FAQ: Toys for birds

Hang a new toy at a height where the bird often spends time, but not right beside its favourite sleeping or resting spot. Some birds accept a toy more easily if it hangs below them rather than above their head.

You can safely use unprinted paper, cardboard toilet roll tubes, paper cups, untreated wooden ice-lolly sticks and branches from safe trees. Everything must be clean and free of glue, ink, sticky tape and metal staples.

Dangerous items include soft plastic, rubber, galvanised or painted metal, anything with batteries or small parts, keys, coins, jewellery, cables and varnished or painted wooden objects. Also avoid artificial plants and items with long threads.

Yes, small, clean cardboard boxes without print, glue or sticky tape are fine for shredding or hiding treats. In some parrots boxes trigger nesting behaviour, so offer them for short periods and keep an eye on the bird.

Pine cones can make a great shredding and foraging toy if collected in a clean place and prepared: washed, dried and, as some owners do, heated in the oven to kill insects. Resinous cones are best used only when completely dry.

Thread untreated wooden blocks, paper pieces or bits of cardboard onto natural cotton or sisal rope and tie knots between them. Keep the rope short so the bird cannot get tangled, and hang it with a stainless steel hook.

Yes, untreated, undyed wooden sticks are good for chewing and for making toys, for example stuck into a paper cup. Use clean rather than used sticks, and throw them away once chewed.

Homemade toys can be safe and inexpensive if only bird-safe materials are used, with no glue, paint, small metal parts or long threads. They also need regular checking and replacing when they wear out.

Cardboard egg cartons are often used for shredding and hiding treats, but they may carry egg residue and bacteria. Use only completely clean, unsoiled cartons without print, or choose plain cardboard instead.

Use natural, undyed cotton, sisal or hemp rope without chemical additives. Avoid nylon and other synthetic ropes and thin threads, which easily wrap around toes.

Yes, fresh willow, apple or hazel twigs with leaves and buds make a great shredding activity for birds. They should come from unsprayed trees away from roads, be washed well and be replaced once the leaves wilt.

A play gym is a stand or tabletop structure with perches, ladders, swings, toy hooks and often dishes. It gives the bird activities outside the cage and a safe place to be near the family.

A play gym should be stable, suited to the bird’s size and have perches of different thicknesses and places to hang toys. A droppings tray and parts that come apart easily make it simple to clean.

Tabletop gyms are smaller and suit budgies, cockatiels and other small birds, while floor stands are taller and sturdier, so they suit larger parrots. Choose according to the bird’s size and the space at home.

Put the gym where the family spends time, but not in the kitchen because of fumes and heat, and not by windows, radiators or draughts. Make sure there are no cables, houseplants or other pets nearby.

It is better to supervise a bird on a gym, as it can fly or climb off and reach dangerous items or other pets. When you cannot watch it, the safest thing is to put it back in its cage.

Clean the droppings tray daily or every few days, and wash perches, ladders and toys along with the cage. Dry wooden parts well and replace worn perches and toys.

A cage-top play area is handy because the bird can play outside the cage but close to its territory. Some birds become more territorial on the cage roof, so keep an eye on their behaviour.

A few different toys are enough on a gym, such as a foraging toy, a chew toy and a moving one, leaving the bird room to climb and sit. Rotate toys on the gym just as you do in the cage.

Young birds suit light, soft and easily shredded toys, such as paper, balsa or palm leaf, as well as toys hung low down. They are still learning to chew and climb, so toys should be simple and safe.