> Well, yeah, no arguement there. I meant playing as in playing. When we are
>home he does this GREAT statue immitation... Here lately he will climb
>one side of the cage and stare at whoever is sitting on the couch, with some
>occasional noises.
This is a start. What you might try when he does that, is keep some of
his favorite foods handy. When you see staring and making those noises,
quietly but very plainly put a bit of his treat into an easily reachable
food cup. Reward him for paying attention to you, but don't make a
verbal fuss over him yet (too soon might frighten him off).
>the first time they were out together, the GW on his perch on the side of
>his cage and the B&G on the top of his cage... The GW tried to snag the B&Gs
>tail one time when he turned and it came near him. He does watch the B&G
>play with some interest...
If he was alone for years, it might also be that he doesn't KNOW what
another bird really IS yet. Give him time. When my birds meet a new bird
they don't like the new one right away. The tail grabbing thing seems to
be an agressive action, at least with my conures.
>KJ> a LONG time. This bird has NO REASON to love, trust or
>KJ> respect you. You
> I understand this. We talked to so many people who suggested another bird.
In a way, this is good, as it gives YOU a bird to play with while the GW
comes around , thus easing your frustration a notch.
>KJ> bird is NOT
>KJ> going to change into a tame pet overnight.
>  I got him a Macaw chew toy. He played with it for a minute and dropped it.

>covered and moved or covered and left. No cloth toys, makes him head to the
>far side of the cage and stay. Oh what a learning curve this is. 
Cloth toys might remind him of gloves too. If he was mishandled, gloves
might be a bad memory. My wild birds seemed to like things that were
easily destroyed, especially at first. Soft wood (balsa or basswood),
twisted brown paper bags tied into knots, twisted paper towel ropes,
cardboard box sides and small clean maple twigs were all favorite toys.
(And they're all cheap, too!)
Stick for now to things he can rip up--don't worry about him "playing"
as you've seen it demo'ed by the B&G. Let him work out his worries on
things he can totally destroy. If you find an object he particularly
likes, be sure to keep plenty of back-ups handy, and make sure he sees
you replacing the old torn-up one with a new one so he makes the
connection "you" = "new toys". You want him to look forward to your
company in every way possible. Good luck!
--Kathy
kjohnson@ddc.com
http://www.ddc.com/~kjohnson
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