Everything Toys

This is Lou... he was playing with one of Feathering Height’s wonderful foot toys until it was destroyed on the tile floor a few days later... :(

Not To Worry Beads —These are wonderful strings of beads that keep birds BUSY. Some unstring them and untie every knot, and some mangle them, some weave them through the cage bars, but either way they are an absolute God-send for anyone with a cockatoo (and many other birds.)

Toys turn a house into a home. They bring fun and exercise into a bird’s environment and help minimize boredom. In the wild, parrots spend their entire day finding food, choosing mates, raising young, and avoiding predators. Today’s companion parrot doesn’t do any of these things, and has everything done for him instead. It is no great surprise that bored and/or ignored parrots develop self-destructive and bad behavior, biting, screaming incessantly, etc.

Toys are especially important for shelter birds. While families have the time to give each bird a considerable amount of attention, it becomes more important for birds to be able to entertain themselves when the number of birds rises. One-on-one time is reduced somewhat, and intriguing toys take a more critical role. This is not to say that human contact is thrown over for toys, but there is a lot to be said for a bird that can entertain itself for a while —in any setting. Many of the birds in shelters are/were screamers, pluckers, unhandleable, abused, or neglected.

I went to a house a few years ago where the rescue birds had one bland toy at best, while the owned birds could hardly move for all the toys. I can’t believe there would even be a distinction. An Umbrella Cockatoo that was retrieved from this situation was seriously neurotic —and you can’t blame him. His brief stay at this “foster” home must have been hell.

Has anyone had any of the following toys for years? We sure have —and with no accidents on most of them. But what this tells you is that practically anything can happen with a curious, active bird. This section is not to tell you not to buy these, but to advise you of possible dangers —as they have happened to someone else. Always supervise your bird when it is playing with toys, and always choose the right size toy for your particular bird.

One of the greatest dangers is because the toy is hanging. Make sure any possible problem toy hangs right next to a perch or close to the ground so the bird has half a chance to get his footing and extricate himself if you aren’t right there.

The most dangerous items rundown...

• Nylon shoe strings
• Leather thongs and rope
• Fraying rope
• Toys with bars or openings that *any* body part might get stuck in (tongue, head, foot, wing, body, etc.)
• Small pear-shaped quick links
• Split ring connectors
• “Trigger” snap connectors
• Bells, especially “Jingle Bells”

“NIX on the nylon shoe strings, which unfortunately includes those really neat tie-dye ones at the bird fairs. A friend of mine bought these at a bird fair to string beads and things on for her Meyer’s parrot. Even with close supervision, the nearly invisible threads got pulled out and wrapped all around Wickett’s feet and a wing.

This also happened to ME with plain white shoe strings bought at WalMart... (nothing against WalMart, but I didn’t check the label) and it ended up wrapped around one of my lovebird’s necks. Luckily I was standing right there when it happened because she would definitely have been dead by the time I got home if it had been a normal day. Just stick to cotton shoe strings, or keep an eagle eye on them. They don’t seem to be a problem for the larger birds, but don’t use them at all for the smaller ones. It just isn’t worth it.”

“...Be VERY cautious with leather or rope that has a toy hanging from it. It should be tied tight against the cage with no slack or knots tied (one against the other) along the length. My first baby Macaw hung herself on a 4” long of leather thong with a toy on the end. She enjoyed swinging the Toy around, it wrapped around her neck creating a “noose” ... She survived just fine but way too close a call.”

“...Our Cockatoo was playing with his “Carousel” made by Jungle Talk. It’s one of those toys you put nuts in, and the bird gets to figure out how to get them back out. He had gotten his toe stuck in the top, and was unable to get back on his perch. His own weight was trapping him in the top of it. If we hadn’t been home he would have lost a toe (at the very least.) It is now an ‘outside of the cage’ toy, and its use is closely supervised.”

“Another danger for smaller birds are the quicklinks that have a tapered end. (pear-shaped) Our lory got her foot caught in one of these by slipping her foot through the larger end, then sliding it down. By the grace of the God who protects small creatures we were both home as freeing her involved removing the top of the cage while supporting her. Luckily we rescued her before she broke her leg or some other horrible injury.”

“...We have also recently seen another report of a bird hanging from a small quicklink which pierced the membrane inside the mandible and protruded into the mouth... It’s time to replace those small quicklinks either with leather thong or self-locking cable ties or with quicklinks at least an inch and a half long (they’re too fat to do the same damage as the small ones), and if quicklinks must be used, maybe they should be tightened with pliers.”

“We purchased the large “Goofy Links” by Jungle Talk for our umbrella cockatoo. However, it took about five minutes for him to get his toe stuck in one of the link openings. Although not life threatening, it definitely caused him pain. We subsequently gave it to our Lory, thinking it would be okay. Another five minutes, and she had her head stuck in one of the links. We had to cut it open to get her out. Luckily, she was out playing on a table and the toy was loose. It could have been a lot worse if the toy was hanging up. This is another toy that we closely supervise.”

“We had purchased this toy, made of acrylic (Bell Plastics), as it was a novel solution to an age old problem of securing a millet spray to a cage. Even after consumption of the spray, it 'apeared' to be a very exciting toy for the birds. We have a five month old, rambuctious and active, Triton Cockatoo. This morning, he was playing actively with this toy, and quite enthralled with it. The next thing we see, is his leg enveloped with the spirals! The more he twisted and turned on the toy to free himself, the more entwined it became. He had three wraps of this spiral around his leg, and began to panic...” (He ended up fine --but not until after a good scare.)

(Ed. Note: This is an example of offering the wrong sized toy to a large bird. These millet holders are made for lovebirds, finches and smaller conures. It is definitely a problem to watch out for because these are a toy that looks like a great thrill for any bird. Supervise closely.)

“I received what looks like a great sturdy toy ...its a small powder coated cage on a chain the top comes off and you can put wood chunks and nuts inside it... seemed great till the Greenwing Macaw’s foot slid between the bars on it and she became caught. We thought her foot was broken and went the whole route with x-rays etc. My vet said that was second bird she had treated because of that toy. It is sold for Macaws and ‘Toos but with the spacing its not safe for them. I think maybe for an African Grey or small Amazon it might be ok but I am not willing to try it again! This wasnt a cheap thing either it was $30!”

“Split ring ‘key ring’ connectors. I saw some pretty gory pictures at a lecture about two years ago of a greenwing macaw who had his tongue "degloved" by getting it stuck in one of those. Picture this: slide one showed the keyring with outer layer of tongue still stuck, and slide two showed macaw's tongue missing the outer layer of the “tip” area - about a 1/2 inch. Really gruesome. (so has everyone gagged accordingly now?)...”

"...Also those "trigger" snap connectors are pretty brutal too. I have seen them stuck on/under a lower mandible - especially on Amazons and Cockatoos. Not pretty either."

“I purchased a birdyman almost a month ago... My umbrella loved them, to the point of ignoring me and playing in her cage quietly. I came home last night after work and could hear my baby screaming outside. I ran like hell into the house and found her hanging upside down and flapping frantically. Her toe was caught in the metal eye loop that holds the arm to the birdyman. After a couple of good (bloody) bites, I was able to free her. She was in a panic all night...”

(Check your bird’s toenails for size. If there is any doubt whatsoever, this toy would be a terrific "out of the cage" toy, and would also be great for tug-of-war games.)

I am not one to condemn something flat out, but this toy should not be on the market in its present state. Since many people (like me) have birds that adore bells, on first thought this one might seem like a neat one. The acrylic “bell”, however, rides up and down the chain freely, and this is a neck-catcher for a small-medium bird, and a foot catcher for a larger bird. One wrong move, and your bird is trapped and hanging. I would not even have one if it wasn't given to me with a bird, and the changes we made to it were to pack Marbella beads up and down the chain so it can't move. Another option is to put a small quick link in the chain above the plastic “bell”. This prevents the chain from sliding.

The Jungle Talk Cotton Candy toy. This is a toy that should be taken off the market. It is touted for featherpluckers and birds who love to preen. But, even when neatly trimmed, this toy is a disaster waiting to happen. We took the rope out of ours and a couple birds love to wear the cone like a hat and chat to themselves. You could also hang strips of paper or other safe things from the inside. But PLEASE take the rope out. Accidents happen in a split second and all too often end in disaster.

Probably the most important thing is to KNOW YOUR BIRD. This is probably a really spiffy toy, but Lou has a penchant for getting his inquisitive toes caught in absolutely everything. That is just the way he is. These days I can spot a "toe grabber" from a mile away. Kes, our Lory, however is prone to getting her head stuck in just anything, and will encapsulate herself with so much as 2" of loose threads on a toy. Those are also toys I can spot from across a crowded bird mart.

Watch your bird carefully as he/she plays with their toys. If accidents or close-calls happen, determine exactly what occured. Don't just toss the toy in horror and disgust. They can be turned into an "outside-the-cage" toy to be played with closely supervised. It might be able to be taken apart to make new toy. It might be terrific for a completely different bird.

I've heard of birds who ended up with no toys at all because they seemed to get in trouble with all of them --and we have one as a matter of fact. He lived for about 20 years with no toys at all --until we brought him home. This probably just requires a little ingenuity on the part of the owner. Everyone is discouraged by the amount of toys that end up in the "trashed toy box". You can't bear to throw away a brand-new $40 toy, but refuse to use it as well. These can always be donated to reputable local avian rescue organizations... whose toy bill is probably second only to the vet bill. You could also trade them with other bird friends who have a similar box full of different toys.

More Resources:

• Toy Tips, Brad Broadwell
• Edible Bird Toys, Birds n Ways
• Baubles, Bangles and Beads...All About Bird Toys FAQ, Anne Johnson, Winged Wisdom
• Dangers of soft PVC toys and vinyl, Carol Highfill, Winged Wisdom
• Homemade Budgie Toys
• Preening Toys, Linda Middleton
• Toy Resources, Rebecca Margison
• Make Your Own Toys, MyToos.com
• Toy Parts by Bryant Woodworks

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