subject: Toys For Tiels-6 Great Toys For Your Pet Cockatiel [print this page] Cockatiels are small size parrots that have winning personalities. They are incredibly intelligent and are far from just another beautiful bird. They are high energy and fun to be around. And keeping them happy and healthy emotionally depends on your providing a variety of stimulating activities.
Providing and rotating safe yet exciting toys is an excellent way to keep your bird content. Here are 6 suggestions for toys that fit the bill on every level.
Edible Toys-Millets, pinecones that are stocked with a variety of fruits, nuts and seeds, organic wheat grass, flaxseed sprigs are just a few examples of treats that can be hung in the cage to make life fun and good tasting for your Cockatiel. Mineral block toys are also a great way to provide necessary vitamins and minerals for those birds that choose to ignore the cuttlebone.
Perches-This is a fun way to provide exercise for your bird's feet, helps trim their nails and beaks naturally, provide an opportunity for them to chew, and depending on the composition can supply them with essential minerals such as those made of cuttlebone. These have a very natural look to them and will make your cage more picturesque to humans and more natural to your Tiel as well.
A variety of sizes are always available, so be sure to select the one that's right for your bird and your cage. Your bird will love a platform or shelf that they can sleep on or use when they are ill or if they are handicapped in some way.
Sounds--Every cage and bird area needs toys that make sounds--bells and beads are favorites. Small parts should be removed or securely fastened so that there is no possibility that your bird can choke on them.
Foot Toys--They are probably more accurately described as foot and beak toys because they require your bird to use both to play. Many contain materials for shredding that are colorful, flavored, and refillable.
Swings--These are a favorite because they probably feel like tree branches swaying in the wild. Swings that have safe objects of different textures that are colorful and chewable serve a dual purpose.
Forage--This is an instinctive skill and these kinds of toys will make use of this skill that they might otherwise lose in captivity. The motivation for these toys is the food inside. This will encourage your bird to spend many enjoyable hours trying to figure out how to get it out. This uses their intelligence and reasoning to solve the problem for a tasty reward, and can occupy their interest for hours.
Have several or 4 that you can rotate in and out the cage as well as providing a variety of treats inside each time. Always make the treat one that your bird feels is a "must have". Make sure woods and materials used are certified as bird safe, and that links or rope used to hang the toys are tight so there is no chance of feet or beaks getting caught.
