Eek! Bird toys are SOO expensive!

[silkiechicken]

Am furnishing a cockatiel cage and boy, toys are SOOO expensive now a days! And some of the things? A branch with a washer and some nuts to hold it to the side of the cage, for 15 bucks! Seriously? Or, 3 small pine cones for 2.99?!?!

Geez... I buy my bird feed and rabbit food at the feed store for about 50% of the cost of pet store stuff. 1lb of timothy hay at the pet store is like 5 bucks, you can buy a 30lb bale at the feed store for $10.

Anyone have a good link to "cheap" bird safe bird toys? It's just so hard to fork over 40 bucks for a few branches and bunch of crepe paper. At that rate, I might as well bunch up tissues and grasses from outside with twine and lop off an apple tree branch.

 

[toletiquesbysam]

My DD's teacher buys baby toys at garage sales for them. She is pretty picky about what she buys but says they work just as good if not better than the expensive "bird" toys!

 

[VioletandBodie]

http://forums.avianavenue.com/diy-drive/ this fourm will give you all you need to know about macking cheap toys and perches (if you go sertching through post im robin's my baby)


-also note im not tring to get you to join that board it was not my intent with posting just incase somone thinks that

 

[silkiechicken]

Thanks for the link!

I'm going to have to try making some of those things and go to the baby section of stores.

 

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
And your birds would be just as happy if not happier! (If you do use grasses from outside, make SURE they've not been chemically treated with fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) Premade bird toys can be REALLY expensive as you pointed out, but there are cheaper alternatives too. My bigger birds (AGray, Conures) like to play with the rolls from paper towels or bathroom tissue. Sometimes I cut the roll into sections and string the rings on a piece of twine or just hang the rings onto the branches of the playgym / tree or other perches. They also like to lay with popsicle sticks, and the African Gray LOVES tightly twisted newspaper. (as you may have noticed, mine are more into shreddables than the noisemaker toys or chewy toys). They really like the toys from Petsmart that have the brightly colored balls made of some kind of straw-like stuff strung together with a piece of leather. They last about 2 days before they're disassembled, and maybe another 4-5 days after that until they've chewed up all the balls. At $15 each, that gets pricey in a HURRY.

There are lots of sources for toy components to make your own, too. Get the bird-safe components (no glues, solvents, and be careful of the leather strips -- make sure they are tanned / prepared so they're bird safe -- not all are), some food coloring, and get your creative juices flowing!

 

[silkiechicken]

I'm going to have to teach my new bird to play with his toys. Silly baby is still unsure on his feet. I'm sure he gets embarrassed to see the parakeets hanging upside down by a single foot spinning on a hanging ball. LOL


I plan on going to the craft store today. I'll probably just use the grasses growing on my balcony for now. Bird seems to like leafy greens. I need to find a source for wood, but will probably wait two weeks and pick some up at home since I can lop branches off there no problem.

 

[metraideanne]

It helps to know what kind of toys your bird likes... My pionus throws everything off the top of his cage and screams in joy for conquering his domain so he really likes anything he can pick up and chuck. My green-cheek likes the colorful plexiglass type toys with bells and tiny mirorrs that spin or the one that hangs from the top and has bells and keys. He gets over there and has a bawl making noise.

At the pet store check all the toys.

I buy the mini pop corn cobs from the small animal area as well as chew toys... Sometimes they are still price but my birds go nuts when I give them the cooled mircrowaved cobs I have even started leaving them tied up in a paperbag so they have to work for them. Popcorn is very messy but it's a decent treate and loads of fun. After all the kernals have been removed the cats have a bawl with the empty cobs so it's toys for two pets at one price

I bought rope toys from the dog section, small balls and fetch sticks with knots on the end, all kinds of creative things you can do there some of the hard rubber chew toys are good too so long as the bird isn't stong enough to take bites some of those toys have cranies to shove treats.

Cat balls with the bells in them make for fantastic foot toys. My pionus loves to go over to the cat toy that's a circle with a ball on the track and a circular scratch pad in the middle. He makes the ball go around yells at it, then gets on the cardboard scratch pad and rubs his beak then goes to town chewing it up. I used to try to stop him because it made such a mess but the cats don't use the scratch pad so I gave up. It's all about creativity.

The dollar store can be a good resource too. Just be careful; metals may contain lead or other toxins, ropes that fray funny and might get swallowed and other toys that might cause problems.

Also look for a local supplier, there is a small shop about 30 minutes from me I go to every 6 months for supplies becaue she sells a better selection and includes make your own supplies. One of my pionus's favorite toys is a long leather cord I strung wood pieces on and a large bell at the bottom. He hates his swing but he'll hang upside-down on the bell and scream his heart out (well for him, he's a very quiet bird).

 

[silkiechicken]

It'll be trial and error to find out what it likes. I just picked up the new addition, and it's a cockatiel. He doesn't really play with anything yet, so I'm game for trying all kinds of new toys. I'm hoping it's more out going than my parakeets, who'd rather just socialize with me IF and only IF I have something they want. Then again, the parakeets were pet store bin-o-budgies... and all they like to play with are pieces of twine and hanging upside down on those cat balls you were mentioning! I don't want to share toys yet between them, just to make sure the new bird isn't brining something in.

 

[peewee]

I have a cockatoo, and amazon and a quaker parrot. All my birds love wooden clothes pins! They will just about do anything for them. They also like pony beads that are strung on a cord. String them on one at a time and tie a knot between each bead. They also like the practice golf balls that are plastic with the holes in them. Great for throwing up in the air and throwing off the top pf the cage.

 

[macdoogle]

I take paper towel or toilet paper rolls when they are emply. Fray the edges and hang them in the cage. My tiels love to chew them up.