Toy for "reluctant" chewer

[JerseyWendy]

Ripley hasn't shown much interest in the big, colorful toys I've made him, BUT, he's got a thing for natural wood.

Looky here. That's one of his perches.

So, since I have oodles of NATURAL wood pieces, I decided I would make him a less threatening toy, consisting of natural wood, sisal, and a couple of smallish, colorful things.

INSTANT success.

 

[Alisana]

My budgies are the same !

They don't like colourful toys. Apparently the toys are "scary" - but they LOVE natural coloured toys!

So far the only colourful things they'll tolerate are items that are green, smaller than them, or their rope perch.

You can make some really neat toys with the natural wood. And slip in a little colour here and there.

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

that's a good idea with the wood. do you get it from a parrot store? or how do you acquire safe wood to make into chew toys. i'm starting to collect stuff to make toys. so far i have four , three foot card board tubes that i am going to cut to shorter lengths and make back ups when the other gets destroyed. they are pretty heavy duty. then i read some were the big thick phone books are a good idea. just drill a hole in one of the corners by the binding and hang it from a sturdy chain. have you heard of this?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Thanks Heather

This particular wood came from an Ash tree we cut down YEARS ago, so I have tons of it.

And since we had major, massive storms in October and then again in November, I actually took a roadtrip and collected branches which I knew were safe and had never been sprayed with anything. (from a nearby Wildlife Reservoir)

Yes, I've heard of the phone book, but to tell you the truth, we haven't had a phone book (delivered) in over 5 years.

I also offer my fids toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and empty serial boxes.

I love fiddling around with stuff, it keeps me AND them entertained, lol.

Oh, and Ripley had NO problems ripping up and destroying the Amazons' toys on the Java tree. I am so used to Niko going through chunks of wood, I automatically assumed Ripley would do the same. But it looks like I need to get him used to the "thick" chunks first

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

thanks wendy ! so i guess the next question would be is how do you cure the wood that you go out and get? my house is backed up to a thin strip of forest. but i'm not going to go out and get anything unless i know what i am doing. i also seen some were , untreated 2x4's made into perches. they pretty much modified the ends to a bracket so they can put it in a cage. i kinda thought that could be bad for their feet because it's not round, but still a 2x4 and they can't wrap their feet around it entirely. i also read some were for the perches it was better to have a java branch perch because it's not the same diameter through out the whole perch. and anything that was a straight dowel rod type perch could cause them to have arthritis later in life because their feet are accustomed to that perch, being only one size in diameter. ...... i hope what i just said made some kinda sense, cuz i'm not too sure lol.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Yes, it all made perfect sense.

As for curing wood, it's not always necessary to cure it. I offer fresh AND cured wood. The fresh one usually lasts less than a day because they have so much fun gnawing it down, stripping it, and disassembling it. My Magnolia tree is an example of wood I offer fresh. I completely understand that there "may" be some bugs, but believe it or not, all my fids LOVE the occasional grub. :54: (especially mealworms and moth larva)

SO, if you cure it, you can pretty much be assured it will be bug free. You can cure it by storing it indoors for several months or years, OR, if you have small enough pieces, you can expedite the process by baking them in the oven (@300 degrees for a couple of hours). IF the wood is wet, it CAN stink to high heavens, depending on what wood you use. I've also resorted to microwaving wood chunks, when I was worried about bugs. ALWAYS add a bowl with water before placing wood in the microwave.

As for perches: My GF, who used to breed Macs, used the 2X4 for one set of perches, but she ALWAYS offered round ones, with different textures and diameters as well. I personally do NOT use rectangular (2X4s). ALL my fids have at least 2 different wood perches (Java, Magnolia, Dragonwood, etc) AND sand/cement perch, comfy perches (rope/sisal) and the Amazons also have Manu Perches. I've tried those with Niko, but he literally ATE through the entire thing in under 15 minutes. (CHA CHING...there went a quick $20 )

If I've forgotten to answer something, please let me know...and feel free to ask away. I truly LOVE sharing my own personal experience, whether they were a fail or a success.

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

thanks once more ! i had seen on a site i was reading one day that in the wild they do eat a few bugs here and there, and that's why it's ok to give them chicken and boiled eggs once in a while, so they have some form of protein. but those are wild ones, i would be kinda scared to give a piece of tree branch that wasn't cured and had a few bugs on it. scared of parasites , what are your thoughts? i don't know how susceptible parrots are to getting internal parasites, this is a topic i don't know a whole lot about. i know dogs are immune to certain things cats can get and vise versa. but nothing about birds and parasites. shoot just yesterday i learned that there's teflon in hair dryers :O. i never knew that! i started to feel guilty about blow drying my ekkies after our showers. they loved it so i didn't even worry. there's nothing i can do about it now but it was in the best of my intentions. i didn't want them getting sick by air drying. i know i get a little chilly getting out of the shower and didn't want them to be either.

 

[JerseyWendy]

If you worry about possible parasites, by all means, cure the wood. To tell you the truth, I'm not really worried about parasites. All of mine go for a yearly checkup and are tested for worms, parasites and many other things (blood drawn as well). Hunter, my oldest, she'll be 14 in April, has never had any parasites, and I promise, she sinks her beak into soft wood like no other.

I totally understand if people want to play it safe. I understand I "might" be taking a chance, but it is one I'm willing to take.

I heard about hair dryers containing Teflon, but none of my fids have ever been blown dried.

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

thanks so much for your opinions and suggestions. i feel like i'm starting on the right track as a first timer of the macaws. i want to be as ready for anything like doomsdayers are for the end of the world, when ever that may be. so when your fids get their baths do they air dry or towel dry? and they don't get cold and shivery? then again i guess it's probably not much different than letting my hair air dry instead of blow drying it. that part doesn't get cold. i'm thinking their feathers help keep them warm.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Air dry only. In the winter I make sure the house is NO cooler than 70 degrees, and I bathe them in the morning, no later than noon, so that they have all day to dry.

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

it almost sounds like a recipe for washing birds lol. but i will deffinately keep that in mind.

 

[JerseyWendy]

it almost sounds like a recipe for washing birds lol. but i will deffinately keep that in mind.

ROFLMAO. It does, doesn't it?

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

it does lol! i can just imagine wearing one of those big white chef's hats while washing the birds. and having a camera taping it all, telling all of us how to wash a bird butt properly! lmao. and with the white coat too! can't forget that. ........ viola now you have a nice squeeky clean birdie.