Cockatoos and Toys....

[ToMang07]

Always a challenge, finding toys that last, as a determined Too is the definition of obsession when focused on something.

I try to get both new toys and "favorites" with longevity in mind. No sense spending $40 on a toy that is destroyed in 20 minutes.

I recently added a "bucket" that has a bunch of spoons and other toys attached, and I'm always putting new toys and recycled toy parts in it as encouragement to forage a bit, as well as supplement other toys.

I got these "screws" and tried getting Willow to work on taking the nuts off, showing how, and frankly s/he found it frustrating. I picked them up off the cage floor before work and put them in the toy bucket.

Got home, went to release the feathered beaver and saw the nuts off in the catch tray... Yay! FINALLY figured out...

Well... sorta.

Still got them unscrewed..... still counts, right???

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Scott]

Seems Willow found her creative method of unthreading!! Plenty of material left for chewing!!

 

[Betrisher]

My birds enjoy actual stainless steel nuts and bolts screwed into thick cardboard. Wing nuts are handy, but you have to be careful they don't get lost in the bottom of the cage.

Timber is a must-have for cockies (IMHO). I use untreated pallets, which I can get for free from a local bloke. I just make sure I've removed all nails/screws and place a slat on top f each cage. The birds will hang upside-down and chomp away until the whole slat becomes matchwood.

Natural branches are pretty good too, although you have to recognise they can harbour nasty spiders and bugs. This doesn't worry me, but it might worry you. Stripping bark off natural wood is probably a cocky's favourite pastime. When the branch has been stripped clean, it will make a nice, foot-friendly perch for your cage.

When I can't get timber, I get cardboard boxes from local appliance shops (and the pizzeria). My Madge can turn a fridge carton into confetti in less than a day! Rosetta's not too bad at it either. Egg cartons are good to make foraging toys. You just fill the egg-holes with tightly wadded paper and stuff, hiding treats or pellets inside.

I don't know how athletic Umbrella cockatoos are, but my Rosetta just adores hurling herself around on her cage ropes. She has a cargo net, a rope swing and a rope that dangles free almost to the floor. She'll swing like a mad thing, yelling all the while and working off her excess energy.

I hope some of these ideas are a help to you. It's always important to keep a cocky busily entertained.

 

[ToMang07]

My birds enjoy actual stainless steel nuts and bolts screwed into thick cardboard. Wing nuts are handy, but you have to be careful they don't get lost in the bottom of the cage.

Timber is a must-have for cockies (IMHO). I use untreated pallets, which I can get for free from a local bloke. I just make sure I've removed all nails/screws and place a slat on top f each cage. The birds will hang upside-down and chomp away until the whole slat becomes matchwood.

Natural branches are pretty good too, although you have to recognise they can harbour nasty spiders and bugs. This doesn't worry me, but it might worry you. Stripping bark off natural wood is probably a cocky's favourite pastime. When the branch has been stripped clean, it will make a nice, foot-friendly perch for your cage.

When I can't get timber, I get cardboard boxes from local appliance shops (and the pizzeria). My Madge can turn a fridge carton into confetti in less than a day! Rosetta's not too bad at it either. Egg cartons are good to make foraging toys. You just fill the egg-holes with tightly wadded paper and stuff, hiding treats or pellets inside.

I don't know how athletic Umbrella cockatoos are, but my Rosetta just adores hurling herself around on her cage ropes. She has a cargo net, a rope swing and a rope that dangles free almost to the floor. She'll swing like a mad thing, yelling all the while and working off her excess energy.

I hope some of these ideas are a help to you. It's always important to keep a cocky busily entertained.

Oh Willow gets all of the above, don't worry, however s/he isn't usually as much a fan of the homemade ones.

I have a few stainless toys I bought, but Willow shows little interest, I haven't seen any that are big enough I'd be comfortable leaving in the cage.

I DID however recently buy a plastic hanging "chest" that's great for putting things in to keep that break busy.... Willow really seems to like this thing a lot.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Scott]

I have one of those hanging "chests." Well made and durable!

 

[wrench13]

Willow is priceless! Smart birdy. Salty has those plastic nuts n bolts too, but his solution is to throw them out of his cage as soon as the door is open. They are the first ones to get the heave ho. Next are the rubber dongles for dogs. If you want, I have some big stainless steel bolts and nuts that I can send you, 3/4" diameter, nice n shiny.

 

[ToMang07]

Willow is priceless! Smart birdy. Salty has those plastic nuts n bolts too, but his solution is to throw them out of his cage as soon as the door is open. They are the first ones to get the heave ho. Next are the rubber dongles for dogs. If you want, I have some big stainless steel bolts and nuts that I can send you, 3/4" diameter, nice n shiny.

I may take you up on that, thank you

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[ToMang07]

Favorite toys are never the ones you'd expect.

https://youtube.com/shorts/zAHFxMoB6FQ?feature=share

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk