Homemade Parrot Toys - Are They a Good Idea?
Posted: Sunday, April 04, 2010
by Michael Burrows
One of the main reasons that parrots are so popular as pets and in turn are so rewarding to have around is their high level of intelligence. It is this intelligence that facilitates their ability to talk, mimic noises, learn tricks and interact on a complex level with humans. However with this level of intelligence comes a need to be mentally stimulated and engaged otherwise parrots become bored quickly and they manifest their boredom in many counter productive ways such as feather plucking, becoming aggressive and being excessively vocal
Parrots need numerous toys and they need to be changed around on a regular basis so your parrot does not become bored with the same toy day in and day out. Also parrots by their very nature will claw, nip, bite and gnaw at their toys and so you should expect to have to replace them on a fairly regular basis. If you take a trip to the local pet store to stock up on toys every couple of months this can soon turn into a costly requirement, so for many parrot owners they have turned to making their own homemade parrot toys or parrot replacement toys.
When setting out to make your parrot a homemade toy you should firstly think about the safety of your parrot, so you need to know the correct size of toy to make for the size of your feathered friend. If you make a toy too big your parrot may end up trapping it's beak, head or claw in it, whereas if you make the toy too small you risk the danger of your parrot swallowing it or hurting their feet. Also you need to pay attention to the materials you intend to you, they need to be parrot friendly as your parrot will no doubt gnaw and chew your toy, so the materials used shouldn't have been treated with any harmful chemicals.
To start with it's a good idea to purchase a couple of manufactured toys from your local bird store or pet shop so you have a good idea of what a parrot toy looks and feels like and also to see if your parrot actually likes the style of toy etc. Also a popular alternative to buying a pet store toy or making them yourself is to go along to the local baby store and buy a selection of different colored rings and bell type baby toys as they are cheaper than a toy marketed as a parrot toy at the pet store and you know they will be safe as they have been designed for a baby.
Homemade parrot toys are a cost effective way of keeping your parrot mentally stimulated and happy as long as you follow the general guidelines that I have mentioned above. In further articles I will list some popular homemade toy designs and materials to help you make safe homemade toys for your parrot.
Michael Burrows is a homemade parrot toy expert and has been caring for parrots for over 18 years. For more great information on homemade parrot toys visit www.parrotadviceguide.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Good info. As a parrot owner, I can appreciate your advice. JH/CLThanks for the positive comments Jonathan.
I've never had a parrot, Michael, but I thought this was a touching article. And there are remarkable similarities between parrots and humans...
Thank you for the comment Jennifer and you are right comparing the similarities between humans and parrots. They each have a very distinctive character just like us and some species of parrot have the intelligence of a 5-6 year old human child.
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