I have 3 lineolated parakeets with a good range of wooden basa wood toys and shredding toys in cage which they don’t touch. They like to walk around on floor nibbling on baseboards which I discourage enen though shredding chewy toys on floor. What can I try to motivate them to play with toys instead of minimal shredding of paper?
Hi,
It’s not safe at all to allow pet birds to be on the floor – it’s a tragedy waiting to happen. All it takes is one moment of distraction and a bird gets stepped on or closed in a door. Nobody is perfect and no matter how careful you are, it happens. Also, when you come inside, you bring contaminants from the outdoors with you, and those are on the floor. Your birds are at risk from getting sick when they wander around on the floor. Linnies are a grass parakeet, so this explains why they prefer the floor. You might look into some type of enclosure that you can turn into a foraging and enrichment area. We have a great playlist on how to get started with foraging projects for your birds, and suggestions for toys. They are going to be more interested in toys on the cage floor, which is why they are happy chewing on things on your floor.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
