Bird Toys: Buyer's Guide to Parrot Toy Ideas

Buyers Guide to Safe Parrot Toy Ideas from BirdSupplies.com

Stumped for parrot toy ideas? All pet birds are smart and quick witted.  Wild parrots fill their day with play, socializing, foraging for food, and preening each other.   Did you know that some wild parrots fly miles up to 500 miles each day?  Captive parrots usually do not have the opportunity for such varied and active stimulation, causing them a great deal of frustration.  Frustrated, bored parrots develop behavior problems like biting, screaming, and feather picking. 

It's up to responsible parrot owners to  provide stimulation through socialization and parrot bird toys, especially when you work outside of the home during the day. Your bird cage should be stocked with three to four novel bird toys per week to satisfy your parrots intellectual and emotional needs. You can alleviate boredom, and the accompanying behavior problems that develop, by offering your bird several parrot bird toys inside of it's cage. Rotate your parrot bird toys at least weekly to keep your parrot mentally stimulated and entertained. Parrots don't just want bird toys, they need them.

Stimulating Parrot Toy Ideas

The first thing that you want to do is find a source for safe yet stimulating parrot bird toys. Look for bird stores, such as BirdSupplies.com, where each parrot toy is carefully inspected for usability and safe features. BirdSupplies.com has all kinds of captivating parrot bird toys to keep your parrot entertained and mentally stimulated.

If you need parrot toy ideas, consider brand name bird toy manufacturers such as Planet Pleasures Bird Toys, Superbird Creations Bird Toys, Bell Plastics Bird Toys, Starbird Bird Toys, and Jungle Talk Bird Toys make parrot bird toys that only use bird safe parts and that parrots find entertaining. Planet Pleasures now come in smaller bird toy sizes so that even small parrots can enjoy the benefits of parrot bird toys made from natural materials. Consider trick parrot toys, too.  These are great parrot toy ideas. Your bird gets both the mental stimplation and coupled with the socialization involved in training your parrot to use the toy.

Choosing Safe Bird Toys

Size: Always choose the correct size parrot bird toy for your parrot. Small bird toys pose a choking hazard for larger parrots while large parrot toys can be useless and dangerous to small birds.

Beads and Acrylics: These components are considered safe for parrot bird toys as long as they are properly sized so that your bird does not ingest broken parts.

Plastic Chain: Make sure that you choose an appropriate size of plastic chain for your parrot bird toys.

Bells: Parrots love to play with bells. Generally, bird bells should be used under supervision because many medium to larger birds can easily remove the clappers posing a choking hazard. All bells on parrot bird toys should be nickel plated to prevent zinc poisoning. We recommend Wrought Iron Powder Coated Bells, especially for medium to large parrot bird toys. 

Metal Components: Stainless steel is the metal of choice for parrot bird toys, but it is expensive. Make sure that all metal parts are nickel plated to avoid metal (zinc and lead) toxicity. Round rings should be too large or too small for your birds beak, head, and toes to become caught in. Split key rings should be removed from all parrot bird toys as their spring action can pinch beaks, tongues and toes.

Links: Only buy parrot toys that use Quick Links (or "C" clamps) and closed link chain, where each individual link is welded shut. Avoid parrot bird toys made with "S" links, bent wires, shower curtain hangers or open link chains as these can easily trap your birds beak, tongue, toes or nails. Most large parrots enjoy unscrewing quick-links should use safe toy holder's such as Hangin' Round Toy Holders from Expandable Habitat's. These parrot bird toy hangers are impossible to open and, therefore, they prevent accidental strangulation. Never use spring loaded clips in any parrot bird toy.

Leather: All bird toys should be made from untreated or vegetable dyed leather. Leather strips should be monitored for length so that your bird doesn't get it wrapped around it's neck If your bird has removed the parrot bird toy parts that were tied to the leather strip, cut the leather strip shorter.

Rope: Only sisal or cotton rope should be used in parrot bird toys. Always inspect rope toys on a regular basis. Cut frays that could accidentally strangle your bird. Even a 2" fray can get caught and strangle your parrot. Cotton rope bird toys are especially prone to fraying and should be used only under direct supervision. When the end of a piece of rope begins to unravel, clip it off.

Wood:  All wood should be untreated or colored with a nontoxic coloring such as Kool-aid, Jello or a commercial variety found to be "bird safe".

With all of these parrot toy ideas, go out and shop it up for your parrot. Pass these parrot toy ideas along to your friends.