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How to raise a happy bird.Feb 12 '01 (Updated Feb 28 '02) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Birds need toys for fun and for beak/claw health. Treat your flying friend to several inexpensive play things and watch him amuse himself for hours.
I don't know where the saying "bird brained" came from, but birds are actually very smart little fellow(ettes). Tweetheart (my budgie--commonly called a parakeet) knows just how to get all over Sugarcat's nerves, knows which bath robe has topstitching which pulls out easily, and can slide the cage door up a bit (but isn't strong enough to let himself out--yet). Bugies originated in Australia and are used to being with a community of birds and having lots of room to fly and lots of things to look at and play with. They are very social and curious creatures. Putting a bird in a small cage with food (not bread--but seeds with vitamin additives) and water and nothing else is like jailing him or her. You can imagine how unhappy a baby would be in an empty crib. Well, your bird is just as bored and sad when confined with nothing to play with. Also toys help keep your birds beak and claws in good shape. So toys can also keep your bird healthy as well as happy. There are loads of bird toys on the market--some for only around a $1.00. The smaller less expensive toys generally work fine for budgies which are small birds with low beak power. If you have a larger bird, then the more expensive wooden and rawhide/leather (untreated or vegetable dyed) toys are better, since a bigger bird may tear up and eat a toy. Birds love color and sparkle. Generally the brighter and tackier the toy looks, the more the bird will love it. Tweetheart esp likes hot pink and also bright yellow. He has a mirror toy with slide beads. He loves to move the colorful beads back and forth on the rail. Make sure the toy is smooth edged. Your bird can poke or scratch himself on hard edges. Speaking of mirrors, birds love to look in mirrors. Tweetheart will sing, chirp, and squak at himself in his mirror. He loves to fly over to the piano where there is a long mirror. He will strut and dance back and forth while looking at himself. Some people say that birds won't learn to talk if given a mirror. I'm not sure about that, but Tweetheart loves a mirror so much that it is worth the trade off to see him have fun. Sounds also attract birds. Do make sure that the clapper is in tight. If the clapper comes out, your bird might eat it and get sick or die. This is true of all small parts on bird toys. Check when you buy them to see that everything is connected tightly and recheck often, since birds can be hard on toys. When you hang the bird toys (some just slide over the cage bars) use cotton rope or closed-linked chain. Closed link chains that are made all in one piece and don't have the little spaces that could catch your birds beak or claws. Also check the cotton rope and replace when it begins to fray. Frayed rope could choke the bird. Rotate the toys in your birds cage. Wash and disenfect toys, put them away, and put in a new toy. Then break out the old toys again. It will be like Christmas for your bird--some new to look at and play with. When you buy a new toy, hang it outside the cage to start with and play with your bird and the toy together outside the cage. Birds have different personalities. Most toys will appeal to your bird, but a few may scare or irritate your bird. If your bird really hates the toy, then don't make the bird share space with the unliked toy. Birds are a lot like kids. They love to play and get excited about new toys (even old toys that have been put away and then reintroduced). Play with your bird and make sure his toys are safe and in good repair. Your bird will be a happy bird, and you can enjoy watching him clown around with his playthings.  |
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