Ditto's hormones are definately in full swing.

[Z28Taxman]

I cam home today and he was hanging out in his happy hut but came out as soon as I talked to him. He then stood on the perch, gacked and fed his bell toy for a bit. Then he moved to the old piñata and started really feeding that. He's become quite a messy feeder too, he had stuff all over his beak.

While I was filling his food dish he either rubbed his head in it or flicked it off his beak because the back of his head was all gunked up. He looked just like he did those two Monday monrings when I thought he was sick so it definitely seems like that stuff was toy feeding related. Of course he wouldn't take a bath to get cleaned up and wanted to play catch the birdy so now he's a mess.>:

I tried every trick in the book to get him to take a bath. We had a nasty thunderstorm going on so I opened the door and stood there so he could see... Nope. Turned water on in the sink. nope Put a trickle in the sink and made a bathtub with my hands and he stood on my shoulder giving me the stink eye.

[michael]

Obviously Ditto wants something you cannot give him. Poor lil guy :(. .. Whenever Beeber's gets the hormonal blues, I try not to provide him with too many extra food sources. Primarily millet. Too much millet, and the next thing I find, is he's using it to feed everything that even remotely resembles a mate.

[Z28Taxman]

He misses the knotrageous toy. He used to mostly feed that. Fortunately he's only doing it once a day now. So far this week he hasn't done it in the morning. Only when I get home, or if I don't work, right after I fill the food dish. 15 minutes or so and he's done. Then he will have a short nap or just relax a bit then eat and play like normal.

This is the worst he's been with it in a few years.

[michael]

Well, at least we know our little guys are healthy enough to..... :omg:

[Z28Taxman]

Yeah, I'd rather have healthy and hormonal than the alternative.

[Z28Taxman]

He's a bit more calm today. He again didn't do the regurgitation this morning, and only did it a little bit when I came home. Knock on wood, hopefully he's calming down a bit.

[Bubblelady]

Here's another site with toys for chewing that have no string. I just ordered Gussie a bunch of cork-loaded toys.


http://www.igotawoodybirdtoys.com/

[Z28Taxman]

OOOhhhhh more toys. Should be able to find something to keep him busy.

He's a bit more calm today. Again he didn't do it this morning and hasn't all week. Today he waited until after he went back in the cage with a freshly filled food dish and didn't do it nearly as much.

Even better, yesterday and today there were actually some unchewed bits of food left in the bowl. :happy:

Now he wants to come out more often though. Rather than stay in and feed the toys he's dancing and screeching to be let out! Much better! :happy::happy:

[Z28Taxman]

He's much more calm today (well with the feeding that is). He didn't do any all day, didn't try to feed me while we were getting his dinner and only did a little bit once he started eating (he ran up once and acted like feeding the piñata but I don't think he actually did).

I did see a change in his nap schedule. Around 1 he went into the happy hut for a nap, came out around 2:30 for a snack and to play. Then went back in. He came out at 3:30 to relax on a perch so he wasn't in the hut around the time I got home from work.

Hey Ditto. If you want to be sneaky and nap in the hut without me knowing you need to make sure I'm not home! :rofl:

[Z28Taxman]

His feeding has settled into a routine. He'll occasionally do it in the morning as soon as he gets out of bed, then he eats and begs for scritches before I leave.

When I get home from work, he wakes up from his nap, regurgitates a bit, then when his food goes in he nibbles, feeds, naps for an hour then forgets all about the regurgitating and eats and plays and doesn't do it again all night.

[Z28Taxman]

Well, he's calmed down quite a bit now. There's still a bit of regurgitation going on at dinner time but he's much more calm than he was 2 weeks ago.

And he's wasting slightly less food in the last few days.

[Z28Taxman]

He's calmed down a bit more. He doesn't do regurgitate much in the morning anymore and the evening's have mostly calmed down although the last 2 days he's picked up a bit again. Today he must have either rubbed his face on the perch he was feeding or didn't clean his face before preening because he had some gunk on his chest and neck area where he can reach to preen.

But he's healthy that's all that matters (knock on wood). :happy:

[michael]

He's calmed down a bit more. He doesn't do regurgitate much in the morning anymore and the evening's have mostly calmed down although the last 2 days he's picked up a bit again. Today he must have either rubbed his face on the perch he was feeding or didn't clean his face before preening because he had some gunk on his chest and neck area where he can reach to preen.

But he's healthy that's all that matters (knock on wood). :happy:

We shall definitely go along with that! .. The Beebs, on the other hand, has entered what appears to be a molt, and has furthered the discomfort (mine of course), by proving his ability to find every nesting sight imaginable. No white socks around here for awhile, lest they be served a candle light dinner. ..... >o

[linda040899]

Glad to hear that things have calmed down a bit! :) What we human slaves do for our "owners" is nothing short of amazing!

[Z28Taxman]

Glad to hear that things have calmed down a bit! :) What we human slaves do for our "owners" is nothing short of amazing!

Tell me about it. He did change up his routine a bit. He had been taking a 45 minute nap after he gets wound up like that then goes about his business and eats a lot. Last night he played instead.

When I got home last night he was back hanging out in his previous favorite spot. On the branch under where the knotrageous used to be and is now occupied by the new toy. First time I've seen him there since I put the new toy in. It's not as snuggly as the knotrageous but he can hide in it.

[linda040899]

I've been playing around with different toys lately and repairing some of the older ones that are seriously in need of some serious TLC! I found a pinata that's made from bamboo that Skye finally decided isn't going to eat him! It's bigger than he is but he likes banging it around and bouncing on the hanging strands. My mission with Dao (macaw) is to find toys he can't take apart or destroy in less than 10 minutes. I've tried a few foraging toys and he takes the toy apart completely to get the treats. It's not that his beak is strong. He just figures out how to undo the parts........ :omg: Each parrot is different and entertainment can be a challenge!!

[Z28Taxman]

Ditto prefers toys that are larger than he is. His knotrageous toys were the medium ones that were about 12 inches long. that way he can all climb over them.

He loves his pinatas but doesn't shred them. He prefers to unweave them slowly and just climb, swing and hang on them. It'll take a couple of years for him to destroy one. He usually destroys the sisal rope that hangs it from the cage first. Of course he gets mad at it when it falls while he's hanging on it chweing on the hangar. Fortunately he's quick enough to fly off before it hits the bottom of the cage (it doesn't hurt that the cage is over 3 feet high). >:

[linda040899]

Skye isn't shredding the pinata, either, just bouncing and swinging on it. I repaired one of his toys that had popsicle sticks on it before he turned them into toothpicks and he's happy with that again!! Robin, my Plumhead, is my shredder. He's not as good as a lovebird but he eventually gets the job done! :lol

[Z28Taxman]

It's bad enough finding toys that Ditto will like. If I had as many parrots as you do I'd be nuts (ok, more nuts than I am now :rofl: )