Experiment!

About a month ago I put a Hide 'n Sleep tent in the cockatiels' cage. Cheb had expressed a lot of interest in Charli's, so I thought he might want to sleep in one.  Both cockatiels immediately got to work, going in and coming out, scratching on the platform, and chewing out a big hole in the fabric in the back. Perhaps they thought it was a trap, I don't know.  Anyway, it has stayed empty and neither Flash or Cheb sleep in it. Once in awhile I'll see Cheb guarding the entrance as if it is hiding a chest of gold, but he's good natured about letting me peek inside.

Last week I was feeling adventurous so I bought a little stuff animal (pictured above) for the cockatiels. I was careful to get one with no buttons or trim to chew off. I placed the critter inside the Hide 'n Sleep, off to the side, and waited to see what the Dynamic Duo would do. Would they be afraid? Would they think it was a misfortunate foreign baby bird? Perhaps a misguided suitor for their attention?

Turns out, none of the above. They complete ignored the toy, not even bothering to move it while they went about their busy work doing who knows what in there.

A few days later, though, I saw that the forlorn little critter was on the bottom of the cage, still smiling. Whether the cockatiels threw him out or he jumped I'll never know.