Post by lolwutburds on Sept 30, 2010 7:10:23 GMT 10
There are so many things around the house that we can recycle to enrich out parrot's lives. I have collated some of the many ideas i've picked up and put them into one post for people to have a look at. You don't have to spend $100 a week on keeping your cockatoo munch-happy, when you can make a lot of fun toys yourself!
1. Get some coffee filters and tie them up attached to the cage.
2. Do you have a little drill? Get some popsicle sticks and thread them through a rope.
3. Punch a hole in a phone book and tie it up or if the cage is big enough, thread it through the bars. Or even sit it on the bottom of the cage.
4. Take a bunch of newpaper...any paper.. and crumple it up and put it through the bars.
5. Buy a 2 dollar piece of fleece, cut it in strips and tie it in the middle.. then hang it in her cage for a preening toy?
6.
7. Small untreated wicker baskets are availale at cheapo shops everywhere. Fill with treats and other items from this thread for a fun foraging tray that they can chew up afterwards!
8. Fill an unwaxed brown paper bag with shredded paper and treats and twist close.
9. If you dont have a phone book why not a toilet paper roll? You must have those, just attach it/slide it over one of the perches.
10. Stainless steel measuring spoons make great toys, just hang them up.
11. Get clippings of fruit/nut trees or bottlebrush/gum trees. Try to get some nice thick ones. Parrots love to chew the flowers and leaves off. Here is a list of safe/unsafe woods: www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml
12. Untreated sisal rope works great too! Its cheap, you just tie it up across the cage, get a larger diameter like 1/2".
13. Toilet paper rolls or paper towelling rolls for the bigger guys with crumpled paper bags inside of it. I stuff in an almond and they go craaaazy!
14. You can buy a HUGE pack of craft sticks for $2 at Riot! or other craft stores.
15. Baby toys, you can find them at garage sales for cents. If you know someone with kids you can get them for free. Rattles, keys, linky-doos, ect.
16. little cat balls with the bells in them
17. I sometimes put random crumpled paper balls with a treat in them around play areas, cages, what ever.
18. I took a small shoe box, filled it with hay and oats and sat it on the bottom of the cage for my finches. I had to vacuum twice that day, but they enjoyed it.
19. Paper cups, such as those used for snow cones? Take one, put some nuts or her favorite treat in it, and twist the end. Put a few in her food bowl - make it easy for her. Once she realises that, if she tears them open, her favorite pine nut or whatever is inside, she will learn to look for them. Then, make it more difficult. Make some and stick them in the bars of her cage. It's easy, fun and great enrichment.
20. www.pickyparrot.net/enrichment.html
21. www.avianenrichment.com/porter_wrap.htm
22. www.african-grey-parrot.com/African-Grey-Toys.aspx
23. Bottletops, those plastic things that fasten up loaves of bread, toilet paper rolls (cut them up into rings), rip up some newspaper. Put three bowls of this stuff with some dry food sprinkled through it around her cage.
24. do you like yogurt? then wash that yogurt cup once you're done, thread a string through it so that it hangs and then stuff it with torn up newspaper, foot toys and sprinkle some of her food in there so she has to dig. instant forager!
25. do like raisins from single serv boxes? same idea string them up or just place the boxes where she can access them, another instant forager (edit: early on cut off a corner so she can see the goodie inside, once she's got the hang of it then just give her the box)
26. Straws, cut them into short pieces and tie them into bundles... instant foot toy!
27. Get newspaper and cut it into strips, and then tie up to side of cage... instant shredder!
29. Toilet paper tubes don't need "artistic" skills to make them into a toy. Just put them in the cage.
30. I have this toy hanging in the window- so don't mind the blinds, I just moved them out of the way instead of opening them. I simply strung blocks with holes drilled through and colored pieces of wood (both of which you can buy pretty cheap online if you search for bird toy parts) and strung them with toilet paper rolls. You could do the with only TP rolls if you wanted to.
31. Save the cardboard drink holders you get at fast food places, and the beer bottle cardboard cases. You can stuff paper, toys and treats in them, and set them on the cage bottom!
32. Use egg cartons as a foraging toy. They really work well. Also, if you buy your wine by the carton (or just ask your friendly bottle shop attendant) they have cardboard spacers between the bottles that you can put strings of beads and stuff through them and hang them on the side of the cage.
33. Put toys, food, etc. in brown paper lunch bags. They make a great foraging toy
And if that's not enough for you.... GOOGLE THIS: "DIY Parrot Toys"
There's also tons of places online to buy toy parts (including my ebay store lol) so you can get coloured blocks, chain and quick links to help you make your bird's cage super-fun!
1. Get some coffee filters and tie them up attached to the cage.
2. Do you have a little drill? Get some popsicle sticks and thread them through a rope.
3. Punch a hole in a phone book and tie it up or if the cage is big enough, thread it through the bars. Or even sit it on the bottom of the cage.
4. Take a bunch of newpaper...any paper.. and crumple it up and put it through the bars.
5. Buy a 2 dollar piece of fleece, cut it in strips and tie it in the middle.. then hang it in her cage for a preening toy?
6.
7. Small untreated wicker baskets are availale at cheapo shops everywhere. Fill with treats and other items from this thread for a fun foraging tray that they can chew up afterwards!
8. Fill an unwaxed brown paper bag with shredded paper and treats and twist close.
9. If you dont have a phone book why not a toilet paper roll? You must have those, just attach it/slide it over one of the perches.
10. Stainless steel measuring spoons make great toys, just hang them up.
11. Get clippings of fruit/nut trees or bottlebrush/gum trees. Try to get some nice thick ones. Parrots love to chew the flowers and leaves off. Here is a list of safe/unsafe woods: www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml
12. Untreated sisal rope works great too! Its cheap, you just tie it up across the cage, get a larger diameter like 1/2".
13. Toilet paper rolls or paper towelling rolls for the bigger guys with crumpled paper bags inside of it. I stuff in an almond and they go craaaazy!
14. You can buy a HUGE pack of craft sticks for $2 at Riot! or other craft stores.
15. Baby toys, you can find them at garage sales for cents. If you know someone with kids you can get them for free. Rattles, keys, linky-doos, ect.
16. little cat balls with the bells in them
17. I sometimes put random crumpled paper balls with a treat in them around play areas, cages, what ever.
18. I took a small shoe box, filled it with hay and oats and sat it on the bottom of the cage for my finches. I had to vacuum twice that day, but they enjoyed it.
19. Paper cups, such as those used for snow cones? Take one, put some nuts or her favorite treat in it, and twist the end. Put a few in her food bowl - make it easy for her. Once she realises that, if she tears them open, her favorite pine nut or whatever is inside, she will learn to look for them. Then, make it more difficult. Make some and stick them in the bars of her cage. It's easy, fun and great enrichment.
20. www.pickyparrot.net/enrichment.html
21. www.avianenrichment.com/porter_wrap.htm
22. www.african-grey-parrot.com/African-Grey-Toys.aspx
23. Bottletops, those plastic things that fasten up loaves of bread, toilet paper rolls (cut them up into rings), rip up some newspaper. Put three bowls of this stuff with some dry food sprinkled through it around her cage.
24. do you like yogurt? then wash that yogurt cup once you're done, thread a string through it so that it hangs and then stuff it with torn up newspaper, foot toys and sprinkle some of her food in there so she has to dig. instant forager!
25. do like raisins from single serv boxes? same idea string them up or just place the boxes where she can access them, another instant forager (edit: early on cut off a corner so she can see the goodie inside, once she's got the hang of it then just give her the box)
26. Straws, cut them into short pieces and tie them into bundles... instant foot toy!
27. Get newspaper and cut it into strips, and then tie up to side of cage... instant shredder!
29. Toilet paper tubes don't need "artistic" skills to make them into a toy. Just put them in the cage.
30. I have this toy hanging in the window- so don't mind the blinds, I just moved them out of the way instead of opening them. I simply strung blocks with holes drilled through and colored pieces of wood (both of which you can buy pretty cheap online if you search for bird toy parts) and strung them with toilet paper rolls. You could do the with only TP rolls if you wanted to.
31. Save the cardboard drink holders you get at fast food places, and the beer bottle cardboard cases. You can stuff paper, toys and treats in them, and set them on the cage bottom!
32. Use egg cartons as a foraging toy. They really work well. Also, if you buy your wine by the carton (or just ask your friendly bottle shop attendant) they have cardboard spacers between the bottles that you can put strings of beads and stuff through them and hang them on the side of the cage.
33. Put toys, food, etc. in brown paper lunch bags. They make a great foraging toy
And if that's not enough for you.... GOOGLE THIS: "DIY Parrot Toys"
There's also tons of places online to buy toy parts (including my ebay store lol) so you can get coloured blocks, chain and quick links to help you make your bird's cage super-fun!
