Got no ideas...

[BobbyAndBridie]

I have a fairly decent size bird cage, but there isn't much in there, pet shops are so expenives and even local stores can be too, they just make such a profit out of it.
Anyway i was wondering what things I could use that maybe I already have i.e things that would be lying around the house that I have not thought of. I'm really wanting a variety, any feedback is bettter than none at all.

[mskimber]

go to the diy thread there are some simple easy ideas there

[Budgietom]

I'd google it :) I am really bad at making bird toys. I get mine from the $2/reject shop. They are really cheap there :)

[Robin's Nest]

Oh, there's so much you can do! You are gonna have fun! There are things around the house, but spending a couple dollars at the craft store will get you a long way too. ;) I'd get some thin sisal rope or thin cotton rope. At the craft store you can buy a bag of plastic beads of various colors for a dollar or two. Then, string them and hang them - I like to just hang it in a single row (knot the bottom to keep the beads from falling off), and from around the house you can add some buttons that you may have around and are not in use! At the craft store you can also buy a big grab bag of metal shank-like buttons that you can use to string as well. Finally, you can take an old piece of clothing that you no longer want, cut off the buttons to use, and even cut small strips of fabric out which you will knot up and make like a 'kite tail' - - one longer piece with smaller pieces of fabric tied at intervals onto the longer piece. You can sew buttons onto the fabric if you want as well! (Those are just a couple ideas; I'm sure you'll think of more!) ;)

A great toy is a piece of birdie approved stick/branch from outside. Just clip a small skinny branch, and weave it in the bars of the cage. Maybe throw in a leaf or two - just make sure it is clean and a birdie approved tree and birdie approved leaves. For example, I use dogwood because I know the branches and the leaves are safe. Here is a website that might be helpful: http://www.busybeaks.com/wood.htm

[Keet1976]

I cut a bunch a strands of hemp string (bought from a craft store) put some knotts in it and hung it up and it is one of my birds favorite toys...you don't want it too long though...

You can rip strips of white printer paper and curl them with scissors or leave them straight and hang those up....

Also white cup cake liners can be strung up....

If you are looking for perches and swings you can make those out of the bird safe tree branches or dowel rods from craft stores....

Here is the link to the do-it-yourself thread http://www.talkbudgies.com/forumdisplay.php?f=45

[Whistle&Steve]

You can use some hemp string to string together some almonds of even better cheerios. You could also if you have so willow trees that have never been sprayed with pesdicides and you can cut off some little braches with lots of little branches braching off of it and bake it. Then just put it in the cage and they like playing around on all of the little branches. You can also take some twigs from the tree and bake them and then fasten them together with hemp string and make sort of a gyroscope swing. Birds like natural toys better than plastic toys. Or another toy that they'll really love is if you have a bendy rope perche, you can twist it into a spiral and hang it vertically from the top of the cage so that it dangles down.

[Tiger]

Another 'toy' I discovered, by simply first finger-taming Buddy and then seeing what he liked to play with of the things in our house - those plastic rings you find on the milk bottle after you remove the lid. You know how you undo the lid when you first open it, and the tamper-proof ring snaps off the bottom of the lid and stays around the neck of the milk bottle? Try and remove that ring, tie it with a piece of kitchen string and hang it from the perch or form the roof of the cage.

Also get the larger ring from the base of the lid of a Vegemite jar (or similar jar). It's bigger. I've also been collecting the milk lid rings and tied them to a Vegemite ring.

Can't get much cheaper than that! And they're getting A LOT of fun out of it. So am I, watching them.

[Demonique]

Another DIY toy I recently discovered....buy a bag of Raffia from your local craft store and braid a bunch of it into one long braid. take either thick paper or a piece of thin cardboard, and start sewing the braid in a circular direction onto the cardboard (holds shape) and add beads here and there. I made one the other day and gave it to my dad, and his JoJo just goes nuts over it!!! I knotted both ends, and sewed the first knot (center of toy) so that the raffia would stick out of the toy, and the end stuck out downwards with lots of raffia left unbraided.

I'm currently making another one (or 2 or 3 :o) for my own birds, will get pics of these ones to post

[aidan724]

The cheapest/easiest thing for me to do has always been to recycle my human kids toys. All those baby safe odds and ends I'm left with when the kids grow out of them. The most especially loved ones in my flock are the baby keys, toy connectors (those plastic rings you buy to attach toys to a stroller etc.) and the big chunky beads meant for toddlers. I have found tons of the above floating around my house, at yard sales etc.

[Babybreau]

Here's an easy idea to make flowers from coffee filters.

put a few drops of food color and a little bit of water in a few bowls then dipped the filters in. If you don't get the whole filter in the dye it kinda looks tie dyed.
Lay the filers out on towels to dry.
Then fold each one in half 4-5 times to make a narrow triangle.
Then snip the edges with regular and fun shaped scissors to make "petals". (You can practice this with plain white filters to see how it will turn out.)
Unfold the filters and lay 2-3 on top of each other. Then twist the middle from the bottom. Tie them at the base with raffia to hold them together.

PS> You don't have to dye it...

Also someone else here made "paper clouds" just cut thin strips of paper, curl strips with scossors, tie together and hang in cage.

[BobbyAndBridie]

Well i've been given all these ideas now i just have to get the time and energy to want to do it... should be good once i get started...
thanks heaps