Content
- The Importance of Toys for Parrots
- Characteristics of toys for parrots
- Types of Toys for Parrots
- hanging toys
- toys for climbing
- Interactive toys for parrots
- Toys to stimulate physical activity (play parks)
- mirrors
- toys to bite
- How to introduce a new toy
- How to make toys for parrots
parrots are very active animals, need to exercise every day and face mental challenges that stimulate them in a positive way. In nature, parrots are gregarious animalswith very complex relationships with its counterparts. They spend the day communicating, playing, climbing trees, feeding and creating new bonds.
In this PeritoAnimal article, we'll talk about toys for parrots, explaining how they should be, what types there are, and even learning how to make toys for parrots, as the resources to buy them are not always available.
The Importance of Toys for Parrots
Lack of physical activity or new challenges, along with the absence of more parrots or other animals to socialize with, can cause our parrot to suffer health problems. Symptoms of stress or malaise in parrots are not usually evident at first, as they are prey animals, they know how to hide their weaknesses perfectly.
If you have one or more parrots at home, you should know that one of the strategies to reduce your stress, frustration or boredom is the use of toys. In fact, toys are crucial to a parrot's good health.
Characteristics of toys for parrots
All parrot toys must be based on some basic premises for the purpose of avoid poisoning, wounds or other problems.. The same is true where the parrot lives: it is important to know what a parrot's cage should look like, what materials it can be made of, where to put it, or what to put inside.
When choosing new toys for a parrot we must keep in mind that:
- The toy must not contain paint or be manufactured with a toxic material for them. The professionals at a parrot toy store or any store where they sell products for exotic animals can tell you more about the composition of the materials used in making the parrot toy.
- Must not contain extremely small parts that they might mistakenly swallow.
- Toy material must not be abrasive or possess sharp or pointed ends that might injure the animal.
- When the toy has fabric or ropes,its use must always be watched, as it can fray and the parrot can get stuck.
- The best materials for parrot toys are natural ones, such as wood and its derivatives, like cardboard or paper. In addition, materials such as olive wood are ideal for good maintenance of the beak and claws.
parrots are toy wrecking experts, then you must take into account that they will last very little and you will need to constantly renew them. It is not an incorrect behavior, on the contrary, their way of having fun is pecking at toys. In nature they also cut branches or flowers, an activity that is very advantageous for plants in most cases, as it acts as a natural pruning.
Types of Toys for Parrots
When choosing the toys that we want to give our parrots, you must take into account several factors. First, think about the parrot size, as the proportions of the toy for a large parrot are different from those for a small parrot.
Second, consider the cage size. If you want to put the toy inside, there must still be enough free space so that the parrot doesn't feel suffocated.
Lastly, the choice of toys should be different if you have a single parrot or more. If the toy is individual, its use must be observed to avoid conflicts. Once these factors have been analyzed, choose the type of parrot toy that your pet would prefer or which will be more practical for his physical and mental condition.
hanging toys
Birds love to be suspended in the branches of trees. Hanging toys, like swings, give you the feeling of being on a tumbler branch. these toys also strengthen the musculature of the legs. You can place several swings at different heights to encourage your parrot to jump from one to another.
toys for climbing
Parrots are climbers. Of course they are also flying animals, but in tropical forests where the vegetation is very thick, it is sometimes easier to climb from tree to tree than to fly. That's why toys like stairs or simply perches placed diagonally to the ground will favor the climbing ability of these birds. In addition, parrots climb using their beak. If the ladders or perches are made of wood, they will also play a role in the wear and maintenance of the claws and nozzle.
Interactive toys for parrots
In the wild, parrots spend much of their time looking for, handling and eating food. This one delivery behavior can easily imitate at home. If the parrot lives in an aviary or is assiduously out of the cage, you can spread its food on the floor and thus it will spend a long time searching and eating.
There are toys inside which we can introduce food for the parrot to be entertained by taking it out. It doesn't have to be a special food, it's been proven that a parrot prefers to get food this way even if it's not the same food that you always have available in your feeder.
Toys to stimulate physical activity (play parks)
Although it doesn't seem like it from their face, the parrots may have obesity. It is a very serious problem that can severely affect the liver and other organs, even leading to death. However, whether or not you have a parrot with weight problems, it is important that you exercise anyway.
There are toys called "play parks" where the parrot can perform various activities such as climbing, hanging, looking for food, etc. It's like a "all in one" for parrots.
mirrors
The use of mirrors on parrots is a somewhat controversial issue. As we said, parrots are very social animals and therefore, living alone does not guarantee the animal's well-being. It is likely that when you give a parrot a mirror that lives alone, it becomes obsessed with the reflection and may even stop eating. Mirrors are toys suitable for parrots that live in pairs or groups, big or small. This way you can enjoy the mirror.
toys to bite
parrots need keep your beak healthy. To do this, they spend time pecking at various objects. The best ones are those made of natural materials such as wood. We can also use cuttle bones or stones from calcium, with the extra supplement of this nutrient so beneficial.
Whether to maintain a correct beak length or not, parrots are very destructive, so they love pieces of cardboard to be able to break them up.
How to introduce a new toy
Depending on the relationship you have with your parrot, whether or not he trusts you, introducing a new toy will be more or less easy. First of all, never put a new toy directly into the cage, as the parrot could panic and create animosity against the toy or even the guardian.
It is best to leave the toy near the cage for a few days. If the parrot trusts you and watches you play the toy, it will accept the new object much faster. After that time, you can introduce the toy into the cage, in a place away from the parrot's usual place to don't invade your personal space. Over time, you will learn your parrot's favorite toys.
How to make toys for parrots
The sale of toys for parrots is on the rise, but as we talked about before, parrots are very destructive animals, so toys will be short-lived and you may need to invest a lot of money in new ones. This is not a problem, as you can make your own toys by following the following tips and advice:
- It's as simple as hang ropes or thin pieces of clothing with small knots from the roof of the cage. The parrot will love to undo these knots, but remember to do it under surveillance as the fabric can fray.
- You can also make toys with the cardboard left over from the paper rolls, make small holes, put food inside and close both ends. With this, he will be assured hours of fun.
- If you are a person with craftsmanship and construction skills, you can build your own parrot park. Remember not to use toxic or abrasive materials like glue.
- Another idea is to regularly change the arrangement of the perches. In addition, you can go to your city's countryside or park and pick twigs and sticks to create new perches. If they have different thicknesses and different textures, even better.
Now you know the importance of toys for parrots and how easy it is to build your own toys.
Next, we show you a video about homemade parrot toys from the Diário de Um Papagaio channel:
If you want to read more articles similar to The best toys for parrots, we recommend that you enter our Games & Fun section.