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toy amount?

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toy amount?

Postby coral » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:33 pm

how many is to many toys to keep in the cage? how many do you keep in your birds cage? how many on the top? how many in your play area?
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. <3
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Re: toy amount?

Postby entrancedbymyGCC » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:57 pm

Too many is when you can't see the bird in there! More seriously, there should be room to move around the cage, spread the wings out, and generally stretch. Other than that I don't know that there is such a thing as too many.

Scooter's cage has two long perches, a rope perch, a short smooth top pedi-perch, a Happy Hut (which I religiously check for stray threads as one should any textile, people get wound up about these things being risky), a plastic chain, a cuttlebone, 3 dishes,a water bottle, an edible snack shack toy, a ball with a bell in it that also gets used for climbing on, one noisy-beat up toy (varies) one chew up toy (replaced frequently) and a roll of paper toy.

Scotty's cage has four long perches, a rope perch, a bamboo pedi-perch, a leather and plastic chew toy, a beak buffer rock, a ladder, 3 food dishes, a big bath dish (we hope), a water bottle, a big bell with a chain clapper and a wood and leather chew toy. There is often also a foraging toy or box of some type with nuts. We change things in his cage less frequently because he seems to prefer stability. There is also a big plastic and fiber "Calypso" toy hung on the outside of the cage -- he didn't like it inside, but he occasionally messes with it through the bars.
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Re: toy amount?

Postby zazanomore » Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:36 pm

I think it depends on the size of the cage.

My birds all have flight cages with 7 unique perches in each one. They also have 7 toys in each cage. Believe it or not, with the size and layout that I have, there is still plenty of swing and flying room. Positioning everything is really important, and you should try to give your bird the most variety of toys as possible. Just remember that they need personal space.

As for outside their cage. I have 20+ small foot toys on their cages. These keep them busy. Foot toys are really cheap, and they are easy to find. Chinese finger traps, broken coconut shells, stuffed animals, pieces that have broken off toys, Popsicle sticks, safe pieces of wood, and I even cut up some of the wooden dowels that came with the cage, and they enjoy chewing them up.

In the "play area", they have a rope net, a natural wood and rope latter, and a natural wood swing with a bell and lots of pieces to preen. They also have one hanging toy with these items.

Does your guy a cuddler or a player? My rope set up gets used mostly by my budgies, as they are players. While Einstein would much rather sit on my shoulder than play with the budgies or by himself.
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Re: toy amount?

Postby kaylayuh » Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:33 pm

My budgies have the two wooden perches that came with their cage, a rope perch, a pedi-perch, and a manzanita perch. They have a pedi-perch swing that they sleep on and a round rope swing. They have a mirror, a cuttle bone, and four food/water dishes. They have a curly pompom toy, a wooden barrel man, a popcicle stick toy, a shredder puff, a wooden toy with a bell, and a wooden ladder. They have a "hammock" made out of old pajama pants (no loose threads, etc.).

My GCC has two wooden perches that came with his cage, a rope perch, and a manzanita perch. He also has a rope swing. He has a leather and wooden toy, a wooden ball rope toy, and a wooden block and rope toy, and a wooden block with sisal rope toy. He also has a "hammock" made out of old pajama pants (also no loose threads).

Both cages have two wooden play perches on top. The play perches have wooden blocks and wooden pieces on them. They have foot toys, usually shredder balls, on top of each. There's a playstand in between both cages, which are connected with rope perches and the budgies cage has a manzanita perch on the side.

All in all, the GCC has less toys because getting him to play with toys has been an effort. He came from a rescue where he didn't really have toys to play with and he's taken a while to get used to the toys. He's also bigger and needs more room for his wings to stretch and be able to fly around. His tail is also quite a bit longer so his perches needed a different configuration.

The budgies play with all of their toys daily. They sit on top of the shredder puff. No Name cuddles up to the mirror. All in all, they're all used but they still have room to move around and fly.

I would say too many toys are when your bird can't stretch its wings or fly around. If the bird is confined to one little area and the rest of the cage is packed with toys, you probably need to take a few out.
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
- Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
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Re: toy amount?

Postby Kathleen » Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:46 pm

Depends on the bird's interest in toys/how destructive they are, how large the cage is, and how much time they spend in the cage.

Usually it works in your favor to put the best toys on a playgym/foraging tree instead of in the cage so the bird gets a positive association with coming out to you.
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Re: toy amount?

Postby captwest » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:46 pm

If you have a large cage or playpen, then yes lots of toys are great. but not needed, a couple of toys that are changed weekly will work in a limited area, and it's ok to change out his favorite, otherwise you'll never know if there's something else he enjoys.Just my 2 cents worth.
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Re: toy amount?

Postby coral » Fri Apr 08, 2011 4:22 pm

Zaza my blue headed pionus is the same way as eistine, he likes to cuddle instead of play to :)
I've been thinking I don't have enough toys but I don't know wha to buy because he reallys doest like anything lol :)
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. <3
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Re: toy amount?

Postby kaylayuh » Fri Apr 08, 2011 4:55 pm

coral wrote:Zaza my blue headed pionus is the same way as eistine, he likes to cuddle instead of play to :)
I've been thinking I don't have enough toys but I don't know wha to buy because he reallys doest like anything lol :)



The rescue I adopted my GCC from said he didn't like toys and wouldn't play with him. I'm guessing he didn't like the toys that they had for him. Now he plays all the time. I have rope and leather toys, wooden block toys, and the occasional bell. He also really likes his swing. They had tiny bells and plastic toys for him.

I'd try a bit of everything and see if he actually doesn't like to play or if he doesn't like those particular toys. Some birds just aren't players. Some birds are just really picky.
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
- Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
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Re: toy amount?

Postby RudysMom » Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:25 pm

I just ordered some new toys for DeeJay and a real cute one for Opey Cody , Rudy and Squiggy have tons of toys ,I think I put about 8 or 9 toys in DeeJays new flight cage and I put in a grapevine perch , pedi perch ,Cajeput perch , sandi perch , cement perch and a flat perch for him to rest his feet ,and 1 more perch but I forget what kind it is , I will have to take a pic soon I may have over done it on the toys I may take one or 2 out I don't want to scare him on his first day home
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Re: toy amount?

Postby coral » Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:45 am

kaylayuh i actually caught him playing with his toys today i was so excited!!
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. <3
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Types of Birds Owned: zebra finches, society finches, spice finches, and a blue headed pionus parrot
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