Some Toys I've Made - for GCCs & Tiels

I'm always trying to come up with some fun new ideas for toys and activities for the conures, who I affectionately refer to as my gremlins. My cockatiel Lucy sometimes joins in, but usually she's too busy napping or preening.

Since I've been very slow to taking the steps necessary to create a proper Youtube to showcase what life is like with my gremlins, I post to Instagram daily. Instagram has a 15 second video limit, which works well for their little antics. I like taking short videos of the toys in action, instead of just pictures.

My latest creations include a little foraging box from an empty tissue box.
I removed the little plastic insert and secured it to the spare cage (which they've taken over as a play top) with a twist tie.
Last night, they had just encountered it and are a bit wary.

Then today, I made a little rattle out of an empty, clean child-proof prescription bottle. I put a few jingle bells and plastic pony beads inside.
They're afraid of very loud noises, but this is just the right amount of commotion.

Genevieve couldn't decide if she'd rather attack the rattle or the box.

This one has music playing in the background and may be a bit loud!
I added a bit more inside of the box, including a coffee filter, some seed, and crinkle paper.
(Gené also makes a cute smooch noise before attacking Phaedrus with preens)

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I also managed to make a sisal cargo net for their cage last week! (Special thanks to getwozzy for the help!)

I used an entire spool of 50ft, 5/8" sisal rope. The top is looped around a wooden dowel perch that came in their cage (I hate using those inside the cage), so I can remove it from the top of the cage easily. It's about 4 feet long and reaches the floor so any fly-aways can climb back up easily (Gené regularly takes advantage of this). This diamond version uses a lot less rope and physical ability to make than the traditional square version. I tied it to the cage further down with pieces of vegetable leather to help it keep its shape. Instead of wooden beads, I used small, coloured zip ties. Much cheaper this way, and easy to adjust! Just snip off a tie and add a new one.

Running "drills" with Genevieve on the net.
Going back down is a bit trickier.

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A foraging toy I affectionately refer to as the "foraging flower".
My guys LOVE bendy straws. Best foot toys right there.
The foraging flower was also their first experience with coffee filters.

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The tightrope!
I strung some pony beads and pieces of straw onto a piece of vegetable leather and tied it across the top of the cage. Not only do they like trying to throw the beads around, they also love trying to balance on the cord, and running under it so it ruffles their back feathers.
Remember to supervise your birds with rope/string toys like this!

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I've made a few of these little "treat grenades". Shreddable little vessel made of paper towel roll, filled with treats of some kind.
I put a piece of vegetable leather or small chain from another toy through the top and hang it. I've gotten mixed reviews by my guys for this, though my mom's cockatiel loves them (...as does my boyfriend's hamster).

REMEMBER TO SAVE YOUR QUICK LINKS FROM TOYS! I'm constantly reusing them after the original toy gets thrown away. They're just so handy to have.

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Sometimes they just like to be near me and play with foot toys.
Buttons and popsicle sticks, bendy straws, beads (make sure they're sized appropriately so they can't swallow them!), plastic spoons, bottle caps, oh my!

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Even a strategically-draped blanket can be turned into Fort Gremlin for hours of fun!

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I did make them a PVC play gym, but the budgies kind of took that over.

It cost me about $20 in supplies, and I had to bribe my father to help me cut the PVC, but it took less than an hour to put together.
I plan to make a few more PVC perches for my grey before he comes home

How fast can you come to Jersey and make some toys for my gang? :54:

LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE your creations, Britt! What phenomenal ideas you have! And what super happy and lucky birdies to enjoy them!

Wow!!! Awesome toy ideas! I may set chili up with some noisy pill bottles today- I think she'd really like those!

Good work on the net! Looks like great fun and exercise for your little busy-bodies lol

Loved the tightrope too!

Really creative ! I love all your ideas. Especially how you did the cargo net!

Thank you all so much! I feel so flattered
I love when my monsters light up and really enjoy something I put together for them. It's one of the best feelings.

I don't have them inside of their cage(s) much at all, so they don't really play with their toys in there. I had to come up with some out-of-cage ideas instead, which is why there are no real cage-toys here.

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JerseyWendy said:

How fast can you come to Jersey and make some toys for my gang? :54:

LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE your creations, Britt! What phenomenal ideas you have! And what super happy and lucky birdies to enjoy them!

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That's so sweet of you to say!
Haha I'm about 6 hours away from NJ. Most of these toys only took a few minutes to put together. Except for the net, which took me over two hours to do by myself. Measuring and cutting 12ft of sisal rope in my living room with just some scissors, electric tape and a tape measure was very daunting.

I can't wait until my CAG comes home, then I'll get to think of toys for the bigger boys that I can share on here
It's difficult for me to imagine what a CAG would want to play with, so I haven't been able to think of anything yet, aside from some of these that he'll be able to try. I know how each of my monsters play, so it's easy for me to make up little toys that I know they'd like. That, and I'll have to create toys and experiences that are more advanced to keep the clever little thing challenged for at least a little bit.

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getwozzy said:

Wow!!! Awesome toy ideas! I may set chili up with some noisy pill bottles today- I think she'd really like those!

Good work on the net! Looks like great fun and exercise for your little busy-bodies lol

Loved the tightrope too!

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Thank you! I like the pill bottles because most are transparent (like mine!), so the birds can see there's something inside and are trying to get at the goodies. Phaedrus kept pushing it all over the cage with his open beak because he was trying to grab the beads and bells inside!

I'll have to redo the tightrope with some sort of cording that holds tension better. This one became very slack after one day, and I can't tighten it back up. Though the loose tight-rope helps with their balance a little more and probably makes it more fun for them.
I want to help my CAG become confident and less clumsy, like I helped my flightless conure! So I'll try to size this up so a baby CAG can have something similar; low to the floor of the cage, so safe if they lose their balance! Maybe I'll build one into the playstand I was planning to make!

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RavensGryf said:

Really creative ! I love all your ideas. Especially how you did the cargo net!

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Thank you!
I plan to wrap strips of vet tape around the zip ties as well to help keep the monsters from chewing on them and breaking them (they're rather thin). I'd probably recommend doing something like that for any bigger or chewy birds. Plus it adds even more colour!

Crap! I was about to compliment you on the first project, then scrolled down, discovered the links and..Wow! You have the ability to take fragmented ideas and create diamonds!

Oh my goodness, that's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said about something I've made!

Thank you so much for your kind words!



I was playing tug with one of those plastic baby links with Genevieve to get her to see them as not-scary. She'd grab it from my hand and whip it around with her beak, eventually tossing it onto the couch. She'd go get it, then climb back up onto my shoulder with me.
I decided to record her doing it once, and caught one of the funniest moments I've had with her by chance.

I was trying so hard not to laugh.

Oh my goodness! I love all these ideas! I am so not creative or crafty but these look awesome! I think I need to try one or two.

And do your guys make little sounds like gremlins too? So adorable.

That last video is hysterical.
She looked so frustrated! Lol

That last clip has me in stitches!

All very good and creative ideas! Thanks for the ideas!

LOVE all of your creations! I have spent hours making and hundreds of dollars buying fancy toys for Espresso and this is all she likes to play with...

silly bird

Ha! My conure Genevieve does the same thing. Just tinier.
I love when they like to attack fabric like this.

I'm on a budget right now (especially since all of my money is currently going to preparing for my CAG), so I'm always looking for ways to cut my costs down. All of my money essentially goes to my birds. They're pretty much my life, as I'm disabled and stuck in my apartment most days.

So making toys for them is not only cost-effective, it's also very fun and keeps my mind occupied for a bit.

You're going to have a blast making toys for your CAG!! Something my AV suggested is putting treats in little dixie cups, crumpling the top up, and stashing them all through the cage. I haven't tried it yet but it seems like an easy and fun little foraging activity!

I'm so incredibly excited about every aspect of having this baby home with me!

I forgot about the time Genevieve played with some dixie cups.
I was so amazed that she understands object permanence!
But then I ran out of dixie cups, and we never progressed with those. I'll definitely have to get some more. I love the idea from your VA!

I also bought some paper bags and cupcake wrappers for toy making

I really like the idea of wrapping something around the perches, i have a few with tissue paper and sisal string wrapped around the perch, it's good for climbing and foraging, my conure loves it =)

I haven't thought of that!

...Though my birds spend very little time inside their cage. They never play with the toys in there as a result haha.

I'll try to make a new one for video and pictures (and because my bids loved it), but I also cut up an egg carton into sections, and put seed and fruit pellets inside, closing the lid loosely. Genevieve had a lot of fun flipping the lid up as hard as she could and dragging the carton around. Made such a mess!

I ripped off the little lip that keeps the carton close, and weaved that through the cage bars. They tore it apart within the day. It was crazy!

Britt, I am so impressed with your wonderful creations! I can't wait to try your ideas. The cargo net is awesome too.

I really enjoyed watching the videos, your birds are so beautiful and in perfect feather. Adorable little toy testers.

I'm still giggling at Genevieve in her yellow necklace, she's a little charmer for sure!