Bird Toys

The Importance of Parrot Toys

Parrot toys are more than just play-things. Different types of toys serve different physical and emotional needs for your little feather fluff.

Snuggle Toys: Soft materials, plush toys, or corner snuggies are like blankies to baby birds and gives them something to snuggle when you are unavailable. Bonus points if it’s machine washable for easy clean-up.

Chew toys: Parrots need to chew on things because their beaks never stop growing. A healthy parrot will chew his beak down on toys (wood, leather, rawhide, rope, etc.) and you won’t have to worry about it. If a parrot does not have enough things to chew on it will start to chew on YOUR things, and as a bonus the poor birdy’s beak might get overgrown and then you have to take a file to it and it’s better to just not go down that road. It can be frustrating buying these toys because inevitably they just get destroyed and they aren’t inexpensive, but I like to think of them as Destruction Distractions. I subdivide chew toys into Quick Wins and Long Hauls.
Quick Wins: Chew toys that will be destroyed within an hour or two at most but are of high interest. This is kind of terrible parenting 101 but sometimes I need Choco to shut up while I do something, so I give him Quick Wins. The key here is not to give the same ones out too often or they won’t be of interest anymore. Sometimes I use cheap or on sale small bird toys for this purpose but I also frequently use garbage. The occasional plastic soda top will entertain Choco for 15 – 30 minutes and an empty lip balm container is like a magical free hour of silence. I usually pull out the ‘guts’ and then stuff the empty tube with treats, but Choco is often more interested in the toy than the treat. If you’re using garbage, make sure it’s non-toxic and thoroughly cleaned.