Must Have Toys

[MandaRae]

Over the next few Months we are going to be collecting toys & looking at cages for an African Grey. I mainly bought for a Caique and since they are very out going and huge chewers I mainly got toys that were easily destroyed or made with paper our GCC loved the same type of toys. We have never had to buy large toys before so I am at a loss.

What would you say are your Must Have Toys/Items.

I am up for suggestions on types of cages also.

[Malaika]

Avian Adventure cages are very good, we've got those for both of our greys in the family. When it comes to toys, well, the "spiral rope" (check out Sarabi's blog for photos and video of the "spiral rope") is usually quite popular. It depends on the individual, of course, but our birds have lots of different acrylic toys in all kinds of colors, shapes and sizes. The "rope swing" is also quite appreciated. Take a look at: www.greyfeathertoys.com , for example, for some inspiration! Good luck on your cage and toy hunt!

[magni1]

Hi Manda, My greys like the boings and foraging toys. I also have nets set up, anything that has wood chunks also. Lisa here on the board owns the platinum parrot. I get aot through her. She has great boings, very well made. She even has good cages. My greys love trees so I will be going to NJ, to get some from Lisa. I have A&E cages but I also heard kings are very good to. Lisa carries all of them. My greys love foot toys to, they love the nuts and bolts. I am sorry to hear about pun kin, when I read it on the caique forum I was so upset. I had lost mine a month before your baby. I am going to get another in spring

[JSanta]

Other than the normal toys, mine loves rawhide. She has a couple of rawhide toys and spends hours going back and forth from the wood to the rawhide, to trying to steal our pens and paper, back to her other toys. We've also just bought some birdie pencils that she loves. When she steals a pen, we just give her that instead. We also have several foot toys made of all sorts of materials. She seems to enjoy playing fetch with us, but she's the one tossing to us! She also loves bells, and I would suggest that you look into one of the bells that they can't reach the little piece of metal in the center that actually makes the sound, as both of my birds make it their mission to get them to stop making the noise.

Greys can kind of be nervous about new toys, so I would certainly suggest that you introduce new toys outside of the cage. Mine seems to appreciate that.

[Tudorbug]

I have two King's travel cages and they are excellent, even drawing the compliments of the avian vet when my pair went in for heath checks.

I would ask Lisa (Platinum Parrot) of this forum for help on a cage. She was able to have them shipped directly to me and at an advantageous price.

I second above on toys that can be chewed into toothpicks by your parrot. For starters, I go out into the yard from time to time and clip twigs from a tree and put them in the cages in lengths up to a foot long. The parrots will stip the bark from the twig. I also buy from Lowe's or Home Depot a length of 4" x 1" and cut off short pieces about an inch long. These are pine and can be chewed into nothing by a parrot.

Then there are toys that are more permanent, many noted above, that are useful.

Very kindly, David

[MandaRae]

Thanks everyone these are great! I have a few books I am looking at any suggestions on those? I already have the basics "Good Parrot Keeping" & "Parrots for Dummies"
But I like to get books written for my specific Parrot also

Thank

[greycloud]

My grey loves bells and the yucca circles on a rope. He chews them right up. He is a great forager and loves anything along those lines, especially homemade. His favorite toys though are foot toys. The cardboard rings that come in different sizes and balls with bells in them.

[Elle]

My grey Rammie would be bored to tears without his baby phone. It's just a regular plastic phome for toddlers. It says numbers when you press the button from 0 to 9 in english, french and spannish. He has another phone that used to make animal noises until he removed all the buttons. He still like to chew on it though.

You want to get toys that are easily destroyable for immediate frustration release and you want toys that are harder to destroy so he can work on them over time.

[Lisa B]

thanks guys!

I have to admit, the greyfeather toys...tweedle is a must have. I do make orders for the shop from time to time and include internet orders with that. I should be doing another shortly or you can get one direct.

I personally have Avian Adventure cages and King cages for my guys.


Articles or books by Maggie Wright and try to follow Irene Pepperberg.
While alot of that is technical, it lets us know what our greys are
Capable of. Bobbie Brinker is good as well.
They are the leaders in the grey community. Thier work is species specific, and not general bird.
In my siggy I have a site dedicated to the health of our greys. you may find some good info there as well and my guest appearance on Ask the Bird Experts.

[MandaRae]

Awesome Thanks!! Boy I cant wait to get my Grey!! Hubby wasnt fully on board when I first started talking about a CAG but when we went to the show and that 2 month old baby Snuggled up to him he was hooked now he can't stop talkng about it either hehe!!