Someone help with this

[TheLadyV]

So..I make my own native jewelry and dreamcatchers and such....so I have a lot of craft things. What "is not" safe to use? DO they try to eat stuff or just chew at it? Small bead like pony beads...are they safe?

 

[riddick07]

Depends on the bird if some materials are safe or not. My cockatoo gets a lot of foam toys but if he were to eat that stuff I wouldn't give it to him. Same reason my amazon doesn't have rope perches but my other birds have them.

I've used the beads before and everyone was fine. The cockatiels used to like to snap the knot at the end and watch/listen to all the beads crash to the floor.


EDIT: There is a fairly long list of safe materials to use...what do you have?

I'm not sure how well you can see the materials I used but some of the toys I have made.

 

[TheLadyV]

Thank you. I have leather beads (metal and plastic) bone pieces, wood, foam plastic pieces. then around the house I have plastic cups, straws, paper plates a lot of stuff

 

[riddick07]

Only leather you should use is vegetable tanned leather, stainless steel and nickel plated is safe but I wouldn't use any other metals, depends on the kind of bone if it's safe, depends on the kind of wood if it's safe, foam is fine but no sticky back foam and the foam needs to air out before use, I wouldn't use waxy cups, plastic pieces can splinter so be careful the plastic isn't the type to shatter into sharp pieces, straws are fine, paper plates are fine....


Edit: no metal that they can swallow especially....

 

[Mallory]

There are a lot of things that ARE safe, and I personally have a whole set of drawers dedicated to toy parts. You can find things at craft and hardware stores for parrots, but most things you find will be unsafe. Wood must be untreated, metal must be zinc-free and without rust, virtually any paint or gloss makes a material toxic, etc. etc. For instance, clean all-natural bone is fine but if you bleached it or treated it with chemicals for any reason that could endanger your bird.

I too wanted to use craft stores as my source of parrot toys, but quickly found that there is not enough information on their products. Instead, I save a lot of money buying toy parts online and using things like vegetable-tanned leather strips and hemp rope to string together toys. Specialty stores (I highly recommend My Safe Bird Store, PM me for some more I've used if you'd like) do the work of finding safe products for you. It works well to buy a bunch of different materials and then once you know what your bird appreciates, stock up with bulk prices on the types they really like. Around here birdie bagels don't last long!