I designed my gyms from the ground up to do one thing, be the tree your bird lives in during the day, and your cage to be his roost.  This is natural for birds, how they live in the wild, and how they would live if you gave them the chance.  

First, don't discount this idea before you read this page, and have tried my gyms.  Second, you NEVER have to leave your bird on his gym any more then YOU want to.  More on that later.  So, what is Play Gym training, how does it work, and why does it work.  

Play gym training.  The concept is simple, positive reinforcement.  We do it every day with our birds, kids, spouses, etc.  If you bird understands that if he does what you want him to do, and gets no reward for doing what you don't want him to do, pleasing you for your rewards will be his first choice. 

Why does Play Gym training work?  My gyms were designed from the ground up so your bird will stay there because he wants to.  Here are some important features.  

• The first is Bottlebrush, the wood I use to build my gyms.  It's comfortable to stand on, doesn't require gripping or holding on, and is the best wood there is for chewing and gnawing.  And, chewing and gnawing of perches is NATURAL for birds, and what they prefer to chew on.
• The tray in the middle design.  This is a critical design feature.  By having the tray in the middle, 30" off the floor, your bird can't climb down.  So, the only option is to jump or fly down.  That's exactly what you want, because we can teach your bird that jumping or flying down is unacceptable. 
• My Hanging gyms use a similar formula.  The Bottom branch is about 28-30" off the floor.  
• The branch design of my gyms gives lots of USABLE perch space in a relatively compact footprint.  It's designed like a real tree, with a main trunk and branches coming off that main trunk. I add screw eyes on the ends of the branches for hanging play toys, chains, etc.
• The branch design is intuitive, meaning it'll encourage your bird to climb and explore.  And, the more time they spend on their gym, the better shape they'll be in, good for everyone.  
• The overhead toy is called the Play Gym toy.  Great Bottlebrush chunks for chewing and gnawing, and colored rawhide and cotton rope.  Plus, it looks great, can be climbed on as well.  However, it was designed to make your bird feel safe on my gyms.
• The Play Gym toy arches over the top of the gym.  This allows your bird to feel like he's IN the tree, not ON the tree, and safe from overhead predators. 

If these features were eliminated from my gyms, my gyms would be like every other gym on the market.  Fine for short periods of time only.  Your bird tolerates it, but doesn't really want to be there.  If that's the case, why waste your money.

Now to Play Gym training. 

Where you place your gym depends on your situation and your bird.  The best place is in the vicinity of his cage, and even next to his cage if necessary.  If your bird is afraid of new things, common with Greys and Cockatoos, place the gym unassembled on the floor and let him look at it for a while, again, depending on your bird.  Use your judgment here, after all, you know your bird.  

If your bird is hesitant to come out of his cage, place the gym next to his cage and leave it there.  Eventually, your bird will come out to see what this thing is.  Leave the Play Gym toy off until your bird is comfortable and using his gym.  Pay attention to the number of droppings in the tray.  As your bird uses his gym more, the more droppings in the tray.  The more he uses his gym, the more comfortable he'll be.  At some point, roll the gym a foot away from the cage, then two feet, and then in front of a window.  If he does find himself on the floor, he can go over and climb on his cage.  And, if you find him on his cage, he isn't Play Gym trained yet.  Now to actual Play Gym training. 

When you place your bird on his Play Gym, tell him to STAY THERE.  (I call these action specific words.  Use whatever works for you.)  Then, immediately leave the vicinity of the gym.  After 5 or 10 minutes, return to the gym and praise your bird for staying there.  Pick him up, give him a treat, and after this praise, return him to his gym and again tell him to stay there.

If you find him on the floor for whatever reason, pick him up and say nothing.  Put him on his play gym, tell him to stay there and repeat the returning process.  Here's what were doing.

Your telling him to stay there, which he does.  Then, your conditioning him to realize you know he's there, and will visit in a short period of time.  And, he also realizes that if he jumps or flies down, your not going to play with him, so that doesn't get him what he wants.  And parrots are smart enough to know what to do to get what they want. 

This is why the tray in the middle is so important.  If the tray were on the floor like most gyms, a 3" step is all that prevents your bird from being on the floor.  Play Gym training isn't possible with those types of gyms.

OK, now your bird has been conditioned to realize he needs to stay there to get your praise and attention, so we begin to extend the period of time between visits.  Initially, it's 5-10 minutes,  A week into the training process, it's 30 minutes to an hour.  Slowly, you begin to get more and more confident that he does LIKE his gym, and he's staying there because he wants to.  Before you know it, you're running to the store, mowing the yard, and guess what, he's staying on his gym.

Understand this.  Teaching your bird to do what's natural is easy to do.  And, for birds, spending their days in a tree is what's natural.  Being locked in a cage isn't natural, and why your bird doesn't like it. 

Before you realize it, YOU'RE the one who's totally confident about leaving your bird in his tree.  And yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.  I and thousands of my clients leave their birds on their Play Gyms or Hanging Gyms all day while were at work.  And, I also have lots of clients whose birds don't HAVE cages.  Many simply roll the gym to a different part of the room at bed/roosting time, and many use my Hanging Gyms as a roost.  Again, this is natural for birds, it's you and I that force them into cages. 

Try my gyms, you and your bird will be happy you did. 

Wayne