I NEED CAGE OPINIONS!!

[Bunchobird]

ahhhh ok the colored wood is dyed (petsmart said so)

 

[MR. Mango]

IMO I would never trust petsmart or petco especially since most of there employees are poorly educated on proper animal care and most of the stuff is more expensive compared to other places

 

[Bunchobird]

really? I thought they were good...

 

[Shezbug]

IMO I would never trust petsmart or petco especially since most of there employees are poorly educated on proper animal care and most of the stuff is more expensive compared to other places

Can’t help but agree there! The beads just look too shiny to me for dyed wood. The pic gets too blurry though if I try to zoom in for a better look.
I just know that I was once gifted some swings and ladders for my budgie that looked similar and the wood had some kind of lacquer or paint on the beads…. They went in the bin

Edit: I should have added that I’m not familiar with those particular large chain stores but I know the ones here in Aus are often filled with rubbish products and advice. I just use the larger stores for buying pellets but that’s it. I actually bought a safety hook ball hanger with my last pellet purchase and it was the most dangerous thing I’ve seen as it didn’t close properly and was much thinner wire for the hook than the brand I normally buy- the manager of the store argued that it was a great product till I pointed out it didn’t even do what it was designed to do.

 

[barbs0nly]

i love love love the flight cage it’s a really good size! but id take the dowels out or at least keep one and put it where they don’t go all the time. and trash the nest box, it can be a real negative and you shouldn’t be breeding birds if you’re inexperienced. (my opinion) also put more toys, that they can actually tear and play with, beads and plastics are great and some birds love them but they need chances to destroy and make a mess, it’s natural for them, and will help their temperament. also if they’re on a seed diet (i suspect), meaning “bird seed” in a bag, homemade mixes are different, but can still be bad. i’d put a lot of effort into transitioning into them. there’s a lot of research material here in the avenue and just on google! it would be beneficial to know! you can get cheaper bird stuff on amazon but make sure it’s safe and research the aspects of what you want

 

[Zara]

i am gonna ge tsome more stuff on my birthday so i will update after then.

But your birthday is 11 months away?

 

[Zara]

ahhhh ok the colored wood is dyed (petsmart said so)

The beads just look too shiny to me for dyed wood.

That hanging ladder and the swing beads are shiny and are painted/coated in lacquer. They are not safe.

The toy that is hanging next to the swing, has 3 beads, 3 bobbins, another bead and a bell IS unsafe. I had the same thing, garbage, only fit for the bin I´m affraid, the beads are painted, the bobbins are not, but as the beads were unsafe I binned the whole thing not trusting any of it as parts had proven to be dangerous.

The platform swing to the right might not be painted. Take a good look at it, if it shines toss it. But I have one that is dyed and not painted. So double check but it could be ok. Hang it so the chains go out rather than inwards. If they go inwards, then the whole thing can turn, and when chains turn, they trap toes in and can trap a bird which then flaps frantically. If the chains are connected to the cage on an outwards angle, they won´t turn. I hope that makes sense.

Given my description of chain toys, the same goes for that bell with the flower on. Because it is one strand of chain, if you bird gets a hold of it with their foot, it can turn and trap toes in. You can alter that toy to make it safe by either taking the clip off the top, threading beads onto the chain then putting the clip back on, OR threading a bird safe poly rope or twine through the holes to fill them in, OR you can get one or two of those balls from the floor and thread those on the chain.

As said by others, now that your bird has settled in, you can remove the nest box.

Those wooden branches down below need to be fixed in place to avoid any crushing accidents. If you can add hardware, you could make them into large perches. Though ultimately, thinner branches would be better if you can find some.

I don´t mean to rip apart or criticise everything, just want your birds home to be as safe as possible!

Defo check out the DIY drive for some ideas on how to make toys and and other cage accessories;

DIY Drive

Share your toy making Do It Yourself ideas!

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Bunchobird]

ok, thanks you soo soo much for all the info, so technacally i need to trash the whole setup XD i give up lol ima just go for a natural look > Check out my list on Amazon anything wrong with these items?

 

[Bunchobird]

also, she is not on a all-seed diet!!! i made SURE not to make that mistake

 

[MR. Mango]

It won’t let us view ur list

 

[Bunchobird]

hmm

 

[Shezbug]

Can’t see your list but I’d personally be very hesitant to use Amazon, I think you’d be best to use the vendors here till you actually know what to look for. The vendors here only use safe items and construct their toys with knowledge of how they’ll be used so there is much less chance your bird will be injured… they care about the animals they make toys for and not just the money they’ll get for them toys.

 

[Bunchobird]

i think this will work > Check out my list on Amazon

 

[Bunchobird]

i might not order them on amazon, just gathering ideas from amazon XD

 

[Bunchobird]

also, i have provided toys, it might be related, but i actually had to catch her, but she hasent laid a toe on any of the toys, she just sits around all day... im not sure if she doesnt know what to do with the toys or if she is lonely. im a bit worried too

 

[DinoStormy]

also, i have provided toys, it might be related, but i actually had to catch her, but she hasent laid a toe on any of the toys, she just sits around all day... im not sure if she doesnt know what to do with the toys or if she is lonely. im a bit worried too

Where are you based? If you get some plants from outside she will probably pick at them, (bird safe of course). I live in Australia and my budgies constantly have access to different flowers and branches of native plants. There are lots if you aren't in Australia though, I'm not that experienced in that sense but I'm sure you could ask the members here about different flowers and grasses for her!
To get your budgie interested in the toys put some millet or her favourite treat in them so it is a foraging toy and she learns how to play. Some budgies never really learn to play, but mine are either shredders or foragers. One of my budgies never ever touched a toy but as soon as I put in a banksia she would spend hours and hours picking the flower apart.
You don't always have to buy buy buy, you can also make your own perches its as simple as finding a bird safe tree, disinfecting the branch in some way and cutting it to size!
I find its very trial and error because every single one is different , good luck with her she's so adorable

 

[Shezbug]

If the toys you mentioned you have provided which your bird ignores are the ones in the pics in this thread then I can promise you my budgie would have no interest in those toys either. Maybe try just threading/weaving some clean paper strips through the cage bars. Check out the DIY ideas on here, budgie toys are really pretty easy to make out of varying things you probably already have at home.

 

[Destiny]

This is a DIY toy I made for my budgies last month.



It is just a piece of wood with millet stuck in it. They had a ton of fun destroying it utterly.



Budgies love chewing on wood, especially soft woods, or paper.

And they adore millet ... but don't over-do it, of course. Millet is fun and tasty but too much seed is bad for their diet. It is best used as a training tool or to encourage foraging fun.

You could make a simple and cheap version of the toy I made using a paper towel roll and a pair of scissors.

 

[Sparkles99]

I agree about DIY toys & AA vendor toys. I don't know what to do with a lot of the toys I bought before I frequented the vendors. Most mass produced stuff is junk, unsafe & generally useless. Exceptions for some US & Canadian made stuff I got locally & the Mexican made bird kabob.

But the junk was sold for birds too. And I'm not paid an endorsement fee or anything. Nor am I a must-endorse-this-mod. I'm just a happy customer.

It may seem expensive, but it'll be cheaper to DIY & frequent AA vendors in the long run, especially those who sell toy parts. Check out California Bird Nerds for skewers, beads & shreddables at rock bottom prices, because you can buy 1 or 100. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much more you can get if you do this & put them together yourself rather than buy cheap junk on Amazon.

 

[Mizzely]

There are some brands on Amazon that are usually safe.

Wesco Bird Kabobs
Super Bird Creations
Zoo Max / Fun Max toys
Planet Pleasures

For a budgie you'll likely find that most of the toys from Super Bird or Zoo Max are geared towards larger birds. They have some foraging toys though that are good for smaller birds.

Caitec is another one, with a focus on foraging toys, but only a few are suitable for budgies.

My budgie customers tend to love balsa, cork, mahogany slices, yucca, popsicle/craft sticks, cardboard, and vine shapes.