Charlie Feathers Budgie Kingdom
All Budgie/Parakeet Information
Toys And Games For Your Budgie Buddies
No matter what we do for our pet bird, the inside of the bird cage can never even come close to a pet bird’s natural environment. No matter what kind of pet bird you have, in the wild it would never have seen anything like the kind of bird toy you usually find in most pet stores these days.
Smooth blocks and balls in unfamiliar geometric shapes made in carpenters workshops from woods that don't exist in the wild bird’s natural habitat can’t be ideal for any cage bird. To top it off they’re then dipped in unnatural (and sometimes toxic) chemical dyes. How can they be healthy items for inclusion in a bird cage?
Do your bird a favor. No matter what kind of pet bird you have - try to get hold of some of the tree branches or leaves it would normally come across in nature. Just watching your bird enjoy itself will reward you.
Remember the toy is for your pet bird. Bird cages and bird toys are not supposed to be there as ornaments for us humans to look at. If your pet bird is a budgie then try toys made from the Eucalyptus trees that the wild birds (budgies) live with in their natural environment.
Here are some pictures of toys for your Budgie:
Here are some homemade toy ideas:
Suggested Materials for Homemade Budgie Toys...
Leather String Wood Spools Wood Beads Plastic Beads
Stainless Steel Clips Plastic Buttons Key Rings Wood Dowels,
Natural Tree Branches,
etc.
Simple swin
Here is a simple Swing.
What you do is get a rope. The thickness of the rope will have to be similar to the size of your birds feet. You take the clean rope and tie it on one side of the cage to the other side of the cage. Not too tight and not to loose. If it is too tight it will be a perch, if it is too loose it will tip over with the bird on it.
Indoor Playground
Here are the things you need for your indoor playground.
A medium or large tupperware lid (the ones you store things in)
PINE shavings
ground bird toys
food and water dish
blocks (or any thing you can think of they could climb on.)
Take your tupperware lid and you could either put it on top of the cage, on the floor, anywhere you would like. Put a layer of the Pine shavings (anything but cedar chips) on the tupperware lid. Next put a supply of food and water there. Put your ground bird toys on it. You could either get the ones at the stores or make your own like...soda bottle caps, legos, paper towel or toilet paper tubes, anything that will be safe. Take your blocks and/or some things they like to climb on and arrange them on there. I'm sure your birds will love it!
WARNING: If your bird eats plastic I would not recommend using this for your bird.
Bird Games
Birdie Pinata
Find something that you would like to be your pinata inspiration. Then paper mache (using water and flour) to the shape of your inspiration using cardboad (not newspaper toxic for birds). After letting it dry, cut non-toxic tissue paper into half inch thick strips and glue it onto the paper mached pinata using egg whites. Then cut a hole in the botton of the pinata and fill it with your birds favorite treats, new toys and trail mix. Hang it in a room and let your birds pick it apart. Eventually the pinata will break and the birds will have all new toys and treats.
Towel Tent
I took a hand towel and put it through the top bars of the cage over the highest perch (if your highest perch is a swing, this idea doesn't work as well). Then I put it back through the bars about an inch and a half over, and pulled it down so the bottoms were even. This creates a cozy little "tent" for your bird to sleep in. If your bird is reluctant to enter the tent, make it a bit wider, and gradually make it as narrow as your bird likes it.
The Activity Shirt
Find an old shirt that you are comfortable wearing - but no longer in public. The best kind to use is a lightweight (thinner the better) button up shirt. (Or buy a cheap one that fits this task...)
Find a stash of extra buttons, beads, colored string, fancy dress trimming, lace, etc. Grandmothers are good sources for stashing wonderful collections of the oddest material and obnoxious buttons, but you can also find stuff in sewing/craft shops (even Walmart).
Now just sit down during your next favorite TV show, and start randomly sewing things on the shirt. Don't put any buttons on the back side (it might poke you), but distrubute the items all over the shirt, collar, and sleeve(s).
Now the bird(s) can spend more time on you without trying to damage your hair and jewelry, or preen your skin. If your standing a lot, put enough things on (and under) the collar. If you recline a lot, let your bird play on your toy infested stomach! I just added a zipper to my shirt, and my Quaker trys to pull it in both directions!
Lastly, when you wash the shirt, it is wise to use a protective bag like the kind that protect lingerie. It will do okay in the regular wash, but saftey is best.
