what kinds of material can i use to make home made toys for my birds?

Answer 1

Rope, wood, branches, the only thing you'll want to check though, do a search on your bird. Some branches/wood is toxic to birds. Here's a few links for how to's :

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww70e.htm

http://birds.about.com/od/livingwithabird/ss/homemadetoys.htm

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Parrots-1638/toxic-toys.htm

Answer 2

You can tie wooden beads or blocks on leather string, hang a bell on the bottom (make sure there are no open parts on the bell so they don't get a foot caught in it). Go to a bird store and get some ideas, then hit the hobby shops for materials.

Answer 3

Depending on the size of the bird, you could use wooden thread bobbins on a string with beads. Some birds like mirrors (just make sure no sharp edges), popsicle sticks, rubber ball on a string, bells. Hope this gives you some ideas!

Answer 4

All birds are fussy when it comes to toys. You could spend dollars and dollars on a new toy when they'd rather just chew on paper. It's a huge frustration for bird owners to want to satisfy their bird's stimulation need when they have no interest in the toys they buy them. The key in making your own toys -- other than making sure they’re not dangerous for your bird -- is incorporating you bird's favourite things into the toys. I find that a favourite amongst my birds is cardboard and cotton rope. They love chewing on the cardboard and fraying the rope (make sure to cut any frays on the toys). Every bird is different; you just need time to figure out what your bird likes. Below are some homemade toys and instructions on how to make them:

Spider Toy
Materials: Cardboard
Toilet paper tubes (unscented)
Straws
Shoelace or cotton rope
Instructions: Take some cardboard and cut them into squares, putting a hole in the middle of every one. Take some straws and cut them into different sizes. Take some toilet paper tubes, making sure it is unscented, and cut them into shapes (I made circles), putting a hole in the middle of each. If you want the toy to be like a spider, this is very easy to do. Take shoelace (unused) or cotton rope and fold it in half. Take another strip and do the same; you now have four "spider legs." If you wish, you can add more "spider legs" but I stopped at four. Now string the cardboard, straws, and toilet paper tubes together. You can make a pattern or just string them at random. Tie the ends of the shoelace/cotton rope and you're finished.

Bead Toy
Materials: Hardwood beads (available at many craft stores)
Cardboard
Shoelace (unused and clean)
Instructions: Cut the cardboard into squares. String the cardboard through the shoelace with beads in between to separate them. There you have it; a simple and fast toy that is sure to satisfy your bird's chewing needs.

Pear Swing
Materials: Small length of a Dell Stick (make sure it's not treated with pesticide or any chemicals)
Carpenters Knife
Beads
Cotton rope, raffia, or sisal
Instructions: Take the small length of Dell Stick that has not been treated with chemicals. Use the carpenter’s knife to cut a grove all the way around the stick about 2.5cm (1inch). String beads through cotton rope, raffia, or sisal. If it is cotton rope, make sure to cut any frays and make sure the sisal and raffia are 100% natural and not dyed. Make a "v" shape with the string and beads and tie the ends and tie each end to the dell stick slotted in the groves (to ensure that the string doesn’t slip off). There you go -- a good swing that will exercise your bird's feet, not your wallet. Please use a Dell Stick that has the appropriate length and thickness according to your bird’s size.

Toilet Paper Circles Toy
Materials: Toilet paper tubes (unscented)
Beads
Cotton rope
Instructions: Take the toilet paper tubes and cut it into three strips. Make a hole at the top and bottom of each toilet paper strip. String the beads through the cotton rope and put a toilet paper tube strip between the beads. There you have it - a toy for those toilet paper lovers. Make sure to replace the toiler paper once it's worn!

Sandal Toy
Materials: Dog Toy Sandal (must be 100% natural leather)
100% Vegetable Tanned Leather
Beads
Cotton rope
Instructions: Make five or so strips of cotton (about five inches long) and string beads, cardboard paper, and toilet paper through them. Take a dog toy sandal and string the cotton rope strips through the holes in the sandal. In place of cotton rope, you can use 100% vegetable tanned leather.

Popsicle Ladder Toy
Materials: Popsicle Sticks (washed and not dyed)
Plastic Beads
Bell (don't use the jingle kind as they can seriously hurt your bird)
Cotton rope/vegetable tanned leather/twine.
Instructions: Use cotton rope, vegetable tanned leather, or twine. String it with plastic beads and Popsicle sticks in an upside-down "U" shape. You can put a bell at the top to make the toy more fun but make sure the bell doesn't contain zinc or is a jingle bell.

Certain toy are appropriate for certain birds, certain birds will destroy these toys rather fast so they may be better for a bird of a smaller size. The toys showed above are suitable for both budgies and cockatiels (or birds of similar size). If the toy seems too big or too small for your bird, then simply adjust it to the appropriate size. Please watch for any worn down parts and replace them as it can endanger your bird. I hope the toys above will interest your birds enough so your wallet is saved, even if it's for only a little while! Making your own toys is very simple; all you need are safe supplies and a little imagination. Have fun making your bird toys and remember, what may look like fun to you may not always be the same case with your birds.

Answer 5

I have lots of toys for my bird but she would rather play with the cardboard rolls from paper towel etc

Answer 6

My question is what kind of birds? :-) Smaller birds, such as finches and canaries are happiest with perches and fake plants while geese and quail are happy with stuff to peck at on the ground. My Japanese quail LOVE their digging box !

Parrots have been broken down into 11 toy hogging groups, from chewers, to preeners to noise lovers. Some birds love puzzle toys (cockatoos are well known for escaping locked cages by picking the lock with their beaks...) while others, such as Quakers, love to stack and weave items. Others love stashing things into toys.

With this all said, there's several items that most of my birds love. You can incorporate most of these into home made toys.

**unstained Willow wreaths from a hobby store

**woven hats (usually woven grass) also from a hobby store

**Large beads used in kids' crafts

**paper towel rolls cut into rings

**Popsicle sticks

**unpainted/stained wood shapes from a hobby store

**Shoestrings

**cereal such as fruit loops and cheerios (Fruit loops are great for special treats!)

**untreated leather from leather or craft shops

**PVC pipes cut into sizes and connected with the connectors

**Plastic coat hangers

**pudding cups (make great home made bells for cockatiels and similar sized birds)

**cereal boxes and paper bags stuffed with treats and paper

**wooden dowels

**wooden spools

**tree branches hung up with shoestrings

**left over parts from old bird toys

**baby toys - use the heavy plastic stuff that kids chew on

**Plastic shower curtain hooks

**plastic storage trays

**hamster cages (can be used as a play pen of sorts)

That should give you a basic list of stuff you can work with. My birds love to destroy their toys, so most of the stuff I have is made of paper and easily shredded. The cockatiels go nuts for their pudding cup bells and my budgies love to move the paper towel rings over a perch when they're not busy putting holes in it. If you have larger birds, try large cardboard boxes, straws and plastic plant pots of various sizes. For large macaws, stainless steel watering buckets are supposed to be great bells :-) . Drill a hole in the top and through a stainless steel spoon, attach with stainless steal chain and voila - industrial strength bell!

Answer 7

rope, beeds, wooden things, shiny is good

Answer 8

WOOD...