Afraid of happy hut!

[Pips mom]

Ok, so I go to the pet store today and got some new things for the new birdie......one of which is a blue happy hut.....Pip's is green and matches him! I would have gotten another green one but they only had blue and yellow. I put the things in his cage and he appears to be scared of the happy hut! He won't even go on that side of the cage! Pip never bothered with his at first, but at least he wasn't scared of it! I'm waiting to see if he warms up to it being in his cage.....if not, I'll take it out and try it again another time. I also won him a bouncy boing in a contest online....I got to pick a toy and they would give me for free, so he needs his own boing....hopefully he won't be scared of that! :rolleyes:

[thebubbleking]

I wouldnt worry about it if theres one thing besides spunk lovies have its a huge curiosity lol

[momo]

Spotty is and was petrified of his happy hut (it's now been taken out) I think it's because he just doesn't know what to do with it. Spotty decided it would be fun to chew the strings that it hangs from.

Whereas I introduced Elmo's to his straight away and he loved it straight away from 2/3 months onwards.

Maybe if your new birdy sees your other fids and what they do with it. Monkey see, Monkey do?

[Enko_chan]

I've had them go both ways... some love them, some hate them, and some are indifferent.

It takes time for some of them to figure out what it is the hut is for... some just think its another toy. My thoughts for the ones that fear it is this possibility: for Benny, he has two "friends" a "Jellyfish" made from half a green whiffle ball with supreme cotton rope hanging down as tentacles with fun things on them- which is the only toy he doesn't beat the crap out of- and a "snuggly" made out of the same material as the happy huts, which he seems to think is another friend. He talks to them, preens them, uses them for comfort when he is upset, and sleeps snuggled up between them...

Upon first sight, the happy hut may appear as another sentient being and larger one than the bird itself, as that.

[LovelySydney]

He'll warm up to it. My Gus was like that too, I think it took about a week for him to crawl in and than he was addicted = )

[FuzzyAga]

Bribe him with a segment of millet in the happy hut? It'll make a small mess but who cares?

When I had to set up 6-week old Chickopea, Juanita's son, with his own apartment in her cage, I hung a small happy hut, and boy, he was scared of it. Then Juanita saw it and HAD to have it. Chickopea saw that Juanita was crazy about it. After I chased Juanita out and back into her own nest, Chickopea hopped into his happy hut, and there was no more problem--except I had to chase Juanita out of it a few more times. I told her, "It's not yours." Smart cookie understood and stayed in her own nest after that.

[Pips mom]

Bribe him with a segment of millet in the happy hut? It'll make a small mess but who cares?

That is an awesome idea! Thanks! He seems to be warming up to it just a little bit....I left it in the cage because he started going a little closer and a little closer to it. He still is a little scared of it and won't go check it out, but at least he's going to that area of the cage and nearby it at times. I'll try the millet thing tomorrow!

[Janie]

I offered Oliver a happy hut and he was horrified of that "thing" in his cage! He was an older bird (about 6 or 7) when I adopted him so maybe that was the reason. Anyway, 6 years later and there is still no way he'd get near one. Big Boi and Shy each have one in their cage (those two share a cage at night, Oliver has his own cage) and Oliver sees them but he won't go near them.

They just look so comfortable..... that's why I wish Oliver would "take a load off" and sleep in the happy hut/cozy.

[LoveBug12]

My little bird LOVES his happy hut! He sleeps in there, and when we go on a car ride, he goes in there and just sleeps and looks out the window, it's so cute!


You can enter contest and win things online? Hmmmm, that sounds like fun! :)

[Pips mom]

He's getting closer and closer to going in it! so I held off on the millet bribe! Last night he sat on a toy right next to it, practically touching it!
I just love how Pip looks all cozy in his! It took Pip a year before he "discovered" his happy hut! Now sometimes he'll sit in it looking all cozy and he chews on the outside edge of it while he's sitting in....kinda like he's preening the edges because he's not really damaging it....just the fuzzy part on the edge looks a little ratty where he chews it. I figure if it starts looking bad then I can turn it around and put that side against the back!

[thebubbleking]

Be aware when huts show signs of wear the strings can come loose and choke or hurt feet or toes huts need to be checked often and replaced when showing wear many a lovebird has been lost to a hut string :(

[Pips mom]

Yes, I know.....what Pip does to his I believe is his attempt at preening it. He doesn't make any strings, he just makes the ends look a little ratty looking.