How Much is to Much?

Question

Okay, so like most birds my bird LOVES toys :) How many toys should be in her cage at once? When should I replace them? Should I buy a few at a time and rotate them? What kind are best for Lovebirds?

Thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

Too many is never enough.  Find out what kind of toys she likes, wooden, acrylic or whatever and load up on them.  It is always a good thing to rotate them.

Answer 2

I had dozens of toys for my lovebird and I'd rotate out 3 different sets, about every 3 to 5 weeks.  The set I replaced would be washed, bleached, rinsed, and dried in the meantime to be ready to use again later.  My bird had a fairly large cage, so I'd scatter them all around - some up high, some down low, some dangling midway, some hanging off the side, some hanging at the top of the cage.  Each set had a different swing and toys with lots of textures, lots of mirrors, and lots of bells.  My bird LOVED noise and loved talking to herself in the mirrors.  One of her favorite toys was a homemade one - simply a see-through plastic dixie cup, hung upside down about 2 inches from the bottom of the cage, with a bell up in it.  She'd get in there and mess with the bell and talk up a storm.  I think she liked how her voice sounded different up inside the cup.  Just make sure if any of the toys have strings that the strings can't tangle making a little loop or anything.  My bird got caught up in a "tangle loop" once and it took a bit of creativity to get her out without panicking her or being bitten by her.  I don't know if she was more angry or scared, but she allowed me to get closer to her than usual to free her from the toy.  From that point forward, no long strings on her play things.

Have fun, good luck!  

Answer 3

The amount of toys depends on the size of the cage. Your bird needs to be able to stretch both wings out & exercise without hitting anything. you might also want to consider a little toy box at the bottom of her cage if she's in there for long periods.

Answer 4

Wood or raffia toys are always great, no matter what kind of parrot you have; anything the bird can rip apart is always a good choice. Bells and mirrors are good, too; my first cockatiel had a toy that was three jingle-balls, like the jingle-balls you give to a cat that have little bells inside of them, but these were strung together and hung vertically from the top of the cage. I thought it seemed an unlikely toy for a bird, but he absolutely loved them. Sometimes he'd even play-fight with them and start cussing them out in 'tiel talk, like they were another bird and he was showing them who was boss. On a few occasions he managed to unhook them and throw them on the bottom--then he'd stare at them in shock and give these little, quiet chirps to show his concern. They certainly kept him entertained. I would try to avoid plastic toys, though--plastic can be very bad if the bird eats some, and plain plastic shapes, like rings or squares, don't seem to be very entertaining anyways. My other cockatiel came with a set of three rings linked together, and she never even paid them any attention. They didn't make noise, she couldn't see herself in them, she couldn't rip them apart--what was the point?

With toys that are meant to be ripped apart, try not to take it out just because it looks a little scruffy, the bird may be disappointed that you interrupted its "work"; wait until it is thoroughly demolished. On the other hand, when it comes to toys that aren't meant to be destroyed, you should definitely take them out if they look scruffy.

I would say that you have too many toys if the bird can no longer navigate its cage very easily; it should be able to climb/fly without bumping into toys all the time, or having to go out of its way to go around them.

You can also rotate toys every couple weeks, taking out the toys that have been in the cage and replacing them with a different set, to give your bird some variety. A lot of bird owners do this to give their birds some variation.

Answer 5

It depends how big your cage, your cage should have a cuttle bone a couple perches, it's food and water, and enough toys if you want lots to cover the space without them being cramped and bit being able to spread their wings. Any other qs you can mail me at [e-mail]  label it bird Q.

Here's a star :)

Answer 6

well honestly i think it depends on how much you play with her. If not to much lots of toys and rotate every other week. if you play with her a lot it may be hard to get her out of the cage. And the bigger the cage the more toys but if its small and you handle her... she wont be as bored... when it comes to the type of the toy i dont think it matters, as long as its the right size and not like macaw size lol (unless its like a rope). o and with prices of everything these days you may not want to buy all these toys i mean after all after so long you dont want the bird to have them if they look bad... or something lol