Saturday, December 14, 2013

Choose Safe And Entertaining African Grey Toys

Choose Safe And Entertaining African Grey Toys

By Eugenia Dickerson


Birds in the wild spend their days in social and foraging activities. Birds in captivity need African Grey toys that entertain, stimulate, and simulate everyday parrot activities. African Greys are exceptionally intelligent. They need mental challenges and physical activity. They have the temperament of a 2 year old when it comes to tolerating boredom. Bored parrots will scream out their frustration. Feather plucking is another sad sign of a bored bird.

To keep your parrot entertained, rotate a diverse selection of play objects. Every couple weeks, put some toys away, and move others between the cage and playgym. Play with a new toy and your bird will come bounding over to see what the fun is about.

African greys love materials they can chew, shred, throw, or tear into pieces. They enjoy dangling parts and untying knots. Puzzles with treats inside are challenging and encourage normal foraging activities. Add to the fun with inexpensive games like hiding treats in wadded up newspaper. Offer fruits and veggies on a skewer-style rod. Attach a wiffle ball to the cage with rope or rawhide and fill with treats, veggies, fruits.

Don't let your caged bird become a perch potato. Encourage movement with ladders, ropes, swings, and chains. Make sure your parrots gets quality out of cage time with climbing structures and different toys, a different world to explore. Some parrots also like a hammock to sleep or hide in when tired or stressed.

Parrots enjoy manipulating objects and moving them from one place to another. A container of baubles, and another empty container is a simple way to engage and entertain your parrot. This is a great way to get more play life out of broken toys. Create new and novel toys by restringing broken trinkets and baubles.

Homemade toys should be non toxic, too large to swallow with no sharp edges, and made from materials that won't shatter or break into small pieces with sharp edges. Avoid the dyes in colored newspapers and magazines. Don't use plastic bags, toilet paper, or felt. Cardboard can contain glue that is unhealthy for parrots.

Check with your vet before using wood from your yard. Some are toxic to parrots including redwood, hemlock, and box elder wood. Safe varieties include maple, beech, apple, elm, birch, ash, poplar, manzanita, cottonwood, and dogwood. Never use processed wood products which usually contain paints and lacquers - very toxic.

Birds can catch their beaks and talons in frayed ropes or chain links that are incorrectly sized for a parrot. Chains must be stainless steel only, no zinc or brass. Be sure hanging objects are securely attached to the top or side of the cage, able to support the full weight of a climbing parrot.

Size must be safe so parrots can't get their feet or beaks caught in the toy. Always buy play things and climbing structures sized appropriately for your parrot. Too small and they will break. Small pieces can be swallowed.

When we cage a bird, it's only right and moral to provide a fun and stimulating environment. Keep your bird healthy and happy with African Grey toys. Provide a rich, diverse environment with dangling trinkets, musical objects, climbing structures, and foraging activities. Add to homemade trinkets and games with store bought games and climbing structures. Visit your local pet or bird store, or check online retailers.




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