Popular Toys

Allee

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2013
16,852
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Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
I like to keep my beaks as busy as possible. It's always a surprise to see which toys turn out to be favorites and which ones will be completely ignored.

I thought it would be fun to compare our birds' best loved toys.

Poppy takes her music seriously and never damages her piano and guitar. Wooden blocks and shreddable toys including phone books, last a few hours at most, sometimes she turns them to confetti in a matter of minutes.

I ordered four pinatas thinking they were much smaller, they were huge so Poppy got all four. They lasted a lot longer than I expected them to. Her parrots, Cuff and Link are still sharing her play stand, Cuff lost an eye in a skirmish with Poppy, I gave him a patch so she could keep him a little longer.



Her Monkeys, Ban and Ana, didn't fare so well. I knew I shouldn't have let her watch TWD, too much violence....



This is Sweet Pea's (cockatiel) absolute favorite foraging toy. It's a cheapie, made from a wicker paper plate holder (they come three to a package), sisal twine, salvaged toy parts and pieces, straws, pony beads, cupcake holders, imagination.... These are cheap and easy to make and each one is different.



Cheapest DIY toy yet! I'm not sure how appealing it would be to most birds but Sammy, our quaker, thinks it's his hatch day when he gets a new supply of sticks to build with.



Harry is not a toy lover but she's loyal when she finds a toy she likes. This is her constant favorite, made by getwozzy/Shirre.



This is a preening toy for pluckers and Harry surprised me by preening it immediately, I think it helps distract her from feather pulling.



And my sweet budgies. They're my easiest birds to please. They play with everything I give them, but they really love swings and chewables.

 

ToMang07

Active member
Jul 14, 2015
1,012
17
Maine, USA
Parrots
Willow the Umbrella Cockatoo
Holy hell... I cut some untreated timber and some sticks/perches and felt I did a lot of DIY stuff....

Now I feel like a slacker.

Thanks for that.
 
OP
Allee

Allee

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Oct 27, 2013
16,852
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Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
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LMAO, Tom! You are very welcome! If it helps, I didn't make the pinatas or Harry's preening toy or Harry's coconut hut, Shirre made that one.
 

ToMang07

Active member
Jul 14, 2015
1,012
17
Maine, USA
Parrots
Willow the Umbrella Cockatoo
In all seriousness tho, how'd you make the "preening" toy? Willow had one in her cage that was some sort of crochet (or something IDK how to do) that she loved, but it's mostly gone now and I'm sure she'd like another. (So she doesn't use the dyed blocks and paint herself red, lol)
 
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Allee

Allee

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Oct 27, 2013
16,852
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Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
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The yellow and white preening toy in the photo was purchased from drsfostersmith. You can order supreme cotton rope for toy making from several online stores that sell toy parts. The rope is very soft and breaks easily to keep toes from getting tangled. Used caps from rope perches make good holders but half a coconut shell or PVC caps work too.
 

RavensGryf

Supporting Member
Jan 19, 2014
14,233
190
College Station, Texas
Parrots
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
I can't believe Cuff and Link have survived this long! All your lucky birdies always have a great assortment of toys, but I especially love Sammy's basket of sticks lol, now that's original! I like how he uses them as a wild Quaker would.

Robin's style of playing is to sit in one place (sometimes for hours on end if he is really enjoying a certain toy) and chew on semi-hard plastic objects such as plastic chain links. He makes a dent in them, and continues to use his beak in the same place and shreds the plastic into sawdust until a link falls off one at a time. Those are his absolute favorite. He also loves a toy made of shoelaces, but with more of those plastic end pieces up the length of them. He'll sit for long periods removing the little plastic pieces from the laces.

Raven's all time favorites are those oversized plastic nuts and bolts. He has a ton of them in his big toy box that sits on top of his playtop cage. I'll go in the room and find a bunch of them on the floor. They're his 'go to' toy. They have little end caps on them, and he prys them off. I hate picking all the pieces up everyday, but I put up with it because I know they're his favorite toys.

Griffin is pretty inquisitive, and plays with a wide variety of different types of toys. He is not really picky. Out of all of my birds, he is the one who is interested in foraging toys where you have to figure out how to get an almond or something out of a toy. None of the other birds are interested in that sort of challenge, but Griffin loves it.

I notice that the budgies like to chew on the toys made of soft balsa wood. Sometimes I hear a little 'ting ting' of tiny bell toys :). Mink (English budgie) will go on the ground in the cage and use foot toys, but Twigs (regular budgie) will not go on the ground. They both love swings. They jump from swing to swing.
 

4dugnlee

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Apr 27, 2014
1,133
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Ohio
Parrots
Sassy - 13 y.o. Blue Front Amazon, Cisco - 6 y.o. Sun Conure, Peanut - 8 y.o. U2
Fred - 2(?) y.o. Cockatiel, Ginger - 3 or 4(?) y.o. Cockatiel
Wow...those are awesome! I agree with Tom...now I feel like a slacker. And my toys NEVER come out looking good. Good thing they are just to chew up!
 
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Allee

Allee

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Oct 27, 2013
16,852
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Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
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Julie, I keep buying plastic toys but my birds don't play with them very often. Poppy rattles her nuts and bolts, lol, the plastic and the real ones, I think she prefers the shiny ones that hold her cage together.

Lol, Leanna! I don't think the birds care a bit what a toy looks like. Ive bought some toys I thought were adorable and not a single bird in my flock would touch them. Those cute sneakers for instance, I thought they looked like great foot toys, Poppy chewed hers to oblivion, Sammy plays with the laces on his and Harry has moved hers to various places in her cage, it still hasn't been thrown on the floor so I guess she's still deciding.
 

OOwl

New member
Oct 12, 2010
723
3
Texas
Parrots
Rosebreasted Cockatoo, Congo Grey, MRH Amazon, Lovebird
Hey, head's up on the piñatas. Target sells mini ones in the party section (no staples or anything dangerous, just cardboard and crepe paper). They look almost identical to the ones that are sold for parrots. My Grey LOVES those things and will tear one up a day. Target has some really cute ones right now: footballs, ghosts, and flowers. He also likes those silly hollow plastic animals. I buy them by the hundreds and put them in his stainless steel cage toy (the kind sold for macaws) and it slows him down on chewing them up.

You have lucky birdies. :)
 
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Allee

Allee

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2013
16,852
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212
Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
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Thanks for the tips! I'll have to look at Target's pinatas.

Putting the plastic toys in a stainless steel cage is a great idea. I've stopped buying the hollow plastics for Poppy because she chews them into confetti and I'm not sure she won't swallow them.

Thank you for the sweet compliment, but I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one. :)
 

JerseyWendy

New member
Jul 20, 2012
20,995
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This is EXACTLY what I needed this morning, Allee!!! :D

Mushroom...I mean Poppy seems to have new-found respect for the GOVERNOR, HAHAHAHA.

image_zpsivyvpznj.jpg


I so love your selection of toys! I must seriously go through my assortment of newly arranged materials and see what I can whip up. I know it won't be nearly as phenomenal as yours, but it's due time I make my gang something new (and hopefully exciting). :D
 

Aquila

New member
Nov 19, 2012
1,225
1
Philadelphia
Parrots
Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
I swear I sit up late at night thinking about what toys I can make for the birbs!

Need to order some wood parts and some toy bases.
 

Pinkbirdy

New member
Feb 26, 2013
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Clifton Springs Newyork
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macaw,LS2,congo grey,2Blk Hd caiques,Hawkhead,yellowstrk lory,Blue frnt amazon,sun conure ,Yellow sided greencheek ,Goffin ,Rosebreasted Cockatoo,Greenwing Macaw,Blue and Gold Macaw,Nanday conure,Ecle
Good idea withthe basket of branches :)
 

Mimsy01

New member
Jul 7, 2014
512
1
Parrots
GCC-Foofany
European Starling-Zeki
BCC-Ellie House Sparrow-Napolean Parakeet-Bean
I love seeing the DIY toys and even hand made ones that other birds love. Gives me idea's.

thank you
 

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