Needing some ideas to move Kiwi towards “healthier” toys

[Kiwibird]

Kiwi has long loved baby toys, little plastic rattles and stuff and has never been a big fan of wood toys. Some plastics appear quite resilient to constant beaking and hold up just fine but more and more I’ve been noticing the hard plastics seem to just be getting softer and softer and quickly begin to appear ‘frayed’ at the edges and must then be discarded (which is also wasteful and not environmentally friendly since plastics are a terrible environmental issue). I want to move Kiwi more towards wood toys, which he seems not to like and/or find ‘safer’ plastics resilient to a parrots beak. I know acrylic is a possible option, but not all that many options for toy parts are available or they’re toys/shapes he isn’t particularly interested in. While I don’t believe him to be ingesting plastic intentionally, I am concerned (especially with his kidney issue) with whatever type of softer plastics theyre making newer baby toys from, he may be accidentally ingesting microscopic bits and/or ingesting chemicals simply through oral contact. I’m also concerned that most wood bird toys and toy parts use dyed wood and after his last round of kidney issues over dyed bits of food in his food mix, I’m more than skeptical to offer an assortment of dyed toys. Basically, I’m at a loss of what to give him that is safe and he’ll enjoy playing with. Big uncolored wood blocks just aren’t his thing, nor are most natural type toys I’ve tried. Also what kind of rope is a good alternative to sisal (gives me rashes whenever I use the stuff) and leather (ethical objections)? I’m thinking hemp maybe?

Gosh I used to be a toy making pro but now I feel like a complete beginner

 

[Wingnut]

If he ennoys shredding things have you ever tried something like this?
Natural Shredder Toy

 

[Kiwibird]

I’ve tried stuff like that before and it usually gets gross and dusty before it gets destroyed. And with most shreddable toys, they can’t be washed or reused once they get gross. He may give a halfhearted nibble here or there but is generally disinterested in destroying things. I have been reusing some wood beads for close to 10 years. Just wash them off and reassemble into a new toy. He’ll untie the knots and let the wood beads fall to the floor, and even then only if he’s in a knot untying mood.

It sounds weird, but he likes to “lick” toys, especially things with lots of texture and of interesting shapes (hence why I think baby toys hold such an appeal to him as they often have lots of texture and are interesting shapes, like keys or fruits). Foot toys or objects small enough he can carry them around seem to be the most preferred toy types. He doesn’t seem to enjoy big stationary hanging toys very much. He has a small plastic basket in his cage with all kinds of (big enough not to swallow) loose beads, buttons, little plastic objects.... and he’s always playing in that stuff.

 

[SassiBird]

Wood toys seems to be all about finding the right softness/hardness that your bird likes.

Have you tried silicone teething beads? It might be a compromise between plastic and wood.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NomNomTeethingCo?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=251377273

 

[Wingnut]

I completely understand what you mean with the dirtiness and dustiness of shreddable toys. My Lovebird (also named kiwi!) will sit for hours just shredding everything in sight.

I just looked up something kind of interesting...have you ever considered the "Kong" dog toy? From what Ive researched theyre actually quite safe, and if your worried just give it a good wash before letting Kiwi play with it? I may try this with my own bird! Haha.

 

[SailBoat]

Julio is not into larger pieces of wood and especially harder woods unless its a critical access perch that is difficult to replace. And the more difficult the more interest in chewing on it. His likes are different from Kiwi as he has no interest in plastic or plastic toys at all.
Julio loves paper, from construction to newsprint and this time of year, he loves IRS document booklets and also last years medical coverage booklets. Safe cardboard is another joy toy, but they have to have a peephole in it. I haven't a clue why, but that is the requirement.
Remember the big box lumber /hardware stores and the short-cut barrel. target the 'White Pine' trim boards. Its a fairly soft wood (finger nail can cause an impression). Julio enjoys pushing different sizes around and chews on them from time to time.
Finding something new is an ongoing challenge as he changes his interests during any given year. Some times a blast from the past gets new interest and other times nothing. Julio also has a bin and his hiding places in which different things are kept.

The joys of being owned by a Parrot! Especially big green ones!

 

[Kiwibird]

I will order some dye free wood beads/natural wood toys, but I doubt they’ll be well received. He also does have some plastic toys that are very durable I don’t feel I need to take away from him because they aren’t being damaged by his beak.

I poked around on amazon and found some stainless things he may like, including a stainless nut and bolt (says it’s 316 marine grade which from what I can tell should be safe), a comb, a key ring set and a keychain for babies... anyone see any issues with any of these objects? I’m trying to think outside the box and find safer alternatives to what he actually likes playing with rather than force what he doesn’t. I don’t want him to be bored or sad when I start taking away his favorite types of toys...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q9M4AI...olid=1CZYV9UV9WKC3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DFH52Z...olid=1CZYV9UV9WKC3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Wasn’t 100% on this one. I think he’d love the texture but I’d have to carefully inspect for any sharp edges- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R2N2Q...olid=1CZYV9UV9WKC3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

This one with the matching nut (by measurements, I believe it will be too large for him to possibly swallow): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077R1NY5...olid=1CZYV9UV9WKC3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Terry57]

April, have you ever tried using paper rope? I use this triple paper rope for some of my big guys:

https://www.spunkyparrot.ca/new-items/tri-paper-rope-spool-3-16/

Our Amazons all like different things...Dexter, the YCA, only likes vine balls to play with.
Slater, the OWA, will chew up some pine wood, loves Balsa and also loves vine balls.
Ki, the RLA only really likes vine baskets. I attach them to the side of the cage and he goes nuts for them. He will also occasionally chew up cupcake papers.

 

[EllenD]

If you do a Google search for something like "Natural Wood Baby Toys", you'll find all kinds of specialty toy making companies and privately owned stores that specialize in building nothing but all different types of baby toys totally out of nothing but natural wood, and there are a good number of them who use nothing but natural, untreated, undyed wood, or they only dye them with totally natural, organic vegetable and fruit dyes (fruits actually make much better natural dyes for both wood and fabric than Vegetables do, they use cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. and it works very well)...There are an awful lot of human babies/kids that are allergic to plastics, metals, and artificial dyes too, so there is a need for them. You can pretty much find any toy/shape made out of nothing but natural wood and dyes you can imagine...Or at least you will be able to get some great ideas so you can make/build/carve them yourself if you order the wood and such...

As far as safe, non-toxic, natural "rope", Hemp works great, I use it quite a bit, as well as different types of Burlap for fabric and what not...

 

[Kiwibird]

If you do a Google search for something like "Natural Wood Baby Toys", you'll find all kinds of specialty toy making companies and privately owned stores that specialize in building nothing but all different types of baby toys totally out of nothing but natural wood, and there are a good number of them who use nothing but natural, untreated, undyed wood, or they only dye them with totally natural, organic vegetable and fruit dyes (fruits actually make much better natural dyes for both wood and fabric than Vegetables do, they use cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. and it works very well)...There are an awful lot of human babies/kids that are allergic to plastics, metals, and artificial dyes too, so there is a need for them. You can pretty much find any toy/shape made out of nothing but natural wood and dyes you can imagine...Or at least you will be able to get some great ideas so you can make/build/carve them yourself if you order the wood and such...

As far as safe, non-toxic, natural "rope", Hemp works great, I use it quite a bit, as well as different types of Burlap for fabric and what not...

OMG! I had absolutely no idea they had baby toys made of wood that weren’t coated in some kind of lacquer or painted (which are the only ones I’ve ever seen). I don’t have kids so I pay little attention to toys beyond thrift/garage sale finds for Kiwi. It does indeed appear that there are lots of wood shapes that might appeal to the green sir and seeing how gentle he tends to be with his toys, I bet if he had interest in playing with them, they’d last a lot longer than with a ‘typical’ parrot. Thanks so much! I think with a few of his durable plastic ones that don’t “fray” along with some stainless options, he’d have a good rotation of toys I wouldn’t be concerned were hurting him

As long as I can find foot toys, I have little need for rope as he really never has been all that interested in hanging toys and prefers little baskets of foot toys. But I think I’ll order a roll of hemp and just trash the sisal. The fibers are so irritating to me, just rummaging around in the toy parts bin I have the roll in will cause itchiness on my hand and up my arm I’ve tried to use up the roll to not be wasteful but it’s just nasty stuff for me to work with and not worth it.

 

[SailBoat]

316 stainless is salt water resistant and is Parrot safe. The 1/2" eye would be an interesting toy and size will not be a problem. I would not get anything smaller!

Very minor concern with threaded products is that there maybe sharp edges on the upper surfaces of the threads. Marine grade rarely have such issues, but it is always important to check them. Simple to correct as turning the threats within sandpaper will remove the edge quickly.

Lots of great suggests above. Likely more Parrots than just Kiwi are going to enjoy new toys.

 

[Kiwibird]

Lots of great suggests above. Likely more Parrots than just Kiwi are going to enjoy new toys.

Let us know how Julio enjoys his new toys. I’m guessing he may soon be the proud owner of a large stainless nut and bolt?

 

[Kiwibird]

I am definitely ordering some of those stainless options (um, hello dinosaur keychains) but at Ellen’s suggestion of searching wood toys for babies, I’ve come up with more toys that will likely be of interest based on Kiwis known toy preferences (or at least I hope they will, still not sure where to find fruit dyed ones, so going to try some plain wood for now). I had no idea people gave infants wood rattles and teething things (?) but I’m glad they’re available and sets are on par if not a little *less* costly than large parrot toys:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KVL4HM...olid=1CZYV9UV9WKC3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H9V4MR...olid=1CZYV9UV9WKC3&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MJVS9Z...colid=1CZYV9UV9WKC3&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

So excited to order a few things and see how he takes to them! I plan to ruthlessly go through the plastic stuff today and get rid of all the softer plastics. I’ll also start another thread on my other experiment I’ll be trying with him- a more minimalist toy collection. It’s supposedly better for the toddler brain so maybe it’ll be better for my feathery toddler!

 

[EllenD]

I'm glad you were able to find some new ideas...I don't have any "human" kids either, but I the Rescue orders all kinds of pieces of natural, undyed wood and such from some of those stores online. It was actually one of the volunteers who gave them the idea, her son is allergic to everything I guess...

 

[Ezekiell]

Have you tried looking at My Parrot Shop (https://myparrotshop.com/)? It’s Australian-based but they ship worldwide. I’ve got a lot of my toys for Maui from them and they have a great selection; all handmade with some wood being dyed and some not.

 

[KawaiiTori]

Just a suggestion for some harder plastic toys...buttons! I got a huge bag of brightly colored plastic buttons in a variety of shapes and sizes at Walmart for less than $10...