Imagine a parrot in the wild. It moves from tree to tree, often with others of its kind, spending hours every day searching for food and eating. In captivity, a parrot may have companions or it may be alone. It doesn’t have to find its own food, and even in a large house, it has less room to move around. In order to be happy and healthy, it needs a life style similar to what it would have in the wild. A variety of toys and games, combined with lots of time out of the cage, exercise, and interaction with humans help to achieve this.
Toys for Pet Parrots
Toys for parrots keep them amused and challenge them mentally, replacing the time they would normally spend looking for food. They enjoy several different types of toys. Foraging toys usually contain a food treat that the bird can only obtain by figuring out how to get at it. Wooden or even paper toys provide materials that birds can chew and shred. Foot toys—typically brightly coloured toys with movable parts—are designed so that birds can manipulate them with their feet. Many ingenious toys for parrots are available commercially, and simpler ones can be made at home; the key is to provide an entertaining challenge for the bird.
When Selecting Toys, Do:
- Try a variety of different toys to see which styles the bird prefers.
- Choose safe toys made from nontoxic materials—untreated wood, natural fiber rope, nontoxic plastic.
- Start with simple toys and move to more complex and challenging ones.
- Provide some foraging toys that reward the bird with an edible treat.
- Watch after introducing a new toy to monitor safety and the bird’s response.
- Avoid toys with small openings as well as rings and clips that a bird could get its toes, beak, or tongue caught in.
- Expect the bird to chew and destroy toys, especially those made with wood and rope.
- Inspect toys regularly and discard any that are worn or damaged.
- Rotate toys (take some away for a while and offer new ones) so that the bird can enjoy novelty and variety.
- Play interactively with your parrot: humans can play with bird toys too, or develop games with balls, bottle caps, brightly coloured paper, or even just hands and feet.
Don’t:
- Make or buy toys that contain treated wood, poisonous dyes, chemically preserved leather, lead, or zinc.
- Offer anything made of rope that is frayed or has loose fibers that could twist around a toe.
- Expect toys to entertain the parrot all the time. Healthy pet birds need attention and interaction with humans as well.
Parrots also enjoy having a variety of perches both in the cage and outside, and benefit from a ladder, tree, or play gym where they can climb around with ease and safety. This not only entertains the bird, but provides much needed exercise.
Sources:
Birds: Foraging Toys for Birds. PetEducation.com
Parrots as a New Pet. Wentworth, William. Neptune NJ: T. F. H. Publications, 1992.
The Grey Parrot. De Grahl, Wolfgang. Neptune NJ:T. F. H. Publications, 1987.
The New Parrot Handbook. Lantermann, Werner. Woodbury: Barron’s, 1986.
