Toys are essential to maintaining the physical and mental well-being of parrots large and small. Playthings help keep pet birds fit, while also fighting the boredom that can contribute to behavioral problems such as feather-picking.
There are toys your bird can hold, toys that hang from the top and sides of the cage, and toys that do double duty as perches and swings. Twirlies, holdies, chewies, puzzles and noisemakers can all keep your bird occupied. Although you can buy toys by major manufacturers from the big chain stores, it's also nice to choose from the variety of playthings lovingly made by a cottage industry of bird lovers that are available from independent bird shops, through catalogs and on the Internet.
Some basic rules apply when shopping for toys to ensure they are suitable and safe for your bird. Look for the following when choosing bird toys:
-- Materials: Toys are subject to your bird's healthy urge to destroy, which means safe components are a must. Wood, rawhide, plastic or stainless-steel chain, rope, cloth and hard plastic are among the more popular materials that make up safe toys. Choose toys that break down into pieces that can't be swallowed. An exception: Toys made to hold food items, such as dried corncobs or fruit chunks. With these, eating is a large part of the fun.
-- Construction: Challenging toys, the best choice for busy birds, feature pieces combined in ways that make it hard for the birds to pull the whole product apart -- but not too hard. Indestructible toys are not appropriate for most birds, because the time and energy used to rip apart the gadget is part of the reason toys fill such a need.
-- Size: Little toys for little birds; big toys for big birds. A big bird can catch and lose a toe in a toy made for a smaller bird, and small birds can get their heads trapped in toys made for their larger relatives.
Some birds are apprehensive of new toys. If yours is one of them, try to set the toy outside the cage (but within eye range) for a day or two, and then put it on the floor of the cage for another day or two. Once your bird starts to play with the toy, you can go ahead and attach it to the cage. (Stainless-steel split-ring key chains, available at any hardware store, are a safe, secure and inexpensive way to attach toys to cage bars.)
Don't overwhelm your pet with toys. Instead, keep two or three in the cage and rotate new ones in regularly. Shopping for bird toys can be fun, but the costs do add up, especially if you have one of those gleefully destructive parrots. With some creativity you can make your money go further by complementing store-bought bird toys with alternatives.
The cardboard cores of toilet-paper and paper-towel rolls are perfect for shredding, especially for smaller birds. String those tubes together on a thick leather cord and hang them in your bird's cage. Other cheapies include ballpoint pens with the ink tubes removed, Ping-Pong balls, old plastic measuring cups and spoons, and plastic bottle tops. (Wash in hot soap and water, rinse well and air-dry before offering such items to your bird.)
Toothbrushes are another bargain toy -- sturdy and colorful. You can buy cheap ones new or give your pet your worn ones after running them through your dishwasher. (Or hand-washing in soapy water, followed by rinsing and air-drying.) The hard plastic keys on a ring sold for human babies are also a budget-wise buy that birds love, and real keys can be just as fun, after a scrubbing.
Keep your eyes and mind open for playthings your bird can enjoy -- you may surprise yourself with the possibilities!
Q&A
Cats can be difficult
to keep off shelves
Q: I have many pieces of glassware and figurines that I've collected over the years and that are very important to me. After my sweet old cat died early last year, I adopted a kitten. She's much more active than my old cat, and loves to jump up on things, including the shelves with my collectibles. She has already broken one piece, and two more would have been broken except that they fell onto the couch cushions. How can I keep her on the floor? -- via e-mail
A: Practically speaking, you can't keep cats on the ground -- they're designed to leap and climb. And that's certainly true while your new companion is in the crazy kitten stage.
The best you can do is to display your treasures in ways that keep them safe or, at least, safer. You might consider moving your collections to a single room and keeping the door closed when you're not around to supervise. Glass-fronted bookcases are another option for keeping collectibles and cats apart. For objects that don't need to be on a shelf, consider hanging them on a wall for display.
Although it's probably best to keep your most valuable pieces where your cat can't get to them, other objects can be made safer from the wanderings of active cats. Two products that will help: Quake Hold or Museum Gel -- two putties that seal objects to their display surfaces. If you can't find them at your home supply store, check out catalog and Internet retailers. -- Gina Spadafori
Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.
THE BUZZ
Veterinary visits fall
because of economy
-- Do pets need vets? The struggling economy has people cutting back on many things, including regular veterinary care. A study presented at the North American Veterinary Conference shows that 63 percent of dog owners and 68 percent of cat owners are questioning the need for regular veterinary care. The study, funded by Bayer Animal Health, also showed that older pets see the veterinarian less often than younger pets. When pet owners do go to the veterinarian, they report finding veterinary expenses to be higher than they expected.
-- A recent report suggests that a dog can help fight a sedentary lifestyle. Researchers at the University of Virginia found that having a family dog can help keep teens more active. Teens in dog-owning families did about 15 minutes of additional moderate to vigorous activity per week. Although children and adolescents may not have primary responsibility for walks, they are more active in general when it comes to playing with the dog.
-- Xylitol, a widely used sugar substitute for human consumption, is increasing the risk of poisoning for dogs. The ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center reports more cases of Xylitol poisoning in dogs as the sweetener grows more popular. The APCC also notes that few people are aware of the risk, and are less careful to keep candies and gums sweetened with the product in places where their pets can't get them. Especially vulnerable are small dogs: Even a small dose of Xylitol can send a canine into hypoglycemic-induced seizures and fatal liver failure. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.