casper Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Most of our Greys love to play with toys. These can be toys they can destroy, puzzle toys, musical ones which play a tune or make a sound when the bird touches a button, acrylic toys which are more difficult to destroy, foot toys, hanging toys, the list is endless! Many members of the forum also like to make their own toys as well. One thing is for sure, no matter what toy you choose they are an important part of your companions life! Not only do they promote exercise, they relieve boredom and provide entertainment for our loved ones. How many toys should I have in my birds cage? This can vary due to the cage size and owners choice. On average, I normally have 3-5 toys in the cage. Each grey has their own toy basket and I rotate the toys every couple of weeks just to make it more interesting for the boys. I also do this with their playstands. No matter which toys you choose for your Grey, always check the suitability. Most stores or websites will normally add a size guide to check if it will be suitable for your bird. If in doubt make sure you ask before you purchase. Dont be tempted to save some money by buying the smaller size! The guide is put there for a reason! Make sure that all toys are attached to the cage securely. Check all fasteners are closed and there are no fraying ropes. This must be done on a daily basis. If the toy is damaged in anyway, it must be removed for your birds safety. When purchasing toys or making your own, make sure the fasteners and chains are made of stainless steel and are zinc free. If using a stuffed toy for your baby, make sure it contains fabric and not small beads. Any toys you dont feel sure about leaving in the cage for example rope toys, put these in to a seperate play basket and only use these for supervised playtime only. Introducing new toys should be done slowly and over a period of time. Your grey may be nervous or fightened of these new objects. * Leave the toy at the opposite side of the room to the cage. Every few days, move the toy a little closer, play with the toy then put it back in the same place. * Once your bird gets more confident and seems to relax a bit more, if your bird seems ready, try and hang the toy on the outside of the cage. Increase the length of time each time you place it there. Always remember to move the toy before the bird goes back into the cage. * Gradually introduce into the cage, this can be done by leaving for a few hours when you will be able to supervise. * Slowly increase the time in which you leave the toy. Hopefully if this is done in stages, your grey will feel at ease with the new toy and will accept it into their cage. Remember, each Grey is different,some will accept new toys without any problems, others may take a few weeks. The important thing is to make it fun for your grey! Caroline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Caroline, this is a well thought out article written for the new owners of greys that will help them with their toy selection, heck it is even helping me as we all need reminders from time to time, thanks for going to the trouble of doing this for our members. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Yes, thanks Caroline. I am sure many members will find this very useful.Charlie falls in to the catagory of being totally freeked out by new toys and it usually takes 2-3 weeks to introduce most toys to him. Ironically its the toys I think he will be fine with that take the longest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 Many people have been asking about introducing new toys to their greys. This thread is just a quick read and may help those who have a grey which may be a bit nervous when introducing new toys or anything else new within the family home:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willotree Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 is it okay to have toys already in their cage from the time you get your bird? especially if the bird is very young and will see the toys all the time? willo will need 4-5 hand-feedings a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willotree Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 thanks for all the great info on toys! new here and i love love this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 is it okay to have toys already in their cage from the time you get your bird? especially if the bird is very young and will see the toys all the time? willo will need 4-5 hand-feedings a day. Yes, you should have some toys in the cage. Make sure they are small since your bird will be small. Save the big ones for later. I have a 6 yr old tag, and she only likes small toys still. She won't touch a big toy, sometimes I buy her parakeet toys and she loves them! Cheaper too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Talon has excellent advise. Also, start thinking about the play gym. Cage was important to Sophie, but her gym, was equally important. She came with a gym, have not been able to change her gym, but fix it. She prefers metal gym. My son is handy, has fixed her gym, over and over. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWIX Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Very nice feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieB Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Thank you Casper, I have a question: my Grey very like to chew on small little plastic bead (parakeet's toy size). Should I take those toys away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Luria Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 (edited) Not all toys sold for birds are safe for them, so a new toy should be a supervised toy, until you see how it works. If the bird shows interest but has no idea what to do with the toy, you need to do what you did with your children, play with it first and show them the possibilities. And, just like your children the toy you thought would be wonderful may not interest then as much as the box. I find that this can help with a toy that makes them nervous as well. Be careful to move the toy slowly so that they are not alarmed. I will kiss it and talk about it and hold it up to my face and show him that it is fun. I am enjoying the fact that Quinn seems relatively unfazed by new toys most of the time. I find that if I have it out side of his cage for a few days I will find him playing with it. I also find that a toy can just sit there for the longest time and suddenly it becomes the favorite toy because I moved it to a new location, so I rotate them between the cage and the manzanita tree and to new places on each. It has been fun giving new toys to Quinn, unlike my past experience with my husband's rescue Greys he plays with most of them and seems to get a real kick out of a new one once he has warmed up to it, some times that is immediate. I just got him started with the boing, he is 10 months old, and he looked at it with the, I'm not going near this thing look, and three days later I look up and he is on it. He loves it now. That surpeised me. It is fun watching them play with their toys and it is costing me a fortune. I have a ton of toys from another Grey we took care of I have a ton of toys because I couldn't resist buying them and I have a ton of toy parts too. I look through cat toys, dog toys, and baby toys as well and often find that they are later being sold as bird toys. I just got one that was a real hit for babies. Look at toys for sale to get ideas plus there are some sites that will tell you how to make them. I am off on a toy tangent. I used to sell children's toys so you tell I am fond of them. Edited February 19, 2012 by Casey Luria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieB Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Great, thanks again for those helpful tips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWIX Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 (edited) I have bought 4 new toys yesterday, put them on the floor and Twix came to them. surprisingly, he didn't panic or get scared!!! He didn't play with them while they were on the floor, but he did when they were in his cage. I think he didn't sleep all night as he was climbing up and down moving from toy to the other. Maybe Twix is different! He is a lion in a parrot skin lol Edited February 25, 2012 by TWIX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Very useful feedback! Thank you Casper! My baby needs 3-4 weeks to get used to the new toy. This is my biggest difficulty with her. Because of my 3y.o. son I can't leave her toys for long outside her cage and that increases the time before I can put the toy inside the cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariagarcia495 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Thanks for this informative article; it is helpful enough especially to those who want their greys always happy and familiar with each and every thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Sophie, doesn't like toys. I wish she did. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Luria Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Do you think that Sophie is afraid of them? If she is not afraid of them, it might be that you haven't introduced her to the right thing and given her enough time to get used to it. I introduce a toy the way I did with my children. I show them how much I like it and what they can do with it. With Quinn, I get better results with small things that dangle and there are a few bundles of wood that he really enjoys chopping up. I think he watched my other parrot having a good time with it. It does help them to see the possibilities. Also, where you put that toy in the cage makes a difference. Sometimes a toy that was being ignored in now place was discovered and played with when placed in another place. It doesn't make sense but it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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