Fun And Stimulating African Grey Toys

By Eugenia Dickerson


Birds in the wild spend their days in social and foraging activities. Birds in captivity need African Grey toys that entertain, stimulate, and simulate everyday parrot activities. African Greys are exceptionally intelligent. They need mental challenges and physical activity. They have the temperament of a 2 year old when it comes to tolerating boredom. Bored parrots will scream out their frustration. Feather plucking is another sad sign of a bored bird.

Toys should be rotated every couple weeks. Have activities for cage time, and activities for the playgym. Introduce new play things by playing with the toy yourself. Your bird will be interested and want to get in on the fun.

African greys love materials they can chew, shred, throw, or tear into pieces. They enjoy dangling parts and untying knots. Puzzles with treats inside are challenging and encourage normal foraging activities. Add to the fun with inexpensive games like hiding treats in wadded up newspaper. Offer fruits and veggies on a skewer-style rod. Attach a wiffle ball to the cage with rope or rawhide and fill with treats, veggies, fruits.

Caged birds shouldn't be perch potatoes. They need climbing structures inside their cage, and time spent out and about on a playgym. Parrots love swinging, dangling, and climbing. Ropes, chains, ladders, and swings keep your parrot active and healthy. Offer a hammock your parrot can retire to when tired or stressed.

Parrots enjoy manipulating objects and moving them from one place to another. A container of baubles, and another empty container is a simple way to engage and entertain your parrot. This is a great way to get more play life out of broken toys. Create new and novel toys by restringing broken trinkets and baubles.

Mix and match store bought and homemade toys. Just be sure homemade novelties are made with non toxic materials that won't splinter, shatter, or break. There shouldn't be any small spaces to trap beaks or talons. Never use toilet paper, felt, or plastic bags. Cardboard isn't recommended because it often contains glues. Dyes in colored newsprint can be toxic.

Check with your vet before using wood from your yard. Some are toxic to parrots including redwood, hemlock, and box elder wood. Safe varieties include maple, beech, apple, elm, birch, ash, poplar, manzanita, cottonwood, and dogwood. Never use processed wood products which usually contain paints and lacquers - very toxic.

Check ropes daily and remove when frayed. Birds can catch their beaks or feet in a frayed rope toy. Make sure hanging structures are secure so your parrot won't fall while climbing and playing. Only use stainless steel chains, not zinc or brass.

Size must be safe so parrots can't get their feet or beaks caught in the toy. Always buy play things and climbing structures sized appropriately for your parrot. Too small and they will break. Small pieces can be swallowed.

Caged parrots can't survive in the wild, can't explore the jungle, can't socialize with other birds. They need you to provide a diverse and entertaining environment that simulates normal activities in new and fun ways. African Grey toys can be bought from local stores, or purchased online. Provide play objects and climbing structures for swinging, climbing, dangling, tearing, shredding, and throwing.




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