Toys - what's the appeal?

[Linwood]

2.5yo DYH from a pet store, been with me 2 weeks.

The store gave me two large toys (first photo). They said she "loved them - take them to make him feel at home".

She (I found its a girl) won't touch them. I've tried various positions in the cage, on a big play stand, etc. Clearly she (or something) had chewed on them a lot, but they get totally ignored. No fear, just ignored.

But if I make something it gets destroyed immediately (second photo). Those are wooden balls and other shapes I picked up at Hobby Lobby and strung on yarn. It's been in the cage all of about 15 minutes and is about 75% destroyed, only a few left and going fast. Not sure what the wood is, it is not balsa, it is not exactly hard and it does take some effort to split. Some soft poplar perhaps? But she's really happy to turn it into splinters quickly.

Too quickly.

I also bought some balsa but I suspect it will get shredded even quicker.

I'm reluctant to buy more store type toys because I don't know why that one is being ignored.

Interestingly the play area perches are dowels, and she shows no interest in chewing on those (nor the cage perches which are home made Crepe Myrtle which may be too hard).

I don't mind making toys (I have a little wood shop anyway) - any suggestions for something that may be a bit more durable though? But not so durable as to lose interest?

And maybe more to the point -- any insight into what makes them interesting (and not)? Is it just novelty, anything new? Or specific types of wood? Could the pet store ones carry an odor she no longer likes?


Linwood

PS. While I've been writing this she's down to the last 2 or 3 items on the long string I had. Hasn't even been an hour.

 

[flyzipper]

At this early stage with your new friend it's about trial and error to see what she likes.

My larger boys like shredding untreated pine 1x2s from Home Depot that are cut into 6-8" lengths. You could replicate the Hobby Lobby items fairly easily from that material (roughly).

Balsa is like tissue paper to larger species.

Even if store bought toys go unused, they typically contain parts that can be rearranged into more interesting configurations. My biggest likes playing with a simple length of stainless steel chain, for example.

 

[Linwood]

untreated pine

I was avoiding it due to the sap but there's lots of variations in pine I can try.

Thanks.

 

[Shezbug]

Unfortunately the toy in the second pic although maybe being currently more appealing to your bird is terribly dangerous.


Trying to find a balance of safe but fun interesting toys is important and can be annoying but once you know your birds preferences of materials it gets easier. I find a mix of non destructible toys and destructible toys is best for my biggest toys user.
Destroying is what they like to do so giving toys they find too hard to chew up might be great for our pockets but it’s not very good at keeping them engaged, busy and entertained. Chewing helps keep minds and beaks healthy so it is pretty important.

Untreated pine is most likely going to be one of the better choices of wood for a bird this size, balsa is what the little birds (budgies, cockatiel) are best off with as they can easily destroy that.

 

[Linwood]

Unfortunately the toy in the second pic although maybe being currently more appealing to your bird is terribly dangerous.

Could you elaborate? There's no loop if that's your concern (well, unless she creates one). There's no dye or paint, the cord is cotton.

----

I tried a stick of balsa; it didn't last a whole minute. I've probably got some pine in my garage. Need to figure out some kind of shape to hang.

 

[Mizzely]

Untreated pine at the hardware store is kiln dried so very little, if any sap, is present. It is a beloved, cheap favorite for a lot of birds!

My Jardine's chews like a bigger bird but he loves pine cut against the grain. The stuff in your first picture he could and would eventually chew, but he much prefers it cut so it chips instead of splinters.

If you get yourself a stainless steel skewer, that helps make a quick toy!

Cotton/yarn is not safe as the fibers can build up in their crop and cause blockages. Long uncovered strings can get caught around a foot or neck and cut off circulation. It seems unlikely but it has unfortunately happened more than you'd expect

 

[Mizzely]

Here's a Google visual for Against the Grain vs With the Grain: Bird Toy Size Guide ~ Helpful Information for Choosing Bird Toys

 

[Linwood]

Untreated pine at the hardware store is kiln dried so very little, if any sap, is present. It is a beloved, cheap favorite for a lot of birds!

My Jardine's chews like a bigger bird but he loves pine cut against the grain. The stuff in your first picture he could and would eventually chew, but he much prefers it cut so it chips instead of splinters.

If you get yourself a stainless steel skewer, that helps make a quick toy!

Cotton/yarn is not safe as the fibers can build up in their crop and cause blockages. Long uncovered strings can get caught around a foot or neck and cut off circulation. It seems unlikely but it has unfortunately happened more than you'd expect

Thank you.

I was wondering about metal, whether they would hurt their beak trying to chew it (e.g. the skewer). I've also got some stainless wire that is probably too thick to pull up and loop, certainly can't be bitten in two, but worried about the beak.

Re cotton: So far she hasn't chewed it but noted.

Is there a suitable rope/cord (re eating, I understand the concern about looping; I didn't really expect it to turn into bare string very quickly, I hoped the wood would be chewed up not just split and discarded. There was about 14" of "solid" wood on the string when I put it in.

 

[Mizzely]

Thank you.

I was wondering about metal, whether they would hurt their beak trying to chew it (e.g. the skewer). I've also got some stainless wire that is probably too thick to pull up and loop, certainly can't be bitten in two, but worried about the beak.

Re cotton: So far she hasn't chewed it but noted.

Is there a suitable rope/cord (re eating, I understand the concern about looping; I didn't really expect it to turn into bare string very quickly, I hoped the wood would be chewed up not just split and discarded. There was about 14" of "solid" wood on the string when I put it in.

I mean, no more than climbing on cage bars, right? I've never had a bird chew the skewer itself.

I use paper rope as it doesn't loop on itself easily, is easy on my hands, and fairly cheap. Sisal, stainless steel chain, vegetable tanned leather lacing, and some polyethylene (poly) rope are safe.

 

[Jan]

Entanglement is what it is when there are no toy parts on the rope strand(s), like it wrapping around a foot, wing, body, neck when the rope of stringing material is empty.

Considering she is new to you, you will just need to learn what her likes are, it can take a while, offer various toys or toy part and see what strikes her fancy the most!! She/he is pretty!

 

[Linwood]

I mean, no more than climbing on cage bars, right? I've never had a bird chew the skewer itself.

I use paper rope as it doesn't loop on itself easily, is easy on my hands, and fairly cheap. Sisal, stainless steel chain, vegetable tanned leather lacing, and some polyethylene (poly) rope are safe.

Good (hurting the beak on metal). Thanks.

Surprised on poly. Was assuming pieces of plastic were not good.

 

[Shezbug]

Could you elaborate? There's no loop if that's your concern (well, unless she creates one). There's no dye or paint, the cord is cotton.

----

I tried a stick of balsa; it didn't last a whole minute. I've probably got some pine in my garage. Need to figure out some kind of shape to hang.


View attachment 462123

Your string is easily looped and knotted at that length (strangulation hazard) but also the fibres can be ingested and cause impaction.

 

[Mizzely]

Good (hurting the beak on metal). Thanks.

Surprised on poly. Was assuming pieces of plastic were not good.

Really depends on the bird and how they play.

 

[melissasparrots]

I use sisal rope but the skewers are probably the safest and it's what I use when I cut 1x2's from the lumber yard into bird toys. My birds are picky. They really like thin pieces cut against the grain so they can take chunks off. Slightly thicker pieces they like cut with the grain so they can take long slinters off. None of my birds really like wood pieces that are over 1 inch thick and most prefer about 1/4th to .5 inch thick. Here is a link to a skewer. Stainless Steel Hangin' Round - Medium/Large-EHS7 I also have some similar style toy hangers that are in a spiral. With home made metal, you have to be careful if you loop the wire so you can hang it, the bird can get it's beak stuck where the loop contacts the other side of metal rod. For the same reason, key chains should not be used to hang bird toys. If i have a store bought toy with a lot of wood hung on a long string of rope, I watch that toy very carefully and shorten the rope as they chew wood off of it. I also just plain don't get toys with cotton rope at all. Had to cut my cockatoo out of a rope toy once and it wasn't fun. I was the one bleeding.

 

[Clueless]

MC had toys in his cage from harder wood and ignored them (chewed a tiny bit but not destroyed). I noticed he was kind of moping.

I put a toy in his cage that was made of softer wood and the toy was destroyed very quickly....
and I had a very happy parrot!

I use leather laces and metal skewers to put the thinner wood on.

 

[Finchbreed]

Some birds also like bottlebrush with the flowers on trimmed from the tree.

 

[Linwood]

Why is Sisal rope safe and cotton not (relative to ingestion). I'm not suggesting it is not, but brief searching shows neither is really digestible.

 

[Mizzely]

My guess is it's about fiber type and length. When preened, cotton loses little bits of itself and can be accidentally swallowed. Sisal strands tend to break.

We have several documented cotton fiber masses removed from crops; as far as I'm aware we don't have any for Sisal.

You can avoid both if it makes more sense to you.

 

[Linwood]

You can avoid both if it makes more sense to you.

Well, since the consensus seems to be they don't hurt themselves on metal stainless steel seems a better choice. Which reminds me I need to be cage shopping.

Though I'm letting him finish the wood toys I made and watching, he is ignoring the string.

At the moment we're having a pistachio eating lesson. He's shelling them, discarding the nut and playing with the shell. Bird might have trouble if released into the wild.

 

[Emma&pico]

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