Brendon. Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I haven't really had much of a chance to contribute to this forum so I thought I'd give it a shot. Being a full time student, I don't have a lot of money to spend on new toys all the time, so I've resorted to making a lot of my stuff on my own. The nice thing is that you can use basic things from around the house, while also keeping track of what your bird is getting his hands on. You can also reuse pieces from toys that have been destroyed or are no longer of interest. Anyways, these are some of the toys my bird currently has. If you want instructions on how to make any of these, I'd be happy to post them. I'll also post some newer toys as I make them. I'm sure a lot of this is redundant and you guys have seen a lot of it before, but if it helps someone out, I guess it's. worthwhile. Swinging toy (mine loves this because of the chimes) Shredding / foraging (egg carton and cardboard tubes) Foraging / Random -- Can be refilled with essentially anything Preening - made by feeding straws through a pencil sharpener (you end up with "spirals") Favorite hand toy - made by feeding string w/ beads through holes in a bottle cap Mobile -- made with holes in pieces of wood, tied together. You can hang whatever you want here. Random wood toy Foraging wood toy -- made by drilling holes part of the way through on either side of tips of a cut up 2x4 (they give them away at the hardware store for free). You can stuff nuts or whatever you want in the holes and it takes a long time to get them out. You can also obstruct the holes with string, beads, fabric, etc. to make it more difficult. I have several variations of this toy as they're so easy to make differently! Here is the front and back of one of them: I know these might seem extravagant or difficult to make, but none of them took me longer than 20 minutes, and I usually make them in front of the TV. They also last a while so you only need to make new ones every few weeks. Here is a list of common, around-the-house stuff I've used to make successful toys in the past. I generally keep a basket somewhere in my kitchen and just collect miscellaneous parts throughout the month. Other items can be purchased from the dollar store for really cheap: - Cardboard tubes (paper towel, toilet paper, industrial toilet paper (larger and thicker) - Shoelaces - Popsicle sticks - Tissue paper - Construction paper - Thread spools - Cotton, sisal, polyester rope, so long as it's untreated - Egg cartons, random cardboard boxes, etc. - Wood! Use cut up pieces of kindling for fires or 2x4's (usually pine) - Bottle caps - Beads - Empty film canisters - Tissue boxes - Straws - Margarita beads - Buttons - Old cut up clothes (I used sweatpants) - Legos - Puzzle pieces (cardboard) - Large nuts with holes through them (ex. walnuts) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWIX Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 OMG, this is super cool! You're good at this. I must start doing some for DJ, i have loads of junk here and there. Well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I especially like the repurposed egg carton. Great ideas and fun toys you have put together. One of the very best parts I love about your photos is that you are showing the cherished, well loved, used toys that have already proven successful. Great job on the toys and thanks for sharing your ideas with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWIX Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Brendon, you inspired me to do this (Just finished it now): Thanks for the inspiration, i know it's not as good as yours but it's the first one i made for DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kave70 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I love your creativity. You're giving me great ideas. Thanks so much for sharing the photos.... pictures really help me with ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amali Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Good job - way to be creative Amali seems to love toys I make for her so much more than store bought toys ... probably because she gets to "help" make them I would warn you about a couple different things I see. 1. Using the caribiner to hang toys - these have been known to get toes pinched and there is a chance for a bird getting stuck in them. I'd only use these for toys that you have available when you are there to supervise. 2. The split rings (key chain links) - again, same thing. I've read horror stories of birds getting caught in these. Make sure any of your metal pieces are either stainless steel or nickel plated - any metals with zinc are toxic. Unfortunately, zinc plated metals are also the most common to find so make sure you know what you're using. Lastly, make sure any leather strips you use are vegetable tanned leather - using leather laces like shoe laces from the store are NOT safe for birds as they are chemically tanned. Making toys at home is definitely cost effective. I order toy parts from mysafebirdstore.com rather frequently and use stuff around the house as well. Just always pay close attention to making sure the materials won't harm your baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Great job! You have some wonderful toys there. Especially love the straw idea! Toys are so expensive, you helped a lot of us spark some creativity! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I really like the wiffle ball toy. How ever did you get the large ring through it? I have a large ring and can't bend it at all. I have to agree with Amali on being careful what you use. Those sparkly beads that you cut from a strand are just painted. My sons quaker started to chew off the paint so I had to take them from her. Since those beads aren't designed for kids they aren't required to be lead free even. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon. Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 How ever did you get the large ring through it? It took a lot of maneuvering lol. Because it is such a large ring, I was able to pull it apart fairly wide first. I have to agree with Amali on being careful what you use. Those sparkly beads that you cut from a strand are just painted. My sons quaker started to chew off the paint so I had to take them from her. Since those beads aren't designed for kids they aren't required to be lead free even. I have made a point to be very careful with all of the parts I use. The only beads I've bought are labelled as lead and BPA free. I also always monitor my bird for the first couple days of having the toy just to make sure he isn't ingesting anything harmful. This is obviously the case with leather strips (always vegetable tanned, got them from a bird store). Good job - 1. Using the caribiner to hang toys - these have been known to get toes pinched and there is a chance for a bird getting stuck in them 2. The split rings (key chain links) - again, same thing. I've read horror stories of birds getting caught in these. Make sure any of your metal pieces are either stainless steel or nickel plated When it comes to things like the carabiners and keychain links, I always boil those before using them anyway, but it would seem that my bird doesn't even touch them. I have supervised him with all of his new toys, and he never even looks at what they hang from... they're mainly used just for hanging the toys. I'm always very careful as to where I place the toys too, as if the carabiners are "above" the toy it's unlikely that my bird will be sticking his feet in them as he stands on his perch. It is still always of paramount importance to watch how your bird plays with his toys, but there are inevitably going to be some small hazards in anything you put in the cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeblizered Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I haven't really had much of a chance to contribute to this forum so I thought I'd give it a shot. Being a full time student, I don't have a lot of money to spend on new toys all the time, so I've resorted to making a lot of my stuff on my own. The nice thing is that you can use basic things from around the house, while also keeping track of what your bird is getting his hands on. You can also reuse pieces from toys that have been destroyed or are no longer of interest. Anyways, these are some of the toys my bird currently has. If you want instructions on how to make any of these, I'd be happy to post them. I'll also post some newer toys as I make them. I'm sure a lot of this is redundant and you guys have seen a lot of it before, but if it helps someone out, I guess it's. worthwhile. Swinging toy (mine loves this because of the chimes) Shredding / foraging (egg carton and cardboard tubes) Foraging / Random -- Can be refilled with essentially anything Preening - made by feeding straws through a pencil sharpener (you end up with "spirals") Favorite hand toy - made by feeding string w/ beads through holes in a bottle cap Mobile -- made with holes in pieces of wood, tied together. You can hang whatever you want here. Random wood toy Foraging wood toy -- made by drilling holes part of the way through on either side of tips of a cut up 2x4 (they give them away at the hardware store for free). You can stuff nuts or whatever you want in the holes and it takes a long time to get them out. You can also obstruct the holes with string, beads, fabric, etc. to make it more difficult. I have several variations of this toy as they're so easy to make differently! Here is the front and back of one of them: I know these might seem extravagant or difficult to make, but none of them took me longer than 20 minutes, and I usually make them in front of the TV. They also last a while so you only need to make new ones every few weeks. Here is a list of common, around-the-house stuff I've used to make successful toys in the past. I generally keep a basket somewhere in my kitchen and just collect miscellaneous parts throughout the month. Other items can be purchased from the dollar store for really cheap: - Cardboard tubes (paper towel, toilet paper, industrial toilet paper (larger and thicker) - Shoelaces - Popsicle sticks - Tissue paper - Construction paper - Thread spools - Cotton, sisal, polyester rope, so long as it's untreated - Egg cartons, random cardboard boxes, etc. - Wood! Use cut up pieces of kindling for fires or 2x4's (usually pine) - Bottle caps - Beads - Empty film canisters - Tissue boxes - Straws - Margarita beads - Buttons - Old cut up clothes (I used sweatpants) - Legos - Puzzle pieces (cardboard) - Large nuts with holes through them (ex. walnuts) Hello, I think your ideas for creating toys for the birds are fantastic.The pictures posted speaks for itself.I am also happy to see the long list of other toys mentioned by you.Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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