Ideas to make your own toys.

[abel]

I feel like making a toy. The only toys I've made so far. are to buy big toys, with a lot of stuff on it, and mix and match, and make a lot of smaller toys out of it. I want to make something new-- something different. Any ideas? What toys have you all made?

[Budgiekin]

I have bought gourds that I found in the hamster section of the pet store (they're shaped like a variety of different things like corn cobs, carrot sticks..and they are coloured too) and have strung them on some plastic "threads" along with some beads. My budgies love them. If I remember, I'll take a picture and post it! :rolleyes:

I have also taken grass (alphalpha), tied a bunch of it together with a string and hung a bell on the end of it. If I remember, I'll take a picture of that one too and post it for you to see. :rolleyes:

[abel]

Oh yes, I would love to see pictures. Those sound like great ideas! Thanks!:)

[Dinky]

The toys mine like best are made of natural hemp macrame' jewelry cord and some metal rings I found in the craft dept. I wound the hemp cord around 2 rings side by side very tightly to make them like one and then hung strings of the cord (about 4 or 5 pieces) on different places on the ring, hanging down a few inches. They love this!! Also I made another one from the same cord that was just a small tuft of strings hanging (about 3 inches long) with a large bead holding them together on top...They love to preen this one.

[abel]

These are wonderful ideas. How did you know the natural hemp was safe for budgies? I always want to make things, but I never do because I never know about that.

[Rosie]

Well, I kind of put this link on lots of other threads :p but I get ideas from a toy making site where people submit their ideas on their birds favourite toys, games etc:
http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/ideas.htm

[Dinky]

I just figured the hemp would be ok as it is a natural fiber and is quite strong so it's been holding up pretty well. I always choose natural things over synthetic if possible. I made another toy out of plastic laceing and some wooden parts from old toys thinking they might like it because it is very colorful and dangly....I've never seen them touch it. In fact I've never seen them touch much of any of the plastic toys. I think I'll be taking the rest of the plastic ones apart and re-doing them with the hemp so they might like them.

[abel]

Well I know hemp's okay now, huh?:) Thanks Dinky. With the link that was provided (Percy n Millie), I feel like I hit the jackpot! That's a great site! Thanks mucho!!:)

[Blue Moon]

I have made a toy with a combination of shinny keychains, crosstiching thread and rope with beads. I dont know if Moon will like it because I just made it and put it in her cage while she was out.

[abel]

Did you put any keys on the keychains-- birds seem to love keys!

[Budgiekin]

Here are some pictures I took today of a couple different toys I have made. They all use plastic gimp.

http://i5.tinypic.com/20p4oxt.jpg http://i5.tinypic.com/20p4sp2.jpg http://i5.tinypic.com/20p4tj7.jpg

[abel]

Wow, those toys are great. Thanks for going to all the the trouble!

Anna Belle

[Tiki<3Polly]

I have made a couple of toys myself and they just love them ...i made this thing that is a little bowl and put a bell on the bottom and filled it with seeds mixed w/ peanut butter! my cockatiel LOVES it!!!!!! For my keets, i made one thet had shapes on it from a toy they distroyed and they bang it against the perch for hours!:D

[abel]

Sounds like a possibility!:)

[HollyT]

my budgies love to chew up balsa wood. I've found a great resouce for untreated planks and dowels of it too! A.C. Moore arts and craft stores here in Virginia. Easy to cut and the budgies chew it up..

[jayjay]

jay loves raffia. i use to use a lot of gimp but he didn't care much for it. made a swing out of a dowel and braided raffia and while he doesnt go on the swing much, loves to bite at the raffia and edge of the dowel. i also just hang a few long strands in the cage which he likes to play with. he has no interest in the plastic toys i bought him though. seems to only play with the things i personally make. hahah. he gets excited if he sees me making things out of the cage.

[abel]

My birds like the braided perches too. What exactly is rafia?

[Mr. Pretty Bird]

I made a toy with a bell and yarn- I hang it from the perch and Spike loves to lift up the bell, kind of like weightlifting!!

(Yeah, that's rght. My budgies are in shape:p .)