Prices!

Ok....everyone knows I do my darndest to insure I have two healthy and happy fids..
I went to my ALLPETS store for supplies,and a couple "presents" for BB's birthday Saturday ( see the picture of stuff I got for both of them)
Seed ( its not a staple for Amy just a fill in,she gets fresh things every day) a toy and a bag of dried fruits and nuts as treats. Also a small container of nutraberries.
BB got a couple new toys,some millet,a bag of tiel sized dry fruits and nuts ( treats) and a 2 pack of honey crunch sticks for Amy..
$108 and change! Luckily I have a savings card that brought it all down to $82...but holy cow!

And as for birds..they had a very sweet baby Jenday..for $650 and a baby Pineapple for $1200!
I told the bird girl they are suppose to point a GUN at you when they rob you!
'tiels in "iffy" condition were $229...and I got baby Beebs from a reputable breeder,health garuanteed for $150..sighhhh

Jim

Some fab goodies there but maybe it might be worth having a look online wdyt?

Jim, sorry to crash the thread but.... Amy is READY... I actually used THAT picture! Im not sure IMs are working...

FYI, buy your dried fruit and nuts at Costco! Our local bird store buys it there and sells it in bulk!

plumsmum2005 said:

Some fab goodies there but maybe it might be worth having a look online wdyt?

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Never thought of that! Next time for sure!


Jim

The prices for toys are outrageous on line and at Petco, etc. ANd they charge MORE if its a parrot toy then if its a dog toy ( true, saw it my self).

For the parrots them selves, unless the store is parrot heavy with experience ( we are lucky to have one locally to me) I wouldn;t get one.
Rather deal with a breeder or a parrot only shop. Remember when we was looking at the X-Mas give aways at ALLPETS and there was not one single bag of goodies that was parrot or bird related. Grrrr.

I try to stock up on toys when I find a good sale online. Our Macaw figured out he likes wood toys now, we are lucky if they last a day.

We have long ago come to buying parts for the toys and added to the pieces that I get out of the end-cut 'finished grade' white /yellow pine box at the Big Box Store plus with the not loved toys box, we make the vast majority of toys for our big guy.

SailBoat said:

We have long ago come to buying parts for the toys and added to the pieces that I get out of the end-cut 'finished grade' white /yellow pine box at the Big Box Store plus with the not loved toys box, we make the vast majority of toys for our big guy.

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We need to start doing the same. For over a year he did not care for the wood toys and his plastic ones would last a long time. Now that he's discovered wood, it looks like a beaver has been in his cage with him. But he's worth every penny.

Big Box hardware stores have bins or carts in the lumber section with sub-par chunks of wood. I needed some wood to fix a friend's fence, and today I bought a big pressure treated 2 by 4 for under a buck, about 70% off. Some of the small pieces are free. These stores cut wood to length for customers and sometimes the customer don't want the odd piece. You might have to ask to find where the bin is, and just keep an eye on it from time to time. I saw lots of pieces of pine molding, boards, assorted big pieces of wood, all dirt cheap. In fact, if you show the staff a picture of your bird and explain what you need, they will give you small pieces of wood for free. You can then use these scraps with leftover parts of older toys, like cables or clips, to make new ones. Or drill a hole near one end and hang the pieces from the top of the cage with a stainless link. Cheap!

As far as dried fruit and nuts ... I do have a Costco card. If I buy some bags of nuts and fruits, and repackage them at cost for the mail, would it serve a need? Kind of like a bird co-op? I don't want to get into a big headache or set up a business. But if it is hard for someone to afford food for their fids, I don't mind giving it a try. It can't be associated with Parrotforums, if anyone needs something like this PM me and if there is enough need maybe could work something out. Some of the dried fruit there is sweetened, like the dried mango and pineapple, but the apple slices I think are unsweetened. They have pistachios in and out of the shell, shelled pecans, walnuts and almonds, dates, and things change through the year.

Salty likes the baskety type of toys ( the shredding kind) so its impossible to make my own, unless I get into basket weaving. LOL, we all can cry about the cost of toys, but secretly we know if we had to take a second job to pay for them, we would. Jim give that BB boy a smooch for his birthday for me.

Picked up a bunch of fancy toys for parrots at several local stores. Paid too much of course. The bird doesn't touch them. Hung a 2 cent piece of knotted rope in the cage and she plays with it like a puppy. She also loves shredding plastic straws and utensils (thank you mcdonalds) and the cardboard tube from paper towel rolls. I hide almonds in the tube and wedge it between the bars of the cage. Go figure. Occasionally she also enjoys a piece of my nose or ear.

I get woven baskets at thrift stores for like fifty cent. I soak them and dry in a low oven. There is always a giant heap and after rejecting everything with varnish or stain, still tons left some thick willowy branches some bamboo.. Gus will deconstruct them over a period of days, pulling them apart then making tiny chips out of big chips.

I was lucky when it was just Rascal and me LOL

I only paid 40 bucks to buy Rascal and he NEVER plays with any toys. Now my expenses went up a little since I paid $120 to buy Coconut (cuz he's a "fancy" cinnamon) and he LOVES toys so now I have to buy him new toys regularly. The little bugger is worth it though.

I used to own a horse (equestrian) and I'm very thankful birds are at least TONS cheaper than a horse haha I could not afford a horse right now.

Thrift stores for baskets - great idea, thanks Kanntuk.

If anyone has toys that were rejected, by your birds, rather then letting them collect dust, why not give them away on our sub-forum

Member Toy Exchange - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

Specialty bird stores definitely have better toy prices. Costco for sure has excellent prices on bulk nuts (almonds/walnuts/pecans) and whole bagged nuts during the winter holidays.

Post #10 mentioned that he purchased pressure treated pine - not sure if is was for the bird to chew on or not.

Please know that the pressure treatment process forces chemicals into the wood which is contain arsenic as a preservative defense against insects and micro-organisms that like to eat and break down the wood which prevents rotting.

BAD BAD BAD FOR BIRDS!.

Never use pressure treated wood around birds.

Even burning this wood will release the toxins into the air.

s_car_go said:

Post #10 mentioned that he purchased pressure treated pine - not sure if is was for the bird to chew on or not.

Please know that the pressure treatment process forces chemicals into the wood which is contain arsenic as a preservative defense against insects and micro-organisms that like to eat and break down the wood which prevents rotting.

BAD BAD BAD FOR BIRDS!.

Never use pressure treated wood around birds.

Even burning this wood will release the toxins into the air.

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The pine was to repair a fence....yes, it's poisonous to birds and I should never have mentioned it in that context. I'll go back and edit that post to remove the reference. It's also copper in some of that wood, all of it very toxic.

For some reason I can't edit the post. Maybe one of the Mods could do so, just to remove the pressure treated language, or add a warning to be sure not to select any pressure treated boards? These are usually green with tags indicating the kind of treatment. I feel terrible about this.

"I feel terrible about this"

And you should. Based on your comment I went an bought 350 board feet of pressure treated lumber. Oh well, I guess I will just build a deck with it. Just kidding - I couldn't build a deck to save my life.

wrench13 said:

"i feel terrible about this"

and you should. Based on your comment i went an bought 350 board feet of pressure treated lumber. Oh well, i guess i will just build a deck with it. Just kidding - i couldn't build a deck to save my life.

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roflmao!!!!!!!