Mop Head for toys

[Lacey6116]

Hey guys

I'm really not a creative person, but have decided to have a go at making some toys for the birds. I was thinking that instead of buying rope and drilling holes into dowel (hubby wont let me use the drill!) that i could just buy a mope head and thread the beads on the that - would that work ok do you all think? or is the mop head some sort of no no for budgies?

[chinchilla]

sure i don't see why not. the things i would consider is if the mop has been treated with anything that is potentially poisonous to the budgies, and make sure the mop threads are made of a natural product, like cotton or wool. and lastly don't have long lengths of mop thread as the budgie can become entangled in it and cause serious harm or even kill them if its around the throat. i think the recommended length is 5 cm of rope or thread for budgies. anyway good luck and send us pictures :D

[tstmard]

I would be sure not to leave any hanging at all in fear they would get any body part stuck in it. I personally use hemp string which works great, they can't get caught in it, and they love to preen the ends I leave hanging down.

[califjewls]

I would also be concerned about how they treat the mop, I believe some of them are bleached? Not sure though, I would also say they are pretty good size a bit bigger than a normal budgie toy. I would also be concerned that their toenails may get caught in that type of material. I would also be concerned that they could ingest the mop because those mops seem to fray. It may be safer to purchase inexpensive mini rope to create toys. Good luck creating!

[atvchick95]

you'd be surprised at what toys you can find for birds in the dog and cat toys!, i shop at the Dollar tree and dollar store Alot and have gotten most of my toys from there, also at walmart at the checkout lane, check the racks , i was there one day and looked down and they had a decent sized box of dog/cat toys for 88 cents I bought 2 for my lovebird, one's a pillow that squeeks that has rope at both ends (intended for a dog pull toy) and the other is a dog made out of rope and tennis balls, Roxy loves them both.

I was at my local pet supply store yesterday and saw a dog toy its a fiqure 8 rope (for a dollar) and I'd just got done looking at a website for making your own toys and it was one of the items needed for a toy

here's the website (im not crafty either but all my birds love string and beads they have TONS of beads and string LOL)

http://www.cheepparrottoysntips.com/toyindex.html#coconut

[Lacey6116]

thanks everyone - decided not to go with the mop to be on the safe side. Just got back from the bargain shop and bought lots of bits and pieces - beads, string, leather straps, ice cream sticks - so if it all doesnt end too disatrously :o i will post some pics