Question about new toys

[ftlaudmom]

I know that I should rotate toys regularly to keep my bird from getting bored but I was wondering if its best to introduce a new toy by adding it to the cage when he's away or should I place it in while he's there so he sees what I'm doing. What works best for others? My Rico is not very curious about new things - he doesn't like variety in his food and he doesn't play with toys when he's out of the cage. He's really cautious about new things so I don't want to scare him or make his cage feel strange. Thanks for any ideas. I've had him now for about 3 months so I think its time for a little change of decor.

 

[Mamanda]

I'd like to know the same, for my birdys.

 

[henpecked]

I start by introducing them outside, away from the cage,lay it on the table beside the perch.Then hang it on the outside of the cage and look for reaction. Sometimes i can play with it in front of the cage and they'll become interested.

 

[roxynoodle]

I start by introducing them outside, away from the cage,lay it on the table beside the perch.Then hang it on the outside of the cage and look for reaction. Sometimes i can play with it in front of the cage and they'll become interested.

+1

For a shy bird this seems to be the best way. I always had to this for my Blue Crown conure. My Nanday wants a new toy the second she sees it though. For her, I just have to hold it up and she starts begging for it, and sometimes says, "Gimme!" My new Amazon seems fine about my just putting new things in his cage as well.

I will say be cautious about plastic toys with an Amazon though. I just adopted mine 3 weeks ago and he came with a box of plastic toys. They seemed large and appropriate to his size. None were in his cage with him because his cage was just too small for a zon. I put him in the much larger cage I already had and added some of the toys. Well, he completely shredded one and I worried he could have eaten some of it. Apparently he didn't, but I don't want to take that chance again. So now he has all wooden toys. I do want to get him some sturdy rope toys as well.

 

[roxynoodle]

I do want to comment again now that I have a better idea of what an Amazon can do with it's toys. At first I was thinking, well, his beak really isn't much bigger than my conure's is (conures do have big heads and beaks compared to their body size). But, I have to say there is considerably more power behind it. He doesn't play or chew as often as my conure does, but when he does he can reduce toys into toothpicks pretty quickly. Obviously they need large, robust toys with nothing that could be toxic if eaten. Definitely nothing with plastic on it anymore. My vet did tell me a story about a DYH that got lead poisoning from swallowing a lead weight that was inside a bird toy. Scary to think though that you could buy a toy that has lead in it!

Any experienced zon owners here that can comment further on good toys for zons? I got him some large wood chew toys with big bells that he seems to like. I also got him what I can only describe as a hanging wood ladder that spins around a bit when he's hanging from it. He ignored it for about 2 weeks but is now happily spinning around on it and showing off for me. I also got him a large ladder, but that doesn't interest him (yet). I did take away the plastic toys he came with. I'm going to the store today and will look for other things that might interest him.

 

[henpecked]

Besides wood on toys we use oyster shell,bone(beef)and deer antler/bone.

 

[roxynoodle]

Ok, that's interesting. I'm not sure if any of my neighbors got a deer this season that I might get antler from. I will ask. Is there something I should do with it though first (some kind of prep or cleaning?)

On the beef bone, are we talking fresh from the butcher or something in the pet store that's been sterilized for dogs?

 

[henpecked]

I take bone and antler, wash scrub and boil. They can be cut and drilled to make toys.Fresh bone from the butcher are fine and so are the deer legs that everyone throws away.You can pressure cook them if you wish but not too long or they will soften. PS you can always keep an eye out for road kill ,just use a hacksaw with fine teeth to cut antlers and bone.

 

[roxynoodle]

Thanks for the useful tips! Boy are people going to think I'm weird if they see me on the side of the road sawing off antlers and legs, lol! Especially when I tell them it's for my bird.

Last year a neighbor's dog dragged deer legs and various other parts into my front yard and left me the gruesome mess of cleaning them up. Now had it been this year, I would have said, oh good!