Ok, Now that looked pathetic....

[Z28Taxman]

Ditto got done eating and went over to his favorite nap spot, the branch where the knotrageous toy used to be. He tucked himself under one of the coils of the boing that's hanging there now and just looked sad. :(

Then he gave up and went up to sulk in the happy hut. I really need to put something else in that spot for him to snuggle with and hide in.

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

Awww.... poor Ditto! lol It makes me wonder what my fiddy boys will get attached to.

[michael]

My understanding of the knotrageous, is that it is made up of wood objects inner twined together using "cotton" strings. Having not done much research on how cotton reacts in a birds digestive system as opposed to other forms of material, I wonder if something constructed using sisal or hemp rope instead of cotton would offer Ditto a much safer alternative, yet still provide the same stimulation as the knotrageous toy?

[Z28Taxman]

Well Ditto can tell you from experience that a birds digestive system doesn't react well to cotton string.

Your description of the knotrageous toy is correct. I'm going to get something with leather to replace it.

[linda040899]

I think that something with leather is an excellent idea. Because of Ditto, I have nothing with cotton, string or any material in any of my parrot cages! I use leather, naturally tanned or even untanned, and I also remove all bells of any kind, including jingle type bells. If it can be done, a lovebird will do it!!!

[Z28Taxman]

Well we're gonna try this one. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5648+25026&pcatid=25026

[michael]

Sorry Ditto. .. We tried :(

[Z28Taxman]

Hey now. Don't take his side just because he's cuter than me!

I may give him supervised visitation with the knotrageous toy on weekends. But if he starts pulling strings off, it comes out.

I'm still looking for something better for hiding in. Then that new toy can move somewhere else. Most of the snuggly stuff I found so far that would fit in that spot had cotton rope.

[Z28Taxman]

Well the new toys arrived this afternoon. I said toys because I screwed up and ordered two of them. So I put one in the cage and hung one on a plant hanger in the doorway between rooms.

I put them up when I was getting ready to put get his dinner ready so while I was getting his veggies ready he was standing on his balcony checking out the one hanging in the doorway. He looked like he was trying to decide if he should fly to the new toy and check it out or come out and make sure I got his dinner right.

Well the stomach won and he came out to me. Imagine that! :rofl:

After going in he of course went right to the food, ate a bit, went and looked at the new toy in the cage and back to dinner.

It does fill up that space nicely and should give him a place to hide and safe stuff to chew.

[michael]

Here's to hoping Ditto soon adopts his new toy(s). Spoiled as he is. :rolleyes:

[Z28Taxman]

Well the one hanging in the doorway got chewed on when I held him up to it.

The one in the cage, well he pulled one of his piñata's next to it then snuck up on it through the happy hut. Fortunately it normally doesn't take him long to get used to new toys. He's a fearless little fella. Happy huts are a totally different story.

[Z28Taxman]

It took longer than normal but he seems to have accepted it. The last week or two when I came home from work he was on the branch next to it and over the weekend he went back ot his old spot and buried his head up inside it.

Now he's taking a nap on top of it in the corner of the cage! :happy:

[linda040899]

He's stubborn at times, that's for sure! He learned well from the human slave! :lol

Skye accepts new toys fairly quickly. The pinata that I got him that was actually bigger than he is, now has no dangly "legs" hanging from it. All 3 are on the floor of the cage. I renouvated one of his toys with new popsicle sticks and I'm going to have to replace them again. Best we keep these 2 a thousand miles apart! :)

[Z28Taxman]

He's stubborn at times, that's for sure! He learned well from the human slave! :lol

Skye accepts new toys fairly quickly. The pinata that I got him that was actually bigger than he is, now has no dangly "legs" hanging from it. All 3 are on the floor of the cage. I renouvated one of his toys with new popsicle sticks and I'm going to have to replace them again. Best we keep these 2 a thousand miles apart! :)

He usually accepts new toys before they're even in the cage. But when it's is favorite toy that's been replaced with something different he goes on strike for awhile. :evil:

Eventually curiosity gets the better of him and he gives in. I just need to be more stubborn than he is.

[Z28Taxman]

And the acceptance has progressed further. Today one of his afternoon naps was taken in his former favorite spot. On the branch under the toy with a little pacifier thing on his head!:rotfl

Then when he woke up he found out that that little thing could be used as a punching bag of sorts and spent 10 minutes headbutting it! I think he finally decided it's ok. It's not a knotrageous but it's still fun.

[Z28Taxman]

Well he's accepted it finally. Instead of sulking in the happy hut, he's back to napping on top like he used to with the knotrageous toy and then on the branch under it with the pacifier sitting on his head! It's not cotton rope but it seems snuggly enough.

And when he's on top he's discovered that the Pinata next to it is good for head scritches! :happy::happy:

Now if only I could get him to stop chewing his food to crumbs. He still goes through a 3 pound bag of veggie nutriberries a week. On top of at least an 8 ounce bag of avi-cakes. He's developed the habit of taking a bite of one, then going to another until they're all crumbs. I know he can eat normally because when he brings them to the couch to eat out of my hand, most of the time he eats them to just a little bit of dust.

sometimes however he'll bring one over, take a few bites, get another and keep going until my hand can't hold any more crumbs. Then he'll go to the cage to eat. >:

He's even gone back to the cage to eat veggies! Fortunately he won't bring those over, that would be a mess.