I have three parrots at home – a Green-cheeked Conure, a Maroon-bellied Conure, and a Red-lored Amazon – and not one of them are alike in personality. Contessa, the 28-year old Amazon, thinks she’s a model, having graced the cover of the Doctors Foster and Smith bird catalog once.
I’m pretty sure she’s waiting for Hollywood to call next. Chicken, a 6-year-old Green-cheek, is a bit skittish, and she always appears a little socially awkward, kind of like me when I was a freshman in high school. Kiwi, a 6-year-old Maroon-belly, is the fearless brat of the group and is usually getting himself in trouble one way or another. Three different birds, three different personalities. Is it any wonder then that they all like different types of toys?
Contessa, like most cover models, is proud of her appearance, sBird Toyo she loves spending hour upon hour dancing with her reflection in the Talk N’ Play Bird Toy. I like to get in on the fun by pressing the buttons on the toy, which make it repeat one of four different phrases: “Hello”, “I Love You”, “Hahahaha”, and “Calling All Birds.” If you want to know what the toy sounds like, you can preview it here. Contessa really likes it when I push the “I Love You” button, of course. Her eyes get real big and she lets out a really pretty call. She also enjoys the Hall of Mirrors because she can see her reflection, but it’s not as interactive as the Talk N’ Play.
In addition to mirror toys, my Amazon also really loves foraging and shredding toys. Every Christmas Contessa gets a treat pinata, filled with her favorite treat, Nutriberries, which she promptly shreds to bits. More of the Nutriberries end up on the floor than in her mouth, but she always finds her way to the bottom of her cage to clean up any errant treat bits left behind.
Stack O Tiles Bird ToyOur two Conures, Chicken and Kiwi, share a Select Series Villa Cage, but each bird has their own preference for toys. Chicken, the Green-cheek, prefers colorful toys that she can chew on, such as the Stack ‘O Tiles Hanging Bird Toy, and the Twiggy Hanging Bird Toy. She has a tendency to featherpick, so I always make sure there are plenty of chew toys for her to play with. Also, being that she’s a bit of a scaredy cat, I always put the new toys on the outside of the cage first for a few days so she can get acclimated to them before I put them in the cage.
What’s your bird’s favorite toy? Do you have any recommendations for Contessa, Chicken, or Kiwi? Let me know by posting in the comments section!