Cockatiels: playpen/toys

Question
Hi my cockatiels have a playpen on top of there cage to play on with three toys, my questions are;

how many toys should they have on there play pen? because three just isnt enough,

Also how many toys should be in there cage?  

Answer
Hello again.  

There are no hard and fast rules for how many toys a parrot should have available to play with, inside or outside their cage.  There aren't any "rules" that say tiels need to have 4 toys, amazons 6 toys, keets 4 toys, etc.  You want to provide enough toys to keep them occupied, stimulate their minds, etc., depending on what other activities are on their agenda for the day, but you also don't want to provide so many toys that could overstimulate them either (which could cause stress).  

For whatever reason, you've decided 3 toys on their playpen isn't enough for your tiels.  Not sure how you arrived at this conclusion, but if it's because they don't play with them, keep in mind that perhaps they don't like the types of toys you've provided or, if they are young, perhaps they don't know what they are for (birds don't instinctively/automatically know to play with toys)!  Try some different types of toys to see which ones they prefer and/or add some more toys and see what happens.  Also, toys should be rotated frequently so your tiels don't get bored with the same ones (rotate every weekend or so).  Some birds love to play with toys, some don't.  Some are happy with a cardboard box they can tear up.  You have to experiment with different ones because not all birds are alike.    

The number of toys inside the cage depends on how much room is available inside the cage with the bird(s), their dishes, etc.  There is no set number.  If you allow your tiels to be outside their cage most of the time and you have toys on their playpen, you don't really need toys inside their cage(s) where they rest, sleep, and eat (unless there are times when they spend active time inside their cage).

Chrys