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Cheep Cheap!Aug 22 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Toys
The Bottom Line Keep your bird's safety in mind, and don't be tempted into buying expensive toys. Pets are easy to please.
We got our first parakeet as a birthday present, more than ten years ago. Me and my sister had been bugging our parents for ages...we really wanted a dog, like the neighbors. Said neighbors thought it would be too risky to give us a puppy, but considered a parakeet a safe gift, since it didn't need to be walked and wouldn't grow as old as a dog. When they showed up and the woman next door produced a small, squawking cardboard box from her coat pocket, we were puzzled first, but delighted when we found out it was our new pet. Since then, we've lost a number of birds, but my sister and parents kept buying new ones, and new toys for the new birds. So we have over ten years of experience with small birds and bird toys. We've found out that there are more toys than we'd ever have imagined, and that expensive doesn't always equal good. I will tell you about our experiences with a range of bird toys, such as: -Fake birds Our very first bird, Zorro, was alone, and we bought her (we found out later she was a she) a fake plastic bird. It had a ring which went around a perch, and a small weight to keep it upright, and had most of the colors and markings of a real parakeet. When Zorro noticed the strange bird wouldn't move or reply to her calls, she invented a new game: Flip Over That Dumb Bird!. She'd head butt it in the butt, which made it revolve around the perch. Apparently, this was so much fun that she tried this when we bought her a companion, Tweety, who was at first rather surprised at her trying to flip him over. After the baffled stage, he kicked her butt and she never tried to make him revolve around the perch again. Plastic birds give little social stimulation to the social creature that is your bird, and they don't move very much either. Mirrors are more effective, and so is a live companion. -Mirrors The term 'bird brain' wasn't invented for nothing. Unlike humans and some apes, birds don't know they are looking at their own reflection, and will regard it as another bird. They will spend hours trying to groom it, talking to it and trying to find them behind the mirror. The 'bird' in the mirror seems to move around and react to your bird, and it fascinates birds to no end. It may seem cruel to exploit the lack of brains of your bird, but the birds don't seem to have a problem with it. In fact, the late Tarzan (bird #5) had a great time humping his mirror:) Ropes Ropes are very popular with parakeets, and especially females love taking them apart.They can be used as a perch, but don't expect them to stay up for very long; parakeets may be small, but their beaks are the equivalent of tiny wire cutters. It's important to pick natural fibres and undyed ropes, as parts may be swallowed. Also, keep in mind that birds may become entangled in the rope when their nails are too long or if the rope is falling apart into threads, so keep an eye on their demolition work. Branches and twigs These help sharpen the nails and beak of your bird, and they can play with them, peel the bark off, eat some leaves etc. Just make sure there are no chemicals like pesticides on them, and don't leave all the leaves on. Eating too much 'veggies' can cause diarrhea. Ladders/linked rings These were popular with some of the birds, and especially young birds seem to enjoy winding in and out of these toys. For ladders, wood is best, but rings are hardly available in wood. Parakeets can chew up plastic if they want, but wood tends to hold out longer. Sometimes, ladders or linked rings come with little bells. Please realize that birds will ring these to get your attention, even when you're busy. They like noises, but do you? Food toys You were never allowed to play with your food, but your birds are! To give your birds some exercise, you can hang some food like millet or fruit from a string in the middle of the cage, where they have to climb down the string to get it. This way, they don't get too pampered, and it keeps them busy for quite a while. Treadmills Yes, treadmills. Our second hand cage came with a hamster toy, and we kind of left it in. Zorro enjoyed running in it, and she slept in it as well. She seemed to enjoy the curved shape supporting her body. Tweety, her companion, fought her for it, but when he got his own, he never actually used it. He was just jealous, and he, nor most of the other birds, actually liked the toy much. I guess it's a birdsonal choice. If you want to try a treadmill, get the kind that you can attach to the side of the cage, so the chance of your bird getting stuck between the actual treadmill and its support is eliminated. Parakeets are curious, and if there's a way to get stuck, they will find out. Decorative objects If your birds are allowed to fly around the room occasionally, you may experience your bird trying out some of the wonderful toys in your room. Zorro used to push several small decorative objects off the kitchen cupboards, her goal being to hit my mother, which would make an interesting noise. Make sure nothing fragile is left where they can reach it, even if it's just because they might accidentally fly into it. Of course, the best toy for a bird is another bird. Most birds live in groups in the wild, and they rely on each other for grooming and social interaction. If there is another bird available, your bird will pay less attention to its toys. However, if you keep only one bird, toys are essential to keep it happy and active. Our birds preferred things like twigs and pieces of string over expensive toys, so I'd suggest you try the cheap homemade things first before you head for the pet store.  |
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