Bird Toys
Bird toys serve as a great supplement to your interaction with the bird for promoting its good physical and mental health.
Types
Some toys are designed for destruction by the bird to give it some exercise whereas others are designed for allowing the bird to preen them to prevent it from over preening itself when it gets bored in the cage. Some toys are designed to prevent boredom and give the bird mental motivation.
Toys for Small birds like budgies, lovebirds and cockatiels include swings, ladders and hanging rings. Larger bird toys include maize toys and puzzles with some food substances within them. Ropes with leather knots to be untied by the bird with its beak are popular for toys for large birds. Sleep tents serve as a cozy resting place for large birds.
Materials
Bird toys are often made of wood, paper, raw hide leather, foods and natural fibers. These materials are safe and non toxic so the bird can chew on them for developing a good strong beak. The toys meant to alleviate boredom are generally made of artificial substances like plastic, metals, sisal, nickel plated or stainless steel plated metals and fiber glass.
Bird toy tips
You should place an assortment of different toys in the cage. Toys should be changed frequently so that the bird doesn’t get bored with the old ones. Choose the right size toy depending on your bird’s size to prevent choking.
You must place a minimum of 10-14 toys in your bird cage. This will give the bird enough mental stimuli so that it can be happy and healthy. These toys should be placed at the rear portion of the cage and on the left and right sides of the cage to give the bird adequate room to move around.
Hanging some toys from the top of the cage is also imperative as birds like to sit at the top portion of the cage and be playful. You should place a perch near the toys to keep them within the bird’s reach. Some toys can be hung outside the cage so that the bird can reach out to the toy from within the cage. You can also get toys custom made as per your specifications. Don’t give small bird toys to large birds as they pose choking risks. Non edible toys should be unbreakable to ensure the bird doesn’t ingest the small bits and choke or get poisoned.
Bird toys thus provide the bird with exercise, recreation and stimulation.
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