How to choose and make toys for a parrot with your own hands

What types of toys are there for parrots?

Toys for parrots are designed not only to entertain your feathered pet. They help him develop intellectually and also maintain normal physical health.

Intelligent

We are talking about educational puzzles, the solution of which will lead the parrot to his favorite treat. Such toys contribute to the mental development of birds, which are already distinguished by their intelligence.

For sharpening the beak

Such toys are needed both for large parrots, for example, macaws or grays, and for medium-sized ones - cockatiels or necklaces, and also for budgerigars, lovebirds, etc. This is a mandatory attribute of the cell. They can be made from wood, plastic or paper. The main thing is the safety of the material, because the parrot will definitely swallow at least a small piece.

The use of such accessories will protect against damage to furniture and other interior items.

To maintain physical fitness

These are rings, bungees and ladders, perches located at different heights.

Interactive

Toys that require the bird to perform one or another action. In response to this, the toys reproduce any sounds that may interest the pet.

Store-bought or homemade toys

There are no strict restrictions in this matter. Accessories can be purchased in specialized stores. You can also make toys for parrots with your own hands. Sometimes the birds themselves suggest ideas for this, for example, by playing with plastic bottle caps or showing interest in threads.

About creating playgrounds

The playground is a special entertainment complex. The necessary toys are combined here. The complex is installed in a cage or outside.

Such platforms and stands are good because they are created individually for each individual and are subject to modification. For example, play stands for budgies always contain a lot of noisy things, a stand for lovebirds contains a lot of “chews,” and for larger parrots there is a suitable number of stairs and perches.

To create a playground, you first need to draw a sketch of what you want to see. Then you need to decide on the materials. The materials chosen are environmentally friendly. The choice in favor of one material or another is made based on the author’s idea. If this or that structure cannot be put together from wood, you should turn to metal, etc.

After the above steps, the individual parts of the stand are already being manufactured and tightly fastened together.

Harmless materials

Bird cherry, oak and pear branches are not suitable for making homemade toys for budgies and other parrots. It is also not recommended to use poplar wood. The pet will definitely taste the tree, and this can have a bad effect on its health.

It is better to stay on the branches of fruit trees. Before making anything, they need to be boiled.

When it comes to metals, you should not buy aluminum, brass, or zinc toys. Like unsuitable wood, they can harm your parrot's health.

Mechanical fastenings and hooks must also be secure.

Parrots love play accessories made from thread. It is better to take from linen, sesal, jute, cotton, etc. As soon as they become disheveled, they must either be replaced with new ones or completely removed from the cage.

Safety regulations

If the owner decides to make a toy for the parrot himself, he needs to take into account several important rules that will help ensure safe leisure time for the pet.

1. Branches of pear, oak, bird cherry and poplar cannot be used to make toys. A poultry will definitely taste a new item, and the wood of the listed trees has a negative impact on health. An excellent solution would be to use branches of various fruit trees (except pear).

The branches must be boiled well before production. This will help get rid of harmful wood microbes and ordinary dirt.

1. Metals like zinc, copper and brass should be avoided. They are poisonous and can cause huge health problems if ingested by a parrot.

When using metal fasteners, hooks, etc., you need to check whether the metals used are safe for the health of the bird.

1. It is difficult to imagine a leisure item for birds that does not require threads to make. It is better to use threads made from flax, sesal, hemp, jute and cotton fibers. Over time, the threads will fray and need to be replaced with others or removed from the cage.

Why are frayed threads dangerous? Parrots are quite fidgety, and it is possible for a pet to get tangled in its claws. If you try to get out, you can get seriously injured.

1. If store-bought toys are used, they must be disinfected. Disinfection can be carried out using special means, and if the material of the item allows it, you can boil it several times and then sprinkle it with chamomile decoction.

Using store-bought items is by no means a bad thing. It is only important to check whether the materials from which they are made are safe.

1. If toys are installed on a special stand, they must be secured tightly. A pet parrot will not play on a stand on which something has fallen once. The design will have to be modified or completely replaced.
2. All items necessary for the life of a bird need to be washed and disinfected from time to time, and leisure items are no exception. Dirt and dust can produce germs that can lead to illness. And anyway, who would enjoy sitting in a house with dirty furnishings? Parrots are known to be extremely clean birds.

Which ones should not be given?

For a budgerigar, like other species of these birds, you cannot buy painted toys. Small pieces of paint can enter the stomach, thereby causing poisoning.

Also, the accessories should not have holes in which the bird could get its beak stuck. It is better if the material used to make toys is durable, otherwise the parrot will be able to crumble it.

It is worth paying attention to the presence of sharp corners. During play, your pet may get hurt on them.

Popular toys for budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds

So, what toys do small and medium-sized birds need? They are subject to a number of requirements. They should be bright, colorful, and noisy if possible. Birds are often very active. That's why they love it when everything creaks, rings, rustles, etc.

The following toys are suitable for small and medium parrots:

1. Bells, rings, ladders, beads.
2. Rattles, a Kinder Surprise “egg” filled with some kind of cereal. They will captivate the parrot for a long time.
3. Beads made from plastic bottle caps.

It is recommended to place everything in the cage that can be dropped or thrown. If objects make loud noises, the bird will be delighted.

Beautiful swing

You will need:

• multi-colored beads;
• metal bell;
• ready swing.

How to make a beautiful swing

• Choose multi-colored beads. You can use buttons. Remove the swing and disconnect the wire at the top.

• String the beads on the wire, remembering to leave a small gap between them so that the parrot will find it interesting to move them.

• Fasten the ends of the wire and hang a bell at the junction.

• Hang a beautiful swing in your budgie cage.

DIY parrot toys

Toys for cockatiels, ringtailed parrots, budgerigars and representatives of large breeds can, of course, be bought in the store. But there is no guarantee that they are made of high-quality, safe material. Therefore, you can arm yourself with improvised means and make them yourself.

Swing

You need a wooden perch, several beads, and wire. A base in the shape of a triangle is made from wire. Its size depends on the size of the pet plus a few cm for securing.

Instead of a perch, you can use any tube that has a hole for wire or rope.

Bells

They can be hung individually or collected into one large toy. You can take a rope about 5 mm thick, a bell, a twig and beads. Tie knots on the rope, putting beads between them. Attach a twig (perch) and a bell from below. Hang from the top of the cage. You will get a so-called “bungee”.

Ladders

Both big and small birds like these toys. Making them couldn't be easier. You need poles of the same size and rope. At the ends of the poles you need to make indentations, thanks to which the rope will hold more securely. Wooden parts are sanded and bonded.

Rattles

What parrots love most are rattles used for teething. If desired, they can be additionally decorated with multi-colored beads.

Rope

They are placed in a room where the parrots can move freely. You need to attach hooks and handrails to the wall, and string ropes between them. After the bird has fed up, the structure can be disassembled.

Suitable plants for games

There are several options here:

1. Willow wreath. To make it you will need a hard wire hoop and willow branches. Leaves can be left if desired. To decorate the finished toy, treats, flowers, small bells, etc. are used.
2. Parrots are not averse to chewing flowers. You should be careful in choosing them. Under no circumstances should you give datura, laburnum, foxglove, holly and poinsettia.
3. Birds love to play in greenery. It can be picked outside or grown at home in a pot.

Any plants that your parrot will play with should be thoroughly washed before use.

Mirrors: pros and cons

Parrots love to admire themselves. Sometimes they even talk to their reflection. Therefore, a mirror in a cage is simply necessary. A powder mirror is suitable for small birds.

Basics of Placing Toys in a Cage

• any toy sooner or later , so the best option is to alternate them with each other so that they remain interesting for the bird. After all, the new is the well-forgotten old.
• On foreign forums you can often find photographs where the entire cage is covered with toys, which greatly limits the free space. Such placement of accessories is undesirable. There should be enough free space in so that the bird can make a full flap of its wings without hitting anything.
• Organic residues (feed, droppings, etc.) may accumulate on the accessories. To prevent the formation of mold, regular cleaning of accessories is mandatory . Actually, this applies not only to toys, but also to cages, feeders, perches and drinking bowls.
• There are no 100% safe toys . One toy may be safe for one bird but dangerous for another. Use common sense - if the parrot has destroyed an accessory and you see that it may pose a danger (for example, sharp edges have appeared as a result of the breakage) - remove it from the cage! They need to be placed in the cage in such a way that there are no traps where the bird can get stuck.
• Matching the size of the toy to your pet . Some products for large parrots may also be interesting for budgies - for example, a huge pendant for a large bird will be interesting to a budgie as a large hanging playground. However, in most cases it is recommended to choose a product that matches the size of your pet. For example, in the photo below you can see the same musical pendant in two sizes - small and large (there is also a 10 ruble coin in the picture so that you can compare the sizes).