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In Our Opinion...... Birds in the wild have a forest full of entertainment. Branches, leaves, swaying tree tops, twigs to build nests, colorful berries and flowers. In fact, the term "the sky is the limit" effectively describes the height they can fly, thereby getting plenty of exercise. Birds kept in captivity are not afforded the pleasure of nature's entertainment. They are in a confined space and given toys that first must look attractive to their owners, either because of appearance, or most often price, and hopefully provide some activity to the bird. Their toys must not only afford them entertainment, they also must provide them with exercise. Birds are by nature continually busy. They chew, preen, clean their surroundings (at least some of them do), and patiently try to entertain themselves within the confines of their cages, with whatever tools we (as owners) choose to give them. Texture, color, flavor, aroma, part size, and destructible parts are all integral parts of a good bird toy. Texture - Pine wood, natural branches, cotton rope, natural fiber rope, leather, etc. provide a great mix of textures. Most birds enjoy preening natural fiber rope and it is safe for most any size bird. Cotton rope is enjoyed by the larger birds....(my rule is in order for a bird to get cotton rope the bird must be heavy enough to pull themselves out of the rope should they get a nail caught.) However, we have put short pieces on smaller toys for cockatiels, budgies, lovebirds, etc., and have not had a problem. Color - FDA approved food coloring allows for safe coloring of wood and rope products, but keep in mind this is not a permanent dye and washing the toy will gradually bleed all the color out. Flavor and aroma - Soaking softwoods and hardwoods in fruit juice add flavor and aroma. Part size - Different types of perches allow for greater exercise of birds feet and toes. Destructible parts - Pine wood is extremely destructible, smaller natural tree branches are destructible, larger chunks of trees are less destructible. Swings easily duplicate the swaying motion of the tree tops. The other integral parts can also be added to the swing to provide all of the other elements as well. A swing built on a natural tree branch with leather, colorful softwood and hardwood flavored with apple juice; and tree branch pieces allow them all of the elements of a great toy. We always recommend natural branch perches - dowel rods are so boring. Use different types of tree wood and most branches change diameters naturally. Just imagine 10 years plus doing the same repetitive motion, don't make it a jail cell but a home. Place toys where they are easy to reach in the cage, and flow around the cage. Put some high and some low, so the bird exercises while going from toy to toy. Change toys out regularly. A caring bird owner will know when all of the play value is gone from a toy, at that point, some toys even become dangerous. It is the responsibility of every bird owner to know what types of toys their birds can safely play with. Remember, toys are a crucial part of your birds well being. Be
thoughtful when you purchase your birds toys.
Reprinting without permission is prohibited Copyright 1998, R. G. Ryan, Retco Marketing, Inc., All rights reserved. This page was last updated Thursday, July 05, 2007 Don't forget toys for your birds at: Just Plain Toys or look for additional perches at: Natural Branch Perches (remember birds get minerals from the wood they chew up) Build your own toys? Check out - Raw Materials.
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