Elevate your bird's playtime by incorporating our carefully chosen baby play toys, which more affordable and will keep your bird entertained
There are days you’ll stop at your local store and just marvel at how diverse baby toys have gotten. They are also more affordable than bird toys since they are mass-produced.
As such, it’s not odd to wonder if baby toys are Ok and safe for your birdies.
Well, mostly yes!
Off the top of my head, I would think since they are made with safe paint (and rated for use) by babies, they’d be Ok for parrots and other house birds.
Most will provide hours of entertainment for a fraction of the price of actual bird toys sold in pet stores or online websites.
However, please note that while teething toys are made for chewing on and can hold up well, most baby toys are not designed for tearing, shredding, and possibly eating like typical bird toys and will get damaged quite easily.
Moreover, anything with a noisemaker (electronic or mechanical) will pick the curiosity of your bird but might irritate some. Plus, most are made such that kids don’t get to the batteries, but parrots will with a few well-placed bites.
Parrots come complete with the tools and strength for bypassing any security measures on electronic baby toys.
I would also be careful with stuffed toys with threads or parts that may snare a toe or strangle your bird.
Please more insight below.
What Kind of Baby Toys Do Birds Like
While birds appreciate some baby toys as much as they do typical playthings, not all items provide the same excitement or interest.
Plus, the safety of each kid toy is different…
…but overall, all birds love colorful, reflective, fabric, noise, paper, wood, foam, and bead toys.
As such, some pretty simple kids’ items will stimulate your birdie and keep it busy.
For instance, plushy baby toys like foam mats are a favorite for many birds. These soft plastic blocks that you’ll readily find in thrift or dollar stores for next to nothing work magic.
Foam toys help reduce stress and boredom and provide varying textures that encourage both foot and beak exercises for your birdie.
C-hooks and clips chain links are other simple baby toys that provide sprightly stimulation for birdies.
Conveniently, these links can be used along with foam blocks to create a colorful rainbow hanging and chewing toys for parrots.
C-Hook chains also make perfect and colorful hanging bridges, swings, and bells, ideal for small birdies such as parakeets, cockatiels, budgies, green cheek conures, and lovebirds.
Dangling, jiggly baby toys will certainly interest your birds as well, especially if they are colorful and make a sound of sorts. Such toys will capture your parrot’s attention and even excite a lazy or shy bird.
Other things I’ve seen work exceptionally well are battery-powered toys such as a baby piano. The sound it makes picks a bird curiosity and can interest it for hours.
The only downside with a kid’s piano (and other electric toys) is the wrath of a parrot’s beak and claws. Most of them will go to long lengths to break into the gadget while trying to investigate where the sound is coming from.
Any baby toys that are natural fiber such as wood and ropes made of cotton, hemp (Jute), or sisal are arousing to birds as well.
But please note that while it’s Ok to let your birds chew on wood, it’s not so for rope, though most parrots will anyway.
Fabric toys such as cotton are also ideal for your birds, though precaution should be taken because birdies often get entangled by treads.
For very active shredders, paper toys are equally ideal for stimulation.
Lastly, consider bead toys. They are exciting for birds.
Can Birds Have Stuffed Animals, Toys
An environment filled with toys is ideal for any bird. Moreover, it’s advisable to have a few shreds of paper for your parrot to tear.
However, regarding stuffed animals for your little shredder, different birds tend to react contrarily to them.
Some birdies like them and will even cuddle up with a stuffed toy and preen them, but others will immediately fly off to their cage at the mere sight of a plush toy.
If you are lucky and your birds love a stuffed animal you bring home, it will bond with it so much so, your birdie gets less lonely.
In case you are having a little challenge with your birdie loving an awesome stuffed toy you got him, you can try cuddling the toy for some time to transfer your scent.
🧐 Odd as it may sound, you’ll want your bird to believe the toy carries your character and represent the same trust and esteem its holds you with.
That said, most stuffed animals are mostly safe in terms of the material used to make them, considering they are safe for babies.
The only concern would be your birdie chewing on it.
You see, most stuffed toys are put together using threads, and if a bird chews it, stray strings risk looping your birdie’s claw or neck, which is not at all fun for your feathered mate.
So, I advised precaution if you offer your bird a stuffed pet. Only let him play with it when supervising him.
Are Plastic Toys Bad for Birds
In the world today, plastic is almost synonymous with toys of any kind, whether for your kid or pets.
And granted birds require a lot of stimulation to stay healthy and sane, it’s almost inevitable to wonder if plastics are really safe for birdies.
Well, sharp, brittle materials are hazardous to birds and all pets…
…but other than that, plastic is, for the most part, safe for birds, though a little caution is advised for larger birds with stronger beaks, such as macaws and African greys.
To the best of my knowledge, plastic toys usually don’t have any residual chemicals ingestable or that can be inhaled by birds, but cut edges by strong-beaked birds can be swallowed and result in ruptured organs.
So, when purchasing toys for your birds, make sure the plastic components are durable enough to withstand any bird’s beak to reduce the risk of shattering and ingestion.
Is Form Safe for Birds
As with plastic, your bird could ingest form pieces and end up with digestive issues. Away from that, some foam play shapes can leach residual chemicals that are harmful to birds in large amounts.
Be careful with small letters and shapes that are easily chewable as well.
Other than that, form toys rated safe for birds and babies should be Ok for your feathery lord.
For the more curious keepers, it also helps to know what kind of foam your bird’s toy is made from. If the products don’t sound like something you would let your bird consume, don’t give the toy to your pet.
If the form toys have a strong smell to them, it implies the production process included plenty of chemicals, so you may want to avoid such toys.
Happy Birding 🐦🦉🦜🦢.