toys and walking your fingers across the bottom and exclaiming how much fun it is and you will be surprised how quickly he jumps over to join you and then start investigating.

I tried all that when I first got it -- playing with it myself, I mean -- and there's a bowl that came with it where you put birdy treats and I filled it with his favorite, and he STILL wouldn't go near it. I'll try those things again. Bonnie has spoiled me. I give her something new and she's all over it like a cheap suit. New food, new toys, new anything, she wants it and she can't wait to try it out. Clyde ... not so much.

It took two months for Verde to go near his ceiling swing and about a week to go near his playgym.