DIY Toy basics

Lets face it, bird toys are expensive, yet we must keep our birds entertained, so that leaves us with two choices. 1. Break the bank and buy these uber expensive toys, or 2. Make our own.

The first rule of toy making is,
Save everything. Every chewed block from the toys they already have, every chain, rope, and d-ring should be horded for future toys. You never know what will come in handy later. We have a large box filled with trashed toy scraps that we go through when we build new toys, it saves us a bundle.

Materials:
Wood is an important aspect of bird toys, birds love to chew on wood so make sure you use untreated pine for your toys. Other woods and treated woods can harm your bird.

Rope or chain are good ways to work your wood blocks together. If you use chain make sure the links are not so small that your bird can get his toe stuck inside a link, also if you have a smaller bird make sure the links are not to big where the bird might get his head stuck. If you opt for rope, untreated cotton or sisal ropes are a good choice, both can be found at the local hardware stores. (Some Sisal rope is treated with oil, read the package and when all else fails smell it, if you smell anything put it back and find something else.)

Beads can be fun for birds as well, but watch that you use a bead that is appropriate for your bird. You would not want to use small plastic beads for a Macaw or Amazon toy, the bird can/will break them and could swallow them.

If you want to dye your blocks of wood an efficient and inexpensive way is to use equal parts food coloring and rubbing alcohol. Just one dunk in the mixture will give your wood a rich color and the rubbing alcohol lends to quick drying.

The Wiffle Ball

Materials:
1 Wiffle ball (You can get these for a buck at any dollar store.)
Rope
chain
Wooden blocks
Plastic beads if you have them
D-ring
2 O-rings


For this toy I used a large Wiffle ball for my Cockatoo. First I took a section of chain and 2 O-rings and set them through the center.

Now, take the wiffle ball and thread different lengths of rope through the holes. I used sisal, which can be scratchy so you may want to wear gloves when you work with it. Slide blocks and beads onto each end knotting the rope beneath them. If you have the issue I have with knots being too loose Hold the knot firmly in your hand and pull down hard. Your loose knot should tighten nicely.

Trim any frayed edges and hook a d-ring to one of the O-rings in the center chain and you are done. If using cotton rope be sure to watch the fraying, keep it trimmed so your bird doesn't get his foot or toes tangled in it.

All the materials other then the rope were from old toys that my birds had already destroyed. You can pay upwards of $30 for a similar toy in the pet store.