Posted On Oct 13, 2022

So, you have a pet bird and want to learn more about toys. Let’s talk about it! Birds are incredibly clever animals. Like humans, birds require physical activity and mental stimulation throughout the day. Have you ever experienced a day where you just want to be a bump on a log and lay on the couch watching Netflix all day? The idea may sound relaxing at first, but chances are, by the end of the day, you felt unfulfilled, bored, and may have even found it difficult to sleep at night because of the lack of activity and stimulation throughout the day.

 

 Without access to proper amounts of activity and mental stimulation, every day is like a Netflix binge day for pet birds, except without even the advantages of Netflix. Boredom in birds can lead to serious health problems like anxiety, complications from obsessive feather plucking, and other behavioral issues. No one truly likes to be bored, and birds certainly don’t either! That is why a good selection of toys is so important for birds.

Toy Safety

Of course, before we get to the fun stuff, safety must be a top priority as a bird owner. Many bird toys are on the market today, but not all are necessarily safe or appropriate for your feathery friend! One toy could be perfectly safe for one bird and be entirely inappropriate for another. For example, if a toy is too small, the birds' nails could get caught and seriously injured. On the other hand, if an opening on a toy is just a little bit too big, a bird could get its head stuck. For example, some toys may be perfect for a finch but would be entirely too small for a parrot. 

 

A toys' material is also an essential factor to take into consideration. Examples of appropriate bird toy materials would be natural and non-toxic fibers such as seagrass, coir, hemp, jute and sisal; hard and bird-safe acrylic, food-grade stainless steel, non-toxic wood and branches, pinecones, coconuts, luffa and corn-husks. There are, however, certain materials that are not safe. Galvanized metal or metal-containing lead is known for its toxicity to birds. These metals may be in chains, connectors, and other hardware. Overall, 100% natural toys with no chemicals, no glues, unnatural coloring or dyes are the safest toys for your pet.

The Fun Stuff: Toys!

Having gone over some important safety information, let’s talk about toys! Birds are much like little kids; they sure do love their toys! Of course, just like for little kids, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Some households have tons of toys in the kids’ room or playroom. Despite this, the kids may still complain of boredom. You may ask, how can that be when there are so many toys to choose from?! However, too many toys can become overwhelming, while seeing the same toys day in and day out can easily lead to boredom. Same thing for birds! That’s why it is good to put some toys away and instead rotate through a selection of toys every few days. This way, the bird gets to experience the excitement of playing with a toy they may not have seen for a while!

 

Some toys are especially good at providing mental stimulation. Birds are known to be particularly good at solving puzzles! No, not jigsaw puzzles, though that would be impressive! Even more impressive is that birds are incredible at solving problems. These kinds of problem-solving puzzles provide an excellent activity for birds. Toys like these might involve the bird having to figure out how to get access to its favorite treat. Once the bird discovers how to get the treat out of the puzzle, it gets awarded for its accomplishment! 

Types of Toys

In addition to puzzle toys, there are generally four different categories of bird toys. Some toys only fit one category, while others may belong in multiple categories. The first such category of toys is sound toys. It is natural for birds to sing and just make noise in general! Noisy or musical toys encourage this natural behavior. Examples of toys might include bells or clanging bird-safe metal measuring cups or even music boxes where the bird pushes a button, and a song plays!

 

The next category is companion toys. Interestingly enough, companion toys can be both comforting for a bird and a healthy outlet for any aggression. Softer material toys like those that include seagrass, are great to set up where a bird typically sleeps. The bird may wish to cuddle and preen the toy. On the opposite end of the companion toy spectrum, a sturdier toy like blocks and foraging coconuts can be great for a bird to yell at (Yes, birds can be very sassy!), toss around, and let that toy know whose boss!

 

Similarly, destruction toys make up the next category. Most pets enjoy destroying things and not just to get on the nerves of their owners (well, maybe?). Birds are no exception to this. As a bird owner, it is best to pick out toys that aren’t too hard or too easy for the bird to destroy. Birds require a happy medium. Without it, they can grow bored or frustrated. If buying a toy from a pet store just to have a bird destroy it doesn’t sit quite right with you, you could also consider making a "Do It Yourself" bird toy!

 

Another category is activity toys. Birds in captivity have a much smaller playground than those in the wild. Finding ways for birds to get exercise and have fun is so important. Toys that let a bird participate in its natural behaviors, like swings, spirals to climb on, and perches of various sizes and materials, are perfect examples.

Cheeky Birb LLC

At Cheeky Birb, we have first-hand experience with the frustrations of finding safe toys for our birds without the crazy markup prices that most pet stores have. This is just one of many reasons why we are so passionate about providing 100% natural toys with no chemicals, glues, or unnatural coloring or dyes.

All of our fun stuff mimics what our birds would naturally find and play with in the wild. We hand-make a lot of toys using sun-dried coconuts and strategically source the perfect sun-dried woods to create unique perches like Manzanita, Cholla, Java, Bamboo, and Dragonwood.

We also cater to the silly, back-rolling birbs who enjoy tossing natural foot toys around (or just destructing the coco fiber balls). For your climbers, we have foraging wall mats made of seagrass, and even sun-dried luffa sponges for those that enjoy picking and digging out hidden treats!

Our interactive treat toys like our Cheweet™ Kabob original and Cheweet™ Kabob Forager, are fun additions to any birbs toybox. Keep an eye out for new interactive puzzles, and something special coming soon!

 

Now let’s get our Cheeky Birbs some fun toys!

Original Post: The Importan ce of Bird Toys