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The big homemade toy idea thread

Share ideas for making your own parrot toys. What are the best things for parrots to play with? Show pictures of parrots with toys.

Re: The big homemade toy idea thread

Postby Maria » Mon Dec 03, 2012 5:49 pm

charlieandkiwi wrote:Great ideas! I've been getting stuff from the dollar store, like beads and shoe laces (Kiwi has a weird obsession with opening the ends of shoe laces and you can get 8 sets of them for $1) and making tied toys. My birds like untying things, so I tie beads into the shoelaces for kiwi.

I also stick tooth picks into knots that I've made in the toys and put treats on the toothpick so it's like a berry vine for the birds. Charlie likes taking out the whole toothpick and holding it while eating.


For some reason I have a gut feeling about not too sure about using shoe laces. One parrot toy parts seller told me they're not safe for birds. But then another parrot toy parts seller told me they've been using them for their birds for years and they haven't gotten sick. These are cotton white shoe laces. I would think also that the ends of these laces have some type of adhesive with the plastic which fastens them off. I'd just rather stick with the bird safe ropes like Paulie (polyethylene, NOT polypropylene, it will specifically say which kind of the package), supreme white cotton, sisal, leather laces, and jute, which are made bird safe - un-oiled, chemical free, un-bleached, biodegradable, no fillers, and all natural.

Also, at makeyourownbirdtoys.com, I've seen even better pricing than at birdyboredombusters.com ! See?! Check this out, for example. And alot of other good pricing there. They have 12 feet of Pauli Rope, 1/8" in diameter, for $1.99. birdyboredom has theirs 10 feet 3/32" diameter for $2.25. birdyboredom is in canada, and it costs them a bit more to ship to U.S. But birdyboredom does not charge their customers all of the shipping charges in which birdyboredom incurrs themselves either, and they do have a nice personal touch, and they throw in a free toy with your orders. They're very nice. makeyourownbirdtoys.com has alot of good different stuff, and they're pricing on some of it is good for some stuff so far, that I've been scanning some of the things on the site. I saw great boxes to make foragers for good pricing, like a 3 pack for $1.50, under their bagels & more link. And ear corns drilled - a 6 pack for $5.49 ! I'm sure there's lots LOTS more good buys there! They have lots of good shredder parts too, the vine (willow) balls and rings, and other pieces made of that same substance. Etc.

Do you think toothpicks are safe, with the sharp, pointy edge? Hobby lobby sells small wooden sticks, in their packaged wood pieces section I was telling you about was all safe. Some colored and some not. They resemble the shape of lolipop sticks, so they don't have a sharp point like a tooth pick. I would be afraid their toungue could get cut with toothpick. Some of the wooden stick packages of these at hobby lobby even come with little wooden blocks in the package, with holes drilled in them, so you can stick them on the sticks! Another interesting thing for birds to try to get off the stick lol. My bird would love these, as he's an Amazon, and amazons like to manipulate and study the objects they take apart. If you give birds something like this to figure out how to take apart, it's fun for them, and challenging too, giving them more to do, etc.

Another good thing I've found is plastic nuts and bolts at herman's store site for parrot toy parts, WHICH I BET they also have at ToysRUs ! These are for kids! I'm going to look for these at toysrus.

Here is the direct link for that at herman's, so you can see exactly what I'm talking about. Then when you get to it, print out that page, and take it to toyrus store with you and ask for them! That's what I'm going to do. I bet they're in their building sets and blocks section of their store.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-JUMBO-Plasti ... 4abc11c2f6

You can bolt it even to/through the cage bars, with parrot trying to figure out how to get it loose and apart. Just screw them together through cage bars, etc.
Maria
Maria
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Here is one better buy in comparison just found

Postby Maria » Tue Dec 04, 2012 4:53 pm

activebirdtoys.com

has fraction of better deal on leather laces than birdyboredombusters.com

activebirdtoys has:
6 pieces (strips) of leather lace
each 2 feet long
1/8" in diameter
for $4.80

compared to birdyboredom's
5 pieces
each 2 feet long
1/8' diameter
for $4.95

(so you're getting another piece/strip - another whole 2 feet, for about the same price)

active bird toys also has much better pricing on the finger traps than makeyourownbirdtoys.com:
finger traps at active bird = 144 finger traps for $13.00
finger traps at make your own = 144 finger traps for $20.00

see how it really pays to look around and compare!? :D

makeyourownbirdtoys.com seems to have better buy on chain than junglebeaks.com
make your own: nickel plated chain
sold by the foot
1.6 mm chain is $0.50
(requires parts with a minimum 1/4" hole size)

Compare chain to:
junglebeaks
1.6 mm
1 foot
for $4.95
(stainless steel chain)

so makeyourown is cheaper by the foot. They're only charging 50 cents per foot.

some sites/places offer better deals than others.

Remember previous post regarding those plastic nuts and bolts at herman's store site. How much you wanna bet they come in a set of MORE PIECES THAN JUST 16 for maybe better pricing at the ToysRUs store. It's definately worth checking into that.

So do shop around! :swaying:

The few good sites which stick in my mind are:
junglebeaks
birdyboredombusters
makeyourownbirdtoys
and activebirdtoys

I really haven't had a chance to check out more of herman's store site yet through ebay, but at glancing around on it, it looks pretty good, if you wanna sign up for an ebay account.

Otherwise, we have some really good sources, as far as for quality, pricing, and quantity comparisons, as well as more good variety on some than on/with others.
Maria
Maria
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QUESTION -

Postby Maria » Wed Dec 05, 2012 11:20 am

QUESTION:

I really want to know, please let me know:
Does anyone know if these kinds of bottle caps are relative to my post about the bottle caps warning? Are they made for soft PVC or vinyl? Or are they not, and safe?
Some SOFT PVC and vinyl toys contain toxic substances which can leach when chewed . . .

Google image link to bottle ozarka spring water, 16.9 fl oz bottle (was using these bottle caps for my parrot)
http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples ... ?$splssku$

If these are safe, he loves to play with them, so I'd really like to know.

Here is that post again, about the bottle caps warning: (This man was talking about plastic top for the sports water bottle - the kind you suck the water from) –

Maria wrote: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.


Thanks so much
Maria
Maria
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JACKPOT! THOSE PLASTIC NUTS & BOLTS AT WALMART!

Postby Maria » Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:10 pm

A 48 piece of them for $16.04. That's actually 4 cents less per piece, than herman's store LOL. They come in a nice jar to keep them stored in :danicing: as you'll see on the walmart website.

At walmart they are called Easy-Grip Nuts and Bolts

Herman has them listed on his site calling them Jumbo Plastic Nuts & Bolts Activity. His price $5.95 for 16 pieces.

So skip over to your local walmart and pick them up, and you don't have to pay shipping! haha!

you get more pieces, which will therefore last longer, you can hang the ones with holes in them even on toys you're making, etc. They also make great foot toys, your parrot trying to get the pieces apart, will figure out how to unscrew them, etc. Also attach them between cage bars for more play like that.

So, again, these are being packaged and used selling them as bird toy parts, for a little bit more money, than what you can get them for picking them up yourself. Do check into things like this.

Here is the walmart link for them:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/edushape-Easy ... s/19272353

The site is pulling them up under "Baby: Crib Toys ". So that's helpful as to what section they may be in the store.

Then, while in Walmart, skip over to housewares, to get some nice plastic bins with lids on them, to store all your bird toy parts in. :swaying: They stack on top of eachother, and there are all different sizes :D

Also, in my comparisons for the following items, here are the best buys:

strands of leather lace, activebirdtoys.com - best deal

jute rope, herman's is alot for a great price. (here is his site again: http://stores.ebay.com/herman1957-Bird- ... 34.c0.m322)

cotton rope, makeyourownbirdtoys.com - best pricing for the cotton rope

"Paulie Rope" (Polyethylene), makeyourownbirdtoys.com - best pricing for the Paulie rope

Sisal rope, herman's store - best pricing for the sisal rope

herman's has great deals on alot of wood pieces - great pricing - he seems to have mostly wood products from what I've seen also.

make your own has alot of variety of more types of stuff, which the others don't have.
Maria
Maria
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WILLOW BALLS AT PETSMART

Postby Maria » Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:46 pm

just found out they have willow balls, it seems both with and without the monkey nuts.

seeing through their website, petsmart.com, while reading the reviews on the page of the willow ball, one review was indeed talking about the fact that they have them both with and without the nuts. Here is what he wrote in his review.

My Guinea Pigs tear this up in 3-4 days. Thought it'd last longer than the nutty 1 but it doesn't. Its good that they like it though. I'd either have to visit the store every 3 days or keep a good stock of them.


so they have "nutty ones" and ones without the nuts, as that comes across to me.

Only problem I would see here so far is they seem kind of expensive at petsmart. 1 is $3.99 at petsmart.

Another review here about them favorably was saying she'd rather go across the street to petsmart and get them, rather than order them online and pay shipping lol.

really I'm looking for a better buy on these, they have to be around somewhere for cheaper, where we can go and just pick up, some pet store/section. I can't seem to pull up pet toys per toysrus.com, but saw the comercial on TV that they have a pet toys section in their local stores.
Maria
Maria
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Plastic Nuts & Bolts

Postby Maria » Mon Dec 10, 2012 4:21 pm

I found that they can only be purchased ordering online at walmart.com, bummer, and are not carried in the local store for pick up.

BUT I found similar items in their toys section which can be used, and bought some. There are these cute little plastic block type shapes that click/fit into eachother. Each of them has a little rounded prong on one end, and a hole on the other end. They're hollow inside. They hook together and come apart easily by pushing the prong of one into the hole of another (or pulling apart). Can put two together, give as foot toy, for parrot to play figure out how to get apart, etc. Can also attach between cage bars this way, by clipping two together.

They also have on their shelving in same section the following which I bought and can be used: Baby's First Blocks. Their plastic, each of them has a hole in them, which can be easily strung onto jute rope. They're different shapes and different colors. They also have now the smaller alphabet blocks, so now they have both large and small, I got some small ones, to drill and hang making toys.

Anything that comes up at walmart.com, IF it's available to be purchased at local store pick up, it will show an option for that online at their site. Otherwise, not all items online on their site are available at local stores.

I forgot to look in Walmart's pet section to see what they have while I was there! :D
Maria
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Re: Plastic Nuts & Bolts

Postby Maria » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:30 am

Maria wrote: BUT I found similar items in their toys section which can be used, and bought some. There are these cute little plastic block type shapes that click/fit into eachother. Each of them has a little rounded prong on one end, and a hole on the other end. They're hollow inside. They hook together and come apart easily by pushing the prong of one into the hole of another (or pulling apart). Can put two together, give as foot toy, for parrot to play figure out how to get apart, etc. Can also attach between cage bars this way, by clipping two together.


This toy which I was talking about in that previous post:
My parrot was playing with them last night. He loves them. Great foot toys. ALSO! idea sparked in my head to put a nut inside the hole of it, for the parrot to forage out, when I'd seen he'd had half of one chewed up. I'd put two together, he'd gotten them apart. When he then got one halfway chewed up, I placed a nut inside of it, so he could see it. I first showed him the nut and this chewed toy, holding them up next to eachother, as he's looking, and trying to reach out to me to get them. Then, he watched me place the nut inside this chewed toy. I then brought it a little closer to him, as he then also saw the nut inside the toy. He grabbed it, and using it like foot toy again, got the nut out, etc., eating it, playing with the toy, etc. Now he's associated this toy with nuts/treats inside. How neat. You can hook two together like this, putting a nut in each one too! :D
Maria
Maria
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Re: The big homemade toy idea thread

Postby alliethebirdnerd » Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:48 am

good ideas! i make a lot of toys myself too- $20 worth of stuff at the craft store makes me a lot of bird toys. besides the conventional toys, my sennies like creative foraging bird toys- it makes them think and keeps them pretty occupied, at least until they "rig" it and it's useless.
one thing that keeps my birds occupied, besides toys and play time, believe it or not is TV/radio. they love music, and i swear when my birds are out they watch TV with me. i'll sometimes put on documentaries about the rainforest, and they respond to wild bird calls (one of my senegals already copies the native cardinals that live outside), or sometimes youtube videos of other birds makes them excited. also... not to be a total geek... but my birds LOVE star wars!!! what can i say... they have good taste. both my sennies love R2D2 sounds and love to mimic the whistles and beeps, and my vergil whistles the vader theme...
:senegal: :senegal: :amazon2: :amazon2:

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Re: The big homemade toy idea thread

Postby Maria » Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:09 pm

That is too cool allie. They also make bird videos on CD Disk, for the entertaining of your birds/parrots while you're at work. I'd purchased a few from my parrot shop.
Maria
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Re: QUESTION ABOUT TOILET PAPER & PAPER TOWEL ROLLS

Postby independentminded » Mon Jan 28, 2013 9:55 pm

Maria wrote:How come I'm seeing alot of info on these parrot toy making videos on youtube, for example, about using these rolls, when we are specifically told not to use them because of the glue/adhesive on them, that the glue/adhesive on them is not safe for birds? I've seen other videos on youtube where people are just having their parrots play with these rolls - they have glue on them.

What's all the contradiction and confusion? I would not give one to my parrot to play with because of what information is out about the glue on them, otherwise I would love to save them and use them for him?

Please help with answers everyone! Everything you know! Thanks.


The trouble with using paper towel or toilet paper rolls, Maria, is not only the glue/adhesives that're present on them, but they often have a certain amount of lead in them, as well. I would not take any chances with these rolls with Aziza, no matter what anybody says or things. I never took those kinds of chances with McGee, either.
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