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Post by lavinniaf on Aug 16, 2005 13:02:51 GMT 10
Hi, Just wondering if anyone can give me some ideas on how to keep my redtail ammused while i am at work. He loves to chew everything and anything, chew chew chew thats all he does. I have found that store bought toys are very good, but also VERY Expensive when kai manages to distory them within an hour. I was letting him chew plastic bottle tops as i read it in a magazine....but Bob Donely said this is a no no, as the plastic may be toxic. I give him fresh branches to chew daily and some pieces of wood. He seems to love plastic the most though........if anyone has any ideas would love to hear them.  |
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Post by AcaciaWattle on Aug 16, 2005 13:12:42 GMT 10
I knew someone who use to go bush and pick heaps and heaps of banksia nuts and flowers, the nuts take a lot longer for them to chew thru. Dougal kills his toys quickly and I was told about cardboard rolls. It's taken Dougal a week to only chew the ends! All you have to do is make sure they aren't scented (like toilet rolls) You can get some really thick cardboard postage tubes and I use the ones from paper towels. I have also been told this one about their favourite treat wrapped up in newspaper. You could find some plain paper like fish & chip shop paper and tie it together with some twine.
Um babies building blocks, they are normally coloured with food dyes. A block of wood (eucalypt or a non toxic hardwood) drill a small hole and put mealworms etc in and plug it with some dowel. Now I am grasping at straws!
Amanda
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Post by lovemytiels on Aug 17, 2005 7:31:30 GMT 10
Hi, this may sound crazy but my 3 ringnecks are terrible chewers but I have found that hard plastic non toxic baby toys have been heaven sent. Keeps them amused for hours like rattles etc, something they can pick up easily. As soon as I find the slightest hole out it comes & I replace with a new one & I pick them up from second hand stores & give them a good clean. Hard plastic chains are also good as well. They are very tough. There are some great new bird toys on the market now made of very hard acrylic & I would imagine they are safe. There is a company on ebay that sell bird toys too & I have heard great reports about them. Here is also a link that may give you some ideas. Hope this helps. Cheers Anna www.birdsjustwannahavefun.com/toyinfo.htm |
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suecc
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Post by suecc on Aug 17, 2005 10:24:54 GMT 10
ohh ohh ohhhh, this is my fav topic, making Bird Toys is what I do best!!! (well it makes me look very busy & I like that) Making toys for your bird is soooo much fun, rewarding, cheeper that the bought ones, & fun to do with your birdie! Ok, 1 of the most important rules of toy making is know YOUR bird. How does it treat toys, some birds are chewers some love plastic, wood, bells. Try and use stainless steel or nickel plated parts, galvanised wire can be poisinous to your bird and the vet bills for heavy metal poisining are massive. ok some quick & easy toys, grab a branch saw it up into differing lengths, drill holes thru and thread some sisal thru. tie a knot every so often & end with a couple of knots. Grab a piece of sisal rope, or sash cord, or cotton rope about 50cm long and tie knots in it tie it to the top of your birds cage so it hangs as a swing, a ladder, a bush vine in your birds imagination. go to your cheap shop, the crazy clints, Base, what ever is in your area. Buy a pack of drinking straws. while you are there, grab a pack of cable ties too. Take a bundle of the straws grab them in the middle get a cable tie arround the middle, and pull the tie really tight. Fan the ends of the straws out so they look cats whiskers tie with rope or make a loop out of another cable tie and attach to a perch. some birds use their feet alot, the wooden "dolly" pegs, the ones with out springs our great. ummmmmm I'll keep thinking and adding more ideas. have fun sue |
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suecc
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Post by suecc on Aug 17, 2005 10:28:26 GMT 10
The other very very very most important thing is when you give your bird a toy for the first time, watch how he plays with it, never leave them alone with a new toy , you never know how your bird will play with it & if he gets tangled or a toe stuck I hate to come home and find an accident has happened.
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suecc
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Post by suecc on Aug 17, 2005 13:26:14 GMT 10
Make a foraging tray, use a shallow, tray like box or a tray , fill with pebbles, banksia nuts, scrunched up paper, branches, leaves gum nut what ever. Hide treats in faper towel, in corners tucked into a pine cone. Let your birdy go to work, you may have to show him a couple of the hiding places the first time but not for long sue |
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Post by lavinniaf on Aug 17, 2005 19:30:39 GMT 10
thats great suecc, thanks heaps, i really like the straw idea, he pulling straws out of my drinks. I would love to get him some banksia nuts, but i dont know where to find some in my area! I have tried him with pine cones, doesnt mind them to much, his true love it plastic that he can pull appart. I will have to make a trip to my hardware store and check out those plastic links. dont know much about metal or anything........but i wonder if that metal chain you can buy from the hardware store would be alright.......he has such a big beak, it might be a bit of a challenge, but i dont want to poison him....i heard if you wash it in vinegar it helps.
Anna, i dont think buying baby toys is crazy, i have tried that also, but because kai chews everything up, i thought maybe that plastic might be toxic.......i dont know, the vet told me to avoid plastic.........But he just loves it soo much.
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Post by lovemytiels on Aug 18, 2005 7:15:07 GMT 10
You are right many plastic toys can be toxic & I do worry about them but I try to get ones that are classified as non toxic but plastic is plastic & is not good for them if ingested. I really think that my birds luv the bright colors of plastic toys. Perhaps making wood ones & using some natural dyes like beetroot, turmeric even onion skins would entice Kai more & would be better for him in the long run. I have found that my ringies luv to shred natural brown cardboard boxes, but it doesn't take them long LOL. Cane baskets & cane place mats are also a favorite of theirs too but I would imagine with the size of Kai's beak that would be a 2 second job LOL. Hopefully we have given you some good ideas though. Cheers Anna
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Post by AcaciaWattle on Aug 18, 2005 9:34:56 GMT 10
You know I can't remember where there are banksia's in Singo! Maybe when the wind dies down you'll be able to go for a walk and find some tree's in someones yard and maybe ask them! I'll have a think about the banksia's tho.
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suecc
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Post by suecc on Aug 19, 2005 13:33:22 GMT 10
you can use normal food colouring to colour the wood, the stuff you can get from any supermarket. I either mix it with warm water or what apparrently the best way to do it is to mix with 70% rubbing alchol. This evaporates out so is safe for your bird, and drys much quicker .
I think Kia loves the plastic so much because of the feel of it on his toungue. I have a friend who has a Macaw who loves plastic too, I'll ask what she uses. I have some stuff ( toy parts) coming in from USA & I think I might have something that may be ok with the big beakers I let you know.
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suecc
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Post by suecc on Aug 19, 2005 13:35:06 GMT 10
If you want to save the bits left over from the bought toys & send them to me I would be happy to remake them into toys for you. just message me & I;ll send you my postal addie
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suecc
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Post by suecc on Aug 19, 2005 13:41:38 GMT 10
another thing you can try is large stainless steel nuts & bolts, (just make sure they are either stainless or nickel) either give these to Kia as foot toys, screwed together, use wing nuts as well as the normal kind scew them thru a piece of wood ummmmmm put a stainless washer inbetween any combination will get him thinking. Just watch him with this as wil any new toy
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