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Here's a question. How often does everyone change toys/cage layout for their birds? I try to move things around a little every week, but only in small steps. Nothing drastic all at once. Also I bought a box of popcicle sticks at a local craft store and made some toys out of them. The birds loved them and chewed them up in a couple of days. They had a great time but oh what a mess they made!

I rotate Delfin toys around once a week.

I have looked at various threads on toys and looked at a number of photos. I'm amazed in what items can be used as a toy. Items from old baby toys to plastic spoons or popcide sticks. The ingenuity and imagination of people who make toys for their birds is astounding.

Yea, I've made all kinds of stuff for them to chew up. They even like the tube from a roll of toilet paper! I'm not sure who is the real innovator of toys, us, or these sometimes too smart birds that can make a plaything out of anything!

Mike, you are right to question who the innovator is! My guys make anything they find a parrot toy. My notebook was a recent casualty, not to mention my boyfriends belly button this evening when he lay down without a shirt! Thanks to Sapphire, he has the cleanest belly button ever.
I am always changing toys around, not every toy, just one or two most days. We only have one of most foraging toys, so we are always swapping them.
Sapphire loves foot toys and chooses one that she will carry around everywhere for a day or 2. Then she is bored of it and I need to make or find her a new one.
I just made some balls by slicing up a toilet roll end, sliding the loops over each other and hiding a treat in the middle. Sapphire loves them. Nila likes the left over strip of roll.

I believe that birds will use anything as a toy and humans make birds their toys.

InTheAir wrote:not to mention my boyfriends belly button this evening when he lay down without a shirt! Thanks to Sapphire, he has the cleanest belly button ever.

No grey fluff in sight then, why is always grey..??!

It changes how often I change Dudes stuff round, it can be weekly or fornightly, depending on if I think he is getting bored or if he is getting aggressive with things. I have removed his mirror, and anything with a red wooden bead on, he goes mad for these and screeches and lunges at them. I am building up quite a collection of hanging stuff and foot toys, and like to mix it all up for him. Its like redisovering a favourite item of clothing that you'd forgotten about in the back of your wardrobe, result! I'll wear that to death once more til it gets lost again!

Wow haven't had a chance to catch up for a while, we had one H€** of an ice storm on Wednesday and were without power for about 10 hours. Still don't have tv, phones, or the internet yet. Maybe tomorrow. It got pretty cold in here and I was worried about the birds, but luckily the power came back on about 10 pm. I have found that a couple of practice golf balls hanging on a string make a pretty good toy. They love chewing things up!

So after all the research it seems like home depot has just about all you need for any rope toys. I bought some sisal rope, all natural, not sprayed with anything. It came in a 3/8" x 50' (that's right feet) for about $8.00. Buy the smaller size pine or Douglas fir untreated (buying the small pieces ensure nothing is pieced to gether so no glue, etc). Any type of clasp is also available, just make sure it's stainless steel as they carry zinc and other metals that are not good.

You can buy what they call "insert nuts" which I use for natural perches. Along with the insert nuts, pick up the axles that match the size of the insert nut, stainless steel fender washers (the type used in bird cages), and some stainless steel wing nuts. Drill a small hole in the end, screw in the insert nut, washer, cage, washer and wing nut, done. There is a great web site for what trees are safe for parrots and an orange tree is one of them, which is what I have in the backyard.

I wash the wood with dish soap let them dry out and then use food coloring.

Easter is here so I will be looking around Michael's for all the egg stuff that is safe for toys (foraging toys come to mind).

Sky is the limit, just make sure you do some solid research first to make sure nothing is toxic. Great project to do with the kids (human or bird)