Toy Rescue

[Cockatude]

I hate bird toys with chains that attach to parts birds can chew off. They know exactly where to bite first, in order to ruin a toy before they get any use out of it.

I gave this mouse to Maynard today, and it lasted about two minutes. I thought it was history. Then I remembered my tub of multicolored cable ties.

01 04 13 wooden mouse tied to bird cage small.jpg (72.4 KiB) Viewed 4199 times

[Maria]

It depends on how strong the rope or type of threading/stringing material is, and how tight the threading material is tied or secured to the chain or O-Ring. For example. Jute rope is not strong. You should use it just to ADD to the toys for him to play with but not support the toy. So if you see any bird toys made with jute to support the toy, don't buy them. Paulie rope, leather laces, sisal rope, and chain are all good types of stringing materials to support the toy, to string toy parts onto. With making secure, strong, and at times double knots, pulled tightly, so that they're not easy for the bird to untie with his beak, or chew through. Some birds learn how to untie knots, and enjoy that type of manipulation also. So you can also add ropes tied in loose knots for the bird to enjoy this, and kind of spread out and fluff up the ends a bit also, for their preening needs. Cotton rope tied very securely and tightly is also a good choice, but it depends on how securely and tightly. jute, cotton rope, and sisal rope are also all good types for preening also.

their instinct to destroy, some like to detach the toy watching it fall down, they enjoy that.

My bird finally learned he can chew right through the cable ties, then the toy falls down. So I don't use cable ties to generally support the toy, but I may use them at times to add parts to toys, because he's going to detach those parts from the toy as well, thus tear/shred them all up, etc., manipulate them, then drop them to the ground/flooring in cage. I do use cable ties to secure the tamale toys I make, to the cage door, like you secured this toy to the cage door. He enjoys tearing up the corn husk to get to the treats inside, then also chews at the cable ties, etc. bird toy manufacturing companies use cable ties to add parts to toys, like a toy I bought at parrot shop had this, with those colored fluffy balls secured to the toy with cable ties. The ties were hidden under/in the fluffy balls.

Here is a link to what kind of fluffy ball things I'm talking about. This is a toy with those balls also on it. Once you get to the page, then click on the picture of the toy to make it larger so you can really see closely. I can't find the exact toy I bought, but the toy I bought had alot of these balls things on it. So when you look at this picture, not the straws parts on this toy in the middle of the toy, but the colored fluffy ball type things above and below the straws. On the toy I bought with those balls on them, the cable ties were secured around/to the chain which supported the toy, and also around the balls, on the inside of the balls, thus with the fluffy parts covering the ties, the ties hidden over by the fluffy parts of the balls.

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

Keep in mind once, of course, the toys fall in the poo on cage flooring, yes, their ruined, so you want to use strong materials to secure and support the toys so your bird can get use out of them, before they're ruined like that. You want them to be able to be able to tear apart, break down, chew off, studying, manipulating the toy parts before they let go and drop them.

Plastic toys, depending on their nature, are the only types of substances that can be washed clean and then disinfected, if they fall in flooring/poo. Don't take a chance with any other type of toy substance part with this.

Those fluffy balls type things are great for their preening needs. So the bird enjoys preening at them, before they may generally discover how they're attached with an easy to remove cable tie. Be one step ahead of them.

For example, I take a bundle of straws, tying them together with a cable tie in the middle. THEN I take another cable tie using it to secure the bundle of straws to the chain. That's how I add a bundle of straws to a toy.

[Michael]

That's why my ParrotWizard toys are designed with a real parrot in mind and made to last as long as practical. I give the toys to Kili first and she chews up all she likes. Then when there are parts left over that she can't break, I give the rest to Truman to finish off. You can rest assured there is nothing but bare chain/wire left in no time.

[Maria]

That is MOST clever, Michael