As parrot lovers and potentially owners, we all adore our joyful friends who are always greeting us entering the room or replying when we speak to them. We try to create the best environment for them in our homes, making a part of it their home too. Would parrot toys be part of that environment?
But simply getting them a cage and some food, placing them under our roof and keeping them safe from the neighbor’s cat might not be enough. Even if our bird has always been among people and interacted with other parrots of the same upbringing, it does not mean that it lost the instincts of its fellow wild counterparts. Think of the daily routine your parrot could have in the Australian tropical rain forest, African tundra or South American jungle.
For this reason it is important to keep our buddy active and mentally stimulated as much as possible to ensure that it remains a healthy and social bird.
The more play, the smarter the bird
Parrots are extremely smart birds. Apart from reproducing human speech and different voices, simulating various sounds from their surrounding and being able to learn various tricks and responses to our commands, some parrots reply accordingly when spoken to in full and well formulated sentences, use their beaks to crack open wall nuts and prove an advanced ability of problem solving.
Parrots were not born in their cages originally. Even though we all know that, we tend to think that once a parrot is brought up as a pet all its life, it will get more used to humans and their indoors way of living. While this statement is mainly true, pet parrots have never lost their natural instincts of surviving in the wild: searching for food, finding a partner, building nests, etc. Of course all of these capabilities might manifest at lower degrees compared to a parrot in the wild, they are still there in our little friend’s brain.
Assuming the origins of our parrots, our responsibility as parrot owners and lovers is to try our best to reproduce and recreate the environment their ancestors once used to live in. We need to offer them an environment of daily challenges, adventures and fun while maintaining it safe at all times. And this is where the variety of the parrot toys for daily playing makes a difference.
Related:
Essential Steps on How To Clean Parrot Toys Safely: Healthy Play, Happy Parrot
Why Parrots Need Foraging Toys
5 Best PET PARROT Toys for Small Birds
The benefits of parrot toys
Parrot toys can be associated to the toys that we buy to our children. They love to play with a new toy every time simply because it is new, it might come in bright colors and therefore looks attractive and last but not least it can make various sounds when played with.
Toys play an important role in the daily routine and the development of the parrot. Among the benefits:
Toys keep your parrot active and engaged
Similarly to a child, toys are attractive to our pet parrots due to them being something new in their cages, brightly colored or joyfully jingling. However, in order to keep your bird engaged over longer periods, it might be a good idea to rotate the toys in its cage or simply take some of them away for a while and them reintroducing them.
Toys keep your parrot mentally stimulated
Some toys can stimulate the logic of your parrot (like the puzzle toys for example). It forces the bird to figure it out regarding what shape it has to pick, what color is the right one, which way to turn certain part of the toy or what is hidden under another layer of the material.
For every parrot a good match
All the parrots love to play and therefore will appreciate their toys. If your parrot does not love the toys you get him/her, it simply means you have not found the right one yet.
While parrot toys come in different shapes, materials, sizes and produce various noise levels, finding the one that suits your household and your parrot is the key. Important is to consider the size of your parrot. If you have a small parakeet or cockatiel, buying a toy that is five times bigger than the parrot will not be a good idea. That is because a toy so big will mainly frighten the bird and he/she will not want to come anywhere near it.
 | Wooden Bird Swing Perch for Small Sized Birds | |
 | K&H Pet Products Snuggle-Up Bird Warmer | |
 | Java Tree Minis Small Table Top Playstand | |
 | Nutri-Berries Pet Bird Food | |
 | Rope Ladder Bird Toy Attachment for Bird Cage |
More advantages of getting parrot toys for your little friend
While the main user and beneficiary of the toys is of course our beloved feathered cohabitant, you as his/her best human friend have also plenty to gain.
The parrot toys are a great source of boding with your bird. While playing, you are also spending quality time together, and that will result into a stronger connection in the long run.
Also, stimulating the development of your bird by getting the toys and interacting with the parrot more and more will make him/her more social. That means that the parrot will get more used to having people around, being open and playful with you and your family or guests.
Parrot toys – final note
Your parrot can have too many toys. If you see that your parrot’s cage is too full with toys that the bird does not have enough space to move, that is a sign of too many toys. The solution could be removing some of them and then rotating those with other ones currently in the cage. In this way you will manage to keep you bird engaged and moving more freely in the cage.
If your parrot destroys the toys that you bought with so much care and consideration, do not worry, that is a trait of a happy and healthy bird!
To all the Parrot Lovers,
Tatiana
Founder of Best Parrot Toys
Disclaimer: I am not a parrot expert therefore the information in this site represents my opinion based on my experience. Please do not make decisions based solely on my articles. It helps to do further research.
Like the blogs!
Regards Niels
Hey Niels,
Thanks a lot, appreciated!
Regards,
Tatiana