Monday, December 16, 2013

Choose Safe And Entertaining African Grey Toys

By Eugenia Dickerson


African grey toys are a necessity, not an option. This social and intelligent birds needs activity and mental challenge. These birds have the intelligence level of a 5 year old, and the temperament of a 2 year old. Like a bored 2 year old, a bored bird will scream for attention. If that doesn't work they may resort to feather plucking.

To keep parrots entertained, rotate play objects and move swings and climbing apparatus to new positions. Have different trinkets and toys for cage time and playgym time. Introduce a new play object by imitating play activities. Like a toddler, your bird will want to join in the fun.

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.

Caged birds need exercise to stay healthy. Ladders, ropes, and swings encourage activity. Parrots love ropes and chains they can hang and swing from. All birds should have out of cage play time, preferably on a playgym with climbing structures and trinkets to play with. Many birds also appreciate a hammock to retire to at the end of the day.

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 add diversity to your parrots play time, just be careful to build safe toys. Use non toxic materials with no sharp edges. Make sure baubles are too large to be swallowed. Choose materials that won't break, shatter, or splinter. Colored newsprint contains unhealthy dies. Cardboard contains toxic glues. Birds can rip and swallow plastic bags, felt, toilet paper.

Not all wood is safe. Birds can swallow splinters. Processed wood contains paint and lacquers. Many woods are toxic to birds such as redwood, box elder wood, and hemlock. Some safe woods are maple, apple, beech, birch, elm, manzanita, ash, poplar, dogwood, and cottonwood. Best to check with your vet before introducing wood from your yard or garden.

Remove broken, splintered, and cracked objects, and frayed ropes. Parrots can catch their talons or beaks in a frayed rope. Use only stainless steel chains. Don't use key chains which often contain zine or brass. Hanging structures should be securely attached so swinging, playing birds won't suddenly go plunging to the ground.

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.

It's your responsibility to make sure your bird is entertained and stimulated. Provide a variety of play objects, swinging or dangling objects, and climbing objects. Rotate regularly to prevent boredom. Toys should encourage exercise and foraging. Provide materials for chewing, destroying, climbing, swinging. African grey toys can be bought at local stores, online, or home made.




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