New Owner of a 6 months old BFA

[Hawkins]

Hello everyone, I am a proud owner of a BFA and I have a ton of questions. what are the best toys? food? What tools do I use to start his training once I get him home. I started bonding with him in the store I got him from and I'm getting ready to bring him home soon. I am in the process of setting up his new cage/home and I want to get off to a good start. any info is welcome. Thank You

 

[Dopey]

My BFA - although older than yours prefers the homemade toys. The store bought ones he doesn't play with but the ones I've made from the $1 store he loves.

 

[Hawkins]

What do you make them out of? I was told you have to be very careful about the types of material you use. He has 1 favorite toy he shows off to me but im sure he will go through a lot of them. He has no interest in the other ones hanging in his home right now.

 

[Hawkins]

Very interest in learning any helpful tips

 

[Birdman666]

Mine liked things she could untie - like leather strips with beads on the end.

Things she could chew, like manzanita coins.

And food...

Primarily food though. She was very, very fond of food...

And she was the sweetest zon I ever owned!

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

I order toy parts from MSBS (mysafebirdstore.com) and pick things up at the $1 store, walmart, the bird store here in my area.

I don't have a BFA but I do have a zon and she does tend to prefer the toys I make versus the toys I buy already made.

 

[Hawkins]

He is always showing off to me this plastic funny shaped toy with little chains with dominos hanging off the end of it, totally makes me laugh. I guess its going to be trial and error figuring him out, He is very sweet, and I hope to keep him that way...... Hand fed then abandoned but we are working through that......

 

[Dopey]

I used a wiffle ball with a bunch of baby toys hung from it. You can use sisal rope to hang them from but I used paper rope that you would tie up packages with (I don't remember what it's called). I hung baby shower toys from it. My BFA also likes the sea grass mats that are sold. There are a lot of ideas in the DIY forum.

 

[Hawkins]

Store owners said he was wild but he seems to have taken a liking to me. Cant wait to get him home. His name is Chester

 

[Hawkins]

Thank you for the tips, I will defiantly look into them.

 

[Kiwibird]

My BFA - although older than yours prefers the homemade toys. The store bought ones he doesn't play with but the ones I've made from the $1 store he loves.

Yup! They are like little kids in that regard. Buy them a $50 toy, and all they want to play with is the box lololol. I suggest checking out the DIY thread here for toy making ideas. You could go bankrupt buying the amount of full priced toys a parrot can chew through. They are like little woodchippers and find destruction enjoyable lol.

I forgot to add- My BFA actually does like store bought acrylic toys, especially foragers he can see through so he knows the treat is in there. The big ones that are made for zon sized birds are expensive as all get out, but definitely worth the investment as they can't be destroyed. Foraging is EXTREMELY important to a birds well being, so you'll definitely want a couple foraging options. All forging means is they have to work for their food, which simulates their natural activities (they spend most of their time in nature looking for food). In captivity, they need a food dish, but treats can be placed in foraging toys to get their brain working and play into their natural instincts. There are 2 types of foraging toys- the acrylic "puzzle" kinds I'm talking about where the bird must solve a puzzle to get a treat (save those for once your bird gets more advanced), and the simpler chewing kind, where they must chew something up to get the treat (for birds to learn on).

 

[Kiwibird]

Store owners said he was wild but he seems to have taken a liking to me. Cant wait to get him home. His name is Chester

Chester may be "wild" in the sense he was parent raised and is not tame towards humans, but actual wild caught birds were banned from importation to the US in the 1990s. The good news is, while a little harder to tame, parent raised birds are typically more mentally sound in the long run and as they were fed by the parent birds, they form healthy immune systems from an early age.

 

[ImmunoGoblin]

Also, try going to a local thrift shop and picking up gently used baby/toddler toys. Run them through your dishwasher or otherwise give them a good cleaning, then voila! Safe, bright-colored stuff that will entertain a bird as well as a baby. Mine are particularly fond of the kinds of toys where you slide beads around a curvy wire.

 

[kimn818]

Hello and Welcome! We love pictures around here! I bet Chester is beautiful! I don't have any experience with BFAs but I LOVE making toys for Loco, my yellow sided GCC. Like others have said, he tends to ignore store bought ones and prefers home made toys! He especially loves anything he can shred! Good luck!

 

[Snabb133]

My BFA is also 6 months old!, You can check the pictures of her on my gallery.

She likes To chew on leathery types of toys, toys with soft coloured wood, vegetables/fruits that take long to eat, for example a pieces of Banana , Apple, Orange, a whole Chilli, pieces of Paprika. She will make a mess though. It's normal.

Just try to introduce different things that you think your bird will like and she will have a wonderful time!

Do post a picture of two of him on your Gallery, It would be very interesting to see him.