DIY chew toys ; yukka

[elseg]

Just wanted to show how what i made last couple nights for the bird.

Supplies were; Yukka stalks (chopped accordingly), Sisal rope, wood beads and plastic beads and cotton rope for the toy on the bottom right.

If you have local yukka's growing, your fids will love you implementing them into your toys.
Standing yukkas are better then felled ones because of the possibilities of yukka beetles or weevils in the interior of the stalk.
Imo, harmless but unsightly.
The plastic beads are safe for my particular bird, he either just snaps em right off or scrapes em to sharpen his lil' beak.
My fid can take one of these toys down in a matter of 5-10mins so I've taken to mak'em rather than spend the $8-$15 usd per.
HTH

 

[triordan]

I'm not familiar with Yukka stalks~ may have to google that one! Your toys look great!

 

[triordan]

Ok so I googled it I think I have that plant in my living room! How long do you let the wood dry out? or even do you?

 

[coral3]

Ok so I googled it I think I have that plant in my living room! How long do you let the wood dry out? or even do you?

I'd love to know that too! I was only thinking the other day that with the price of yukka bird toys it would be cheaper if I could just go to the nursery & buy a yukka plant to chop up. Would love to know how to go about it!

 

[elseg]

How long do you let the wood dry out? or even do you?

The yukka I use in particular is Yukka Whipplei and it is the flowering stalk that you want.
The regular stalk of the yukka is rather like regular wood and the birds prefer the "flowering" stalk for shredding and chewing.
These Yukkas grow wild in my area so i go collect them from BLM land. (Bureau of Land Management)
The yukkas grow for 4-5 years before they flower then die throwing off runners and shoots for the next seasons. I ALWAYS allow the plant to flower, then disperse seeds, so I am collecting/using dead dried flower stalks so as not to endanger the ecosystem. No drying required if using this method.
HTH

 

[coral3]

Thanks for that info elseg.


Looks like I won't be rushing to the nursery to buy yukka plants then - they don't seem to ever flower where I live.

Your fids must LOVE you - look at all the chewing in that toy!! That'll keep them happy for a while!