The big homemade toy idea thread

[Maria]

GRRRR! I had typed another post, and lost everything, having to start over. LOL

Click on this link, only for the picture of what to look for. These are at Petco, but much MUCH cheaper at PetsMart! Petco, either $7.99 or $10.00 (which ever, forgot the price, was expensive). PetsMart sells same thing for only $3.99 !! This stuff you see on parrot toys at parrot shop. You can use a hole punch to punch holes in them, to weeve them through onto chain or rope, while making toys putting other parts on toys too, hanging in cage. You can weave them through cage bars. You can tie knots in them too, even tie them to cage, letting them hang, etc. So stop by your local PetsMart and pick up a couple of packages!
Here is the link for the image:
http://www.chopperstoys.com/images/Part ... ainbow.jpg

Petco, in their rodents/rabbits section did have the willow balls, but they did have the "monkey nuts" in them, so I didn't get them. but in this section, as well as in the bird toys section, they have these packages of corn on the cobs which I've seen on toys at parrot shop! In the rodents/rabbits section they also have the "smaller" alphabet wooden blocks, for them to chew, sold for these animals - WHICH I've also seen on parrot toys at parrot shop! I have the bigger ones, but I wanted the smaller ones too, drilling holes in them, hanging on toys, my bird loves them. There's pretty many in a pack, and for not much money. That's lots of toys you can make, stringing other things on the toys, etc. In this section they even have pine cones in package for the rabbits to chew on, which have been cleaned, have no pine or sap on them, etc., and say non-toxic, etc., - alot of their chew toys for animals say "non-toxic". (of course.). Also, in this section, I saw a neat little hut, made from either willow or bamboo, or something, for rodent pets too. I'm going to use it to make a foraging toy out of for hanging in the cage, filling it with treats and things! Just drill a hole through it. Totally safe, the way it's made. These things also say things like "for play & chew". The only thing is, this little hut has a few little wood pieces tied on with string, which I'm going to take off, to be sure my baby doesn't get tangled in the string.

Here is a great link for bird toys by species at birdchannel.com:
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazin ... -toys.aspx

Cater to what types of substances your type of bird likes! Instead of waisting money also on things they might not care for! Also gives you an edge on the sellers of bird toys and toy parts, trying to sell you "everything" LOL.

Links:
some sites do also sell some parts a bit expensive, then other parts for not much money, within the same site (and like alot of parts in one package, for not much money). So you really have to look, compare, and look for the good deals. And buy the bulk ones for not much money. Also, if you type in "wholesale parrot toy parts" in google, alot comes up.

Grey Feather Toys - (after this page loads, then see the links on the left under bird toy parts section!!!)
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... m=1&itbs=1

Exotic Wings: (again, lots of links on the left)
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... sch&itbs=1

busy bird - (see bird toy parts section - links at left)
http://www.busybird.com/

http://www.birdsupplies.com/bird-toy-parts/

at jungle beaks, referred to in post right before this one, they are secure with paypal processing their online orders, and the lady said you receive the product in like 4 days. It's real easy and quick to order there, adding to cart, and check out. They also have stainless steel chain too; that is much safer than like some people are using those chain dog collars, which have zinc in them. Go for the stainless steal safe chain, which looks the same, closed links, smooth, and safe.

At the 99 cent only store, they have 250 count package of those striped different colored drinking straws for a buck. These are also on parrot toys at parrot shops. I've found bundling them together with zip tie, in the middle of the straws (those plastic cable ties, home depot has them, large packs with all different sizes, not alot of money). Then take the bundle, take another zip tie, securing the bundle to the chain, hanging in cage, putting other toy parts on the chain, making a toy. You're putting the zip tie through a link in the chain. The 99 cent store also has 4 packs of those wiffle balls for a buck, the regular size balls. They have the smaller ones with more in the pack than 4, for a buck. I ran zip tie through two holes in regular size wiffle ball, securing the zip tie around a branch on my parrot's parrot tree stand. Then I put nuts, treats, fruit, inside the wiffle ball. He went crazy chewing up the ball tearing it apart, to get the treats out. It's not as easy for a parrot to get a medium sized almond in the shell, out of the wiffle ball, as it is for you to cut a small hole in the ball, just big enough for you to sqeeze the almond in! I also hang wiffle balls on hanging chew toys I make for the cage, making foraging toys with them, putting other substances on the toy I'm making (wood, cardboard pieces, beads, etc., leather pieces).

Leather laces and sisal rope are great for parrots preening instincts. You can buy and use these to hang the toy parts on as well. Jute is also good for this.

did I already mention birdyboredombusters.com ? Another pretty good site for buying parrot and bird toy parts.

Some sites are a bit more expensive than others, some are not much money at all, again, best to find and buy in bulk for good pricing.

I had emailed my AFA contact, asking if he knew where I could get unused egg cartons. He said "try this link - http://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_ ... gg-selling -- They sell unmarked egg cartons. That is the only supply I know of." - - but I haven't had chance to look into that yet . . . .

my bird is happy

[Maria]

LOOK FOR "NON-IRRADIATED" STUFF.

On the "rawhide bone chews" at Petco (the colored flat ones, made into shapes and things), I noticed some said "Treated with Irradiation", with a little green icon by those words on the package. But some of the rawhide bone chews did not have this emblem with notation. I put back the ones which said treated with irradiation, and bought the ones which did not have this emblem notation. They have natural, non colored, not flavored, not treated using anything, just pure, raw bone chews, for the dogs, WHICH we see on parrot toys at parrot shop, but colored! On these natural ones at petco, the ingredients just say "beefhide", the package says "natural", when you read the package it reflects how it's just "rawhide", etc., and you can see they are just white/plain, as opposed to the other colored, flavored ones in the section, and reading ingredients on the colored flavored ones, which look more like a lightened beef color. Anyway, now I know that some rawhide bone chews can be irradiated, and some are not.

rawhide bone chews are at that herman's store link in previous post, selling bird toy parts.

When I had purchased the pre-dried corn husks in the mexican section in the grocery store, used for making the bird toy tamales I referred to in previous postings, I had noticed the label said, "NON-IRRADIATED". I then researched what irradiated was on the internet, and I thought, perfect, then NON-irradiated is definately what is desired.

Irradiation is the process by which an object is exposed to radiation. The exposure can originate from various sources, including natural sources. Most frequently the term refers to ionizing radiation, and to a level of radiation that will serve a specific purpose, rather than radiation exposure to normal levels of background radiation. The term irradiation usually excludes the exposure to non-ionizing radiation, such as microwaves from cellular phones or electromagnetic waves emitted by radio and TV receivers and power supplies.

You can read more about irradiation at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irradiation

It's not something I would want to give my bird!

[Maria]

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

http://foragingforparrots.com/

yes, I know, I've come across this before, good ideas

[Maria]

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/

Charlie! this is terrific! Made my favorites!

[CaitlinRice413]

[Maria]

Great email response regarding "Paulie Rope" (Poly Rope Safety) - - and Leather Laces - 5 strips - $4.95 - - -


Maria Wed 11/28/2012 12:36 PM
'toys@birdyboredombusters.com'
Leather Laces - 5 strips - $4.95

Veggie Tanned Leather Lace
Bird safe natural vegetable tanned leather strips approx 1/8" in diameter. Each lace is approx 24" in length. Package contains 5 strips. Works out to under 50¢ per foot!
$4.95 Cdn
$4.95 US

Hi, please let me know how many inches is each of these strips sold in the package? Or are they each a foot long?

By the way, fantastic site, I will be ordering bird toy parts soon, I’ve been searching around, and your site for this has made the great list!

Maria

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Birdy Boredom Busters [toys@birdyboredombusters.com] Thu 11/29/2012 12:07 AM
Maria
Re: "Paulie Rope" (Poly Rope Safety)

Hi Maria,

I would like to start off by apologizing for my tardy reply. I live in the country and had a family business that needed attending to in the city, which is about a two hour drive away., so I have been away most of the day and night.

The paulie rope I sell is the bird safe paulie rope that you are referring to that is the polyethylene rope that is made specifically for birds (non-toxic, hollow core, does not hold a memory, etc). It is not purchased from a hardware store, but a supplier that orders and sells it specifically for use bird and other pet toys. I have it in more colors than I have listed on my website, so if there is a color that you want that is not listed, just send me a note or email with your color preference.

As for the veggie tanned leather strips, each package contains 5 strips. Each strip is at least 2 feet (24 inches in length).

I am glad you are enjoying browsing through my site and hope I have answered your questions. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Bye for now,
Tracy
http://www.birdyboredombusters.com


From: Maria
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 1:37 PM
To: toys@birdyboredombusters.com
Subject: "Paulie Rope" (Poly Rope Safety)

I need to ask specifically about this rope you sell regarding bird toy parts before ordering.

There are two kinds of Poly rope.

One is bird safe; one is not.

The term "'Paulie' Rope" is used for the type of Poly Rope which is the safe kind for birds. Term devised from "Paulie wanna cracker?" It's just a name they gave it. This kind is PolyETHYLene.

The other NON-SAFE kind of poly rope is PolyPROPYLene.

Which kind/substance is your poly rope made from? It would specifically say the kind poly“ethylene” or poly”propylene” on the package from your supplier.

We also need to stay away from ropes sold in hardware stores, because oils are used on these for cutting processing.

Here are the differences in the two types of ropes, as far as bird safety:

Polypropylene:
Doesn't unravel, bird can get caught in it and tangles badly and tightly, to where it's hard to get off, and can cause injuries therefore (feet, toes). It's like nylon - not safe.

Polyethylene:
unravels, safe, tangle free, not harmful if swallowed, non-toxic, no unsafe lengths of fray, no memory like other rope. Prevents entrapment and limb strangulation caused by fibers such as nylon or polished cotton rope.

Maria


Bottom line, especially like about "Paulie Rope", be sure to ask these questions before you buy. Reason being, you just don't know who could be selling just "anything" to make a buck, or making false claims, etc. It's best to be safe. Some may not know the safety criteria, and make sure they're not selling you rope out of home depot! LOL. So it's good to approach with these types of questions, get a good feel, etc. (My mommie always makes SURE things are safe for ME!)


Also, that's a really good amount of leather lace for the price! I asked these questions because I didn't see where it really specified the amount you get for that price on the site. It's there, but I must have missed it at the time. 24"; 5 strips.


This is a really nice response from them. I'm going to order from them, they have other great stuff, some bulk, for great pricing, not much bucks! Birdy boredom Busters is very reputable, and they also were warm, and cordial in their response. That's also a nice touch, to explain why they had a bit of a delay in responding.

[Maria]

Interesting input you gave about irradiation, Caitlin !!

[charlieandkiwi]

So I've recently discovered ebay (I'm little late to that game haha!)

I think people are making DIY bird toys and selling them on there. In any case, we can learn from what they're selling.

This is cardboard rolled up and stuffed inside a wood ring.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BAGEL-ROLL-TALO ... 2ec3e6dff8

This is paper stuffed inside a wicker ball.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MINI-STUFFED-CR ... 1e61fa8c1c

This is a wire, with beads put all the way up it, shaped in a spiral with a bell at the end. It's supposed to be used to hold millet.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Millet-Hold ... 3a7c0d649f

[Maria]

Charlie too cool.

Here's an idea you might like to use for same purpose, which sparked in my head the other day when I was viewing bird toys at petsmart.com !!!

petsmart.com
click on bird at top
then click on toys at the left side navigation links

scroll down looking at all their toys

"View All Items 1 2 3 4 " (there's pages of them)

while looking at these, I was thinking, "I can make those!" "With the bird toy parts I have and have bought, etc.!"

It gives you great ideas of how to put them together yourself, with the toy parts!

I printed the ones out which I liked.

click on the image you like

next page, click on the image again to enlarge it

next it will pop up in another window, enlarged - - -

(scroll the picture to the middle, open the window to full page) . . .

on this window, press & hold down Alt key - while pressing Print Screen key

Now you've got it in your clipboard, to paste into MicroSoft Word document. Open MSWord.

Press & hold down Ctrl key - while pressing the V letter key.

That pastes the picture into your document.

then press the enter key in your word document two times, to skip a couple of lines, in order to paste the next picture you like! keep going until you've pasted all the ones you like from petsmart, into this document! then it's easy to print the document, save the document on your computer if you like, etc! In the document under each picture, you can even type little notes of what it's made with, how it's made, any ideas at the time which also spark in your head, etc!

Look at this link for this one. All it is - is two leather laces, and wood pieces, and a quick link! Easy! With each leather lace, for example, I purchased from birdy boredom, each one is 2 feet long. Folding two of them over the quick link, in half, gives you four strands, to string the wood pieces on, tying knots at the bottoms, to secure and hold them on, see! After you fold them over the quick link, make your knotting at the top there as shown in the picture, to secure! Look at the price of that toy at petsmart. Then think how much cheaper you can make it with buying the parts in bulk and throwing it together yourself! this kind of thing sparks many ideas for making toys all different types of ways, using less materials for each toy, depending, also, so that you can get more toys for your money! Plus, one made this way gives your parrot more to play with, then just parts strung on one strand only! LOL. You might also try, for example, cutting the leather laces in half, making each lace one foot, trying things like this that way, to get EVEN MORE toys made!

It looks like there are also a few knots tied between the wood pieces.

Here's the link for this toy at petsmart:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo

[charlieandkiwi]

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.