The big homemade toy idea thread

[marie83]

The pets at home do them under birds- chickens- chicken accessories. They are bloody expensive though and I just realised they dont ship internationally.

Try a farm shop and see if they can get hold of any for you.

[Maria]

Made a good homemade toy last night, kept it in fridge overnight to put in my parrot’s cage in the morning when I left for work, because it had treats in it for foraging  (fruit, nuts, sugar snap peas).

Wooden blocks, cardboard pieces, marabella beads, leather strips, a “tamale” with treats rolled up in the corn husk (like in that video), and a little wicker basket I got from hobby lobby – filled the basket with fruit, nuts, little millet pieces, sugar snap peas, mixed in with that colored shredded scrunched paper. In the corn husk I put a popcicle stick, fruit, nuts, and also sticking out of the end of it I put a straw, sticking a little nut out of the straw so he could see the nut. Also inside that straw (I folded up one end) and put a few little seeds in it, and rolled it into the tamale. All of this on one toy, and so he had two forager toys on one toy too actually. He was loving it so much, so pre-occupied with it, that this morning he did not do his usual routine of “bye-bye! I love youuuu! (kiss sound)”, even when I said “bye bye! mama gotta go”. The other toy I made before this, he was swinging from it, playing too. And it’s so nice when your own TLC making toys is keeping them so happy too (smile). I zip tied the basket to the chain and zip tied the tamale to the chain. All other pieces to this toy had holes in them to just slip onto the chain of course. I started with one wooden block on the bottom, then a fairly medium sized plastic bead used as a spacer, then a piece of cardboard, then a round wooden spacer, then another cardboard piece, then a rectangular wooden spacer, another cardboard piece, a plastic bead from the baby teether I’d bought from walmart (used as spacer – he also likes chewing on these plastic beads and playing with them), then a large leather strip from one of his parrot shop toys which he’d never chewed on yet because the way the toy was made he couldn’t get to it (he likes leather strips too), then another one of those baby teether beads, then another little wooden piece which was a foot toy from the parrot shop, which he looooved to play with, which I’d drilled a hole in to put on a hanging toy, then the tamale filled with treats, then the basket filled with treats. I put one quick link through the top of the handle of the basket to aid in also hanging it to the chain. Then two zip ties down one side of the basket, attaching that side of the basket to the chain to stabilize it. Somehow (don’t remember right now lol) off the quicklink attached to the handle, I attached another quicklink, then another quick link to that one, just to give it a little hanging room, and so that he wouldn’t be struggling to play with and get the treats out of the basket (where it’s hung at top of cage). It was perfect.

I hung all these toy pieces from one of the chains I’d had left over from the ready made toys I’d bought at the parrot shop. So far things are working great.

I spent last Saturday also, drilling holes in all the wood pieces and wood blocks I’d gotten, which I’d described in earlier posts, with a friends help, getting them “toy ready” LOL. Now they all have holes in them, so the easy part is left, to just string them together on chains/ropes.

I organized all my left over pieces, from toys I’d broken down from the parrot shop. You know, like partly chewed toys. Some of those pieces are still really good, and either only a tiny bit chewed or not chewed at all. They can be used to put together new toys, which I’ve done before, with success, because the parrot thinks they’re new and interesting toys, when set up a different way, etc. And because at times they get bored with toys and won’t go back to a partly spent or partly chewed toy. Keep them interested, and find ways also, of course, to use up your old toy pieces like this.

So I organized all wooden pieces together, all plastic pieces (beads/spacers) together, all leather strips together, all cardboard pieces together, all quick links together, all rings together, all chains together – like that.

Really neat.

Too much trouble right now to upload the pictures to photobucket from my cell phone, then upload them to here. Besides, always having picture trouble here, it either cuts off parts of the pictures if I do it that way (and I don’t know how to resize), or, if I just try to upload pictures from my computer hard drive, (as "attachment"), it tells me the pictures are too large LOL. So all I can do is describe what I’ve done.

On those “Wooden Building Blocks” (the colored ones), they seem to be kind of hard. He does better on the ABC blocks.

At Costco, they sell a large box of all different kinds of delicious crackers. Inside this box are cardboard pieces, with nothing on them, no coloring or anything, just plain cardboard. I cut this up into square and rectangular pieces, drilled holes in them (easiest), and using them to hang on these toys making them. He loves shredding up cardboard pieces too. The other toy I’d first made, there’s not much left of it. This toy I made last night, I’m sure when I get home from work today, he will have a considerable amount of it tore up. I feel so happy to be giving him something to do and entertainment, for while I’m gone at work. And I am so happy to know that I can get a lot more toys for the money this way. Of course I will still buy ready made toys once in a while too, depending on time to make toys.

I also zip tied another tamale to his tree stand (one of the branches)! He's lovin' it!

Everyone please share your knowledge, as well as tell about similar experiences you’ve been having! And please answer questions!

[Maria]

By the way, the more I thought about it, the more I realize that these chains, in which the ready made toys come on, at the parrot shop, really do look like dog collar chains! lol ! Is that what is being used to make bird toys?

I am also going to go a step further, going to hobby lobby, and looking up the company information on that packaging of the "unfinished birch" wooden pieces. I'm going to contact them, to verify exactly what's going on with these wood pieces, etc., to find out for safety reasons. If they meet the criteria, they're going to be perfect, and I'll let ya'll know too. Alot of these from this company already have holes in them, makes hanging easier.

[Maria]

THESE ARE THE ONES AT HOBBY LOBBY ! There has been a great response from the company; they have to contact the vendor in finding out this info first, and emailed me back the specifics!

Here is my email to them, and their email in response back. Then I'd emailed them again with two more questions about them, which response is still pending for that.

So far they are passing all of the safety criteria.

The response took a bit because they have to contact the vendor to get the info. On the packaging for both products actually, was the same company info. For both the packages with the striped labeling which some of those say non-toxic, and for the packages next to them at hobby lobby, with the blue and yellow labeling on them, saying, "WOOD SHOPPE". (see previous links, previous postings, for pictures of exactly how this labeling looks for both kinds of packages). All of these "wood shoppe" labeled pieces look the same as far as the wood, the unfinished surface, the coloring (in other words they're not colored, just plain, natural wood); all looks like the same kind off wood, they're just made into different shapes, some with holes in them, some without holes in them. I checked several sample packages of these through the website, for sampling, and they all say birch. Even the email response says birch, when I included in my email also the words, "ALL DIFFERENT PACKAGD SHAPES WOOD WITH HOLES IN THEM (wooden wheels, etc.)". So they should be all birch.

These packages said "Tree House Studio, Packaged by Crafts Etc!, 7717 S.W. 44th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73179, http://www.craftsetc.com

Also, the one with the striped labeling, which said non-toxic, said, "Made in China . . . Tree House Studio, and with same address and website.

I went to the website, which redirects to http://shop.hobbylobby.com/

I then scrolled to the bottom and clicked on the contact us link, which brought up a webform, which you use to send email by webform. The response was back to my email directly.

In copying the email to here, I've deleted out all personal info (my name, address, phone number, etc.)

-----Original Message-----
From: (Maria)
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2012 12:30 PM
To: Talitha R. Blount
Subject: Shop Hobby Lobby Contact Request

Full Name: (XXXXX XXXXX)
Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Order#:
Email Address: XXXXXXXXX
How Heard: From Product
Concerning: Item Inquiry

Message: Wood shoppe man 8 pcs item # 165530 unfinished birch: (hobby lobby) ALL DIFFERENT PACKAGD SHAPES WOOD WITH HOLES IN THEM (wooden wheels, etc.)

craft it with wood
Jumbo craft sticks – COLORED – 75 PC
“NON-TOXIC” # 173864
(hobby lobby store)

Before giving them to my child to play with, I want to inquire about the following criteria regarding toxicity. Please let me know regarding the following:

• Coating, sealant, substance? Acrylic and Marbella plastic are also used in toy construction. These products are considered safe, once they are dry, as long as not ingested.
• Preservative free
• Not treated with anyting (insecticides or otherwise)
• What kind of wood?
• Ink, paint, glue free (No ink, paint, or glue?)
o Non-toxic ink or paint for child safety
o Non-toxic sealant? Substance?
• No dyes
• No chemicals
• Food coloring is safe, non-toxic
• natural
As we know, children tend to put things in their mouths; if my child were to possibly put these wood pieces in their mouths, are they mouth safe?
Thank you so much,
(My Name)
Houston, TX

*********************************************************************

Shop Hobby LobbyTuesday, October 30, 2012 4:57 PM
From: "Talitha R. Blount" <talitha.blount@hobbylobby.com>
To: xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx

Good afternoon Maria,

Thank you for your patience while I researched this matter for you. Crafts Etc. is the parent company for Hobby Lobby. Therefore, we are one in the same. Tree House Studio is one of our brands and is exclusive to Crafts Etc./Hobby Lobby. Due to contractual obligations, I am unable to release the manufacturer of these products.

However, I did forward your questions to our Product Safety and Compliance department regarding the Colored Jumbo Craft Sticks, sku# 173864 and Birch Man, sku# 165530. The responses to your inquiries are as follows:

1. What is the sealant, coating, and/or substance used in construction? None used
2. Is the sealant, coating, and/or substance used in construction non-toxic? None used
3. Are this products preservative free? Yes
4. What kind of wood is used? Solid birch wood
5. What ink or paint is used? Non-toxic dyes
6. If ink or paint is used, is it non-toxic? Please see above answer
7. Are the products glue free? Yes
8. Is it free of dyes and chemicals? No chemicals are used in dyes. Strictly non-toxic, water based acrylics
9. Are the things used during construction natural? Yes

If you have any further comments or questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely,

Talitha Blount
Customer Service
1-800-888-0321 ext. 5519
talitha.blount@hobbylobby.com
Mon-Fri 8:30 am to 5:00 pm CST

*********************************************************************************
Now, here is the other email sent, with the last two questions, and a reminder has also been sent about this so that it doesn't slip through the cracks or get lost in the shuffle - - - -

(2 More Questions)Re: Shop Hobby LobbyThursday, November 1, 2012 11:03 AM
From: (Maria)
To: "Talitha R. Blount" <talitha.blount@hobbylobby.com>

TEEERRRRIIIFIC response, detailed answering specifics on these wood pieces packages - invaluably helpful !!!

I just have two more little questions I forgot to ask about specifics:
• Is the wood pressure treated? At times pressure treated wood has arsenic in it. Just want to stay away from pressure treated wood.

• Are there any kind of pesticides put or sprayed on the wood to keep bugs away during storage, etc.?

• These above two are other things I would want to stay away from. Thank you so much.

Thanks so much!
(My Name)

[Maria]

Oh, I have noticed that the chinese food cartons, which I'd posted about previous posting also in the items I'd found, etc., these regular plain cardboard colored chinese food cartons, at hobby lobby, on the bottom of them say, "for wrapped or packaged foods only". So do NOT use them. Therefore, they are not like the ones in which food is put directly onto the cardboard (into the box, like rice and things), used in chinese restaurants. So the ones which food is put against the box directly like this, would therefore be non-toxic and safe for parrots (BUT I'm going to make sure they have no adhesive of any kind on them as well.) I'd further noticed that some of these on the shelf at hobby lobby had some type of glitter in them.

Then I went to a chinese restaurant directly, to inquire about their boxes, therefore, to offer to buy some periodically, to use for making foraging toys for my parrot, you know, the regular white ones the restaurants have. I brought the hobby lobby one with me, to show, so they'd know exactly what I was talking about . . . . . they gave me another lead where to look for them, because they don't use them, instead they use to go boxes ("doggie bags", "carry out foam closing trays") for deliveries.

They said go to Sun's Club. It's a market which the chinese restaurants use to buy their supplies from, so I'm going to check that out, that's all the info I have, so googling to find contact, etc., and location(s), and may be able to just order them without having to go there, etc.

Here is something I'd also found - - - there are quite several items which are sold at Babies R Us, which can be used to make parrot toys. Even reading the reviews about one of them, one review had this comment: "These are also used to make parrot toys, sold in packages of four, so if they're safe for a parrot, they're safe for an infant". I thought that was neato. I've been researching things at the babies r us website, and found some good items to use, as well as some of these items I have seen on parrot toys which I'd bought from the parrot shop, toys already made. Namely, specifically "Imaginarium Connect and Create Rings - 18 Piece". These are under building sets and blocks at their site. They also have the ABC wooden blocks. Also, under teethers at their site, there are: "ABC Teether Ring Links" ("Sassy Letter Links") which look great for hanging things and putting on toys as well.

Things that stick to mind are Petco and Baby's R Us, because things would more surely be bird safe, for bird toy makers, parts, and baby's put things in mouths.

Going to try Petco for those rubber balls with holes in them like on that video (posted earlier, you can stick treats in them - hang in cage; they're shelved with dog toys, possibly also parrot toys. Also, on a parrot toy I'd purchased from parrot shop, I saw a certain kind of dog bone which was colored with food coloring, which my parrots loved and destroyed. I can't describe it here in words, but I know what it looks like; it's those pale, off colored white ones, some kind of hardened cartilage looking thing. So think about that too. Also, at Petco, giant beads, see sizes, large wood beads by the jar at pet stores for bird toy makers. I'm also going to see if they have that "Paulie Rope" at Petco while I'm there. Another good place to order Paulie Rope is this site for parrot toys and toy parts: http://nalanitoys.com/Toys.htm

[Maria]

Just found them through googling, called, and found out about this info, so if this is helpful to anyone, even in your area or state, you can go to a place like this which is a supplier for chinese restaurants.

SUNS WHOLESALE CLUB
http://www.sunswholesale.com/index.html

(note, the side navigation links on their site are currently not working, when I called I also asked about this, and they said they just haven't updated the site yet.)

I asked for the chinese food boxes, cardboard, which would be either under their "Disposable Cups & Containers" link, or their "Paper Products" link, in which they put the rice in and stuff, they're white and have the little wire handles.

I called the sales department phone number listed on their "contact us link", in which a live person answered the phone right away!

The lady then specifically said they're called "Food Pails", that they are sold by the case, 450 pails in a case, and the pricing depends on the ounce size pails you get in the case:
a case of 16 OZ food pails cost $30.33; and they also have 26 oz, 32 oz, and 64 oz pails.

This is in Houston, TX, and they are the only location I've found for this, on the South side of town.

You'd have to go pick them up, they don't ship or deliver unless it's to a restaurant, not to homes or individuals. But they do sell to all customers, not to just restaurants, per their website statement, as well as verified this with person I spoke with . . . . .

This statement is on their "About Us" link:
"We procure products that are normally available only to businesses and institutions, now available to all consumers. "

For anyone in Houston, their address is handy here
8388 W. SAM HOUSTON PKWY.
Houston, TX 77072

DO TAKE THE WIRE HANDLE OUT IF YOU USE THESE FOR YOUR PARROT. ALSO GO CHECK THEM PHYSICALLY BEFORE BUYING THEM, TO MAKE SURE THE FLAPS JUST FOLD CLOSED, THAT THERE IS NO ADHESIVE OR GLUE ON THEM, GLUING PARTS OF THE BOX TO ITSELF. IF THERE IS GLUING, DON'T BUY, THEY CAN NOT BE USED. INSPECT THEM; IF THE FLAPS JUST FOLD IN ORDER TO CLOSE THE BOX WITH NO GLUE OR ADHESIVE ON THEM, THEN THEY'RE SAFE TO USE (most of the time this is the case where they just fold closed without adhesive on these kinds of boxes).

[charlieandkiwi]

This thread has some great ideas, but it's hard to picture some of them because there are no pictures.

Therefore, I recommend starting a pinterest account and posting links that you either make or to other people's work.

I found this board of bird toy ideas that someone made. I really like the bunch of straws in their wrappers held together with a zip tie. I found a bunch of those at the dollar store, along with many other things on this board.

Check it out:

http://pinterest.com/windycityparrot/fr ... bird-toys/

[charlieandkiwi]

This lady has done the bird world a huge favor. Check out all of her free foraging toy ideas:

http://foragingforparrots.com/

[pukeko]

Maria, you are awesome! Thank you so much for all of your hard work

[Maria]

This is really good warning about bottle caps, beware. It also refers to another great article at the birds-n-ways site (link below also within warning), which reflects the dangers of soft PVC toys and vinyl products (alot of which has been removed from the market). Be very careful, and ask before you buy. After reading all this, I made a decision to stop using the plastic bottle caps from the 16 oz ozarka spring water bottles I was giving my parrot to play with, just to be safe. He was not eating (ingesting) them, as I saw pieces of plastic from these caps he'd dropped and spit out, he would just chew them up. But still, as the comment and specifically the article, refers to, chewing is what leaches these toxic substances out. Now these specific bottle caps I was using for my bird may not even have these types of toxic substances in them; does anyone know if they do? Or was it safe? I stopped using them just in case! So far he is not showing any signs of sickness. If these are safe, he loves to play with them, so I'd really like to know. Otherwise, I'll just stick with like the safe plastics and acryllics I order from bird toy parts sites. (marabella beads, etc.)

Warning On Plastic Tops Of Water Bottles
Like every other Grey owner out there, I take the cost of toys into consideration. I learned my lesson about trying to save money on the cost of a toy for my Grey when I looked over to see what Mychie had done with the plastic top for the sports water bottle that I'd given her. You know...the kind you suck the water from. Anyway, to my horror, she wasn't just trying to get the coloured part to pop away from the white part...she wasn't just chewing...she was actually *eating* the plastic! A quick call to my vet confirmed that it could be dangerous. If it didn't go right through her, it could cause an impaction. I then read an article in the e-zine Winged Wisdom that gave me further cause for alarm. The article is at http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww18eiv.htm and is all about dangerous toys for children. It seems that some SOFT PVC and vinyl toys contain toxic substances which can leach when chewed or sucked. After I read the article I wondered if those water bottle tops are safe for bird *or* human.

I have also found out that rubber is NOT safe for birds, through two websites reading about it, and one lady who sells bird toy parts for bird toy makers also, during our phone conversation. She said they were finding bits of dried up decaying rubber in the birds gut and/or crop, etc., and that it is very harmful. So DO NOT buy those rubber balls with holes which are shelved with the dog toys or parrot toys, for your birds. Don't buy anything like them. Some toy makers and sellers are indeed putting things out which are not safe. Also, birds systems are extremely more sensitive than dogs systems.

Here is the follow up answers to those last two questions I'd asked hobby lobby about their wooden parts packages! Good news!
1. Is the wood pressure treated? No
2. Are there any kind of pesticides put or sprayed on the wood to keep bugs away during storage, etc.? No

YAAAAYYYY !!!! JACKPOT !!!

Glad to help anytime! I just haven't had much time to follow up typing here all of the sooooo much information I have found out, due to my researching crusade for my own parrot! LOL ! There are also lots of good sites which sell bird toy parts for not alot of money! so you can really make your own toys cheaper, getting much more toys for your money too !!!!! Here are some links, and I just ordered a bunch of different kinds of beads from the jungle beaks one! They are in new hampshire, and people order this stuff from them all over the world, they're reputable, popular, they're also in the middle of increasing their pricing a bit, as they haven't increased their prices for a few years since the economy went down and costs have gone up. She'd told me I'd just ordered right before they increased prices, so I got a good deal. With the many good sites and companies that sell parts for the industry, compare pricing, some are better pricing than others. And some sites sell some packages with alot of these parts for cheap, while, for example, the same site sells other packages of other types of parts more expensively. So you really have to compare.

junglebeaks.com
Then click on Store

birdyboredombusters.com

nalanitoys.com

http://stores.ebay.com/herman1957birdparrottoyparts
(this is herman's store. it's great)

Party City, your local Party City store, you can just stop by and pick up packages of those "Bamboo Finger Traps", come 12 in a package for only $2.99. These are also used at kids parties. These are also the same things we see on those parrot and bird toys which are already made, for those hiked up prices! also busybird.com has them in a bulk special, a package of 144 of them for only $13.00 !!!! Now that's a great buy on them!
Here is the link for them at partycity.com
http://www.partycity.com/product/finger ... er%20traps

Also, see this link just for the image of these shredders for birds. In comparing, Petco has this for it was either $7.99 or $10.00 BUT Petsmart has the same for only $3.99 !!!!!!! So stop by your local PetsMart Store and pick some up! You can even use a hole puncher to punch hole in them, and feed them through chain or rope, making hanging chew toys, with other parts on the toy, for your babies! You can also weave them through the cage bars, you can tie them in a couple of knots on bars, and let them hang in cage for bird, the possibilities are endless with these.

Here is another site which lists bird toys by species. This is a great source because you won't be necessarily waisting money on types of substances your birds may not care for, and can cater to the types of substances they like. It also gives you an edge with bird toy sellers, trying to sell you every thing LOL.
Here's the link:
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazin ... -toys.aspx
gotta run!

Love Maria