Christmas is coming & this may be a good time to give your birds some new items. Remember not all birds are immediately receptive to new items in their cages or nearby. I have had some I have had to keep the new item 10 feet away from them for a few weeks. Pick it up & look at it & then place it a little closer each day before I could put it in or on the cage. This is where knowing your bird is the key.
There are a variety of toys & misc things we can get new for our feathered friends that live with us. Some birds like toys they can chew or hang from, some like to shred toys (lovebirds & Conures usually do). Some like toys they can snuggle against. Cockatiels seem to like color a lot & beads or rounded items on toys. Years ago I had a lovebird, (shown in 1st photo) a Parakeet & a Cockatiel who liked to hang out on a few sheets of newspaper on my living room floor & pick up or move around a bunch of toys. These 3 birds didn’t live in the same cages, but played in the same area well together. Their toys were of similar size & shapes, but it helped me to see which bird liked which types of toys best.
Some birds are very smart & are able to learn tricks like the above toy where they can take off the rings & put them back on the peg. Larger birds need larger sized toys & smaller toys for smaller birds. Know your birds ability to chew/destroy items & always monitor them with new items. My small birds enjoyed the small plastic cat balls with bells in them. I would watch them to be sure their beaks didn’t crack the toy & risk injury.
A new perch, cage platform or ladder can be a nice gift for the Holiday for your bird friend. There are a variety of perches you can buy. If you get one with a grit type surface be sure it is not the highest perch in the cage as most birds perch on the highest perch more than any other. A variety of perches is a good thing, think of tree branches & all the sizes that birds have to choose from. I like having a rope perch along with a few others in all my birds cage. Some birds like rope swings as well or swings made from dowel rods. Birds can have different preferences just like we do. Corner perches for sound sleepers are nice or platforms for some species.
Giving treats for Christmas is another idea, spray millet is enjoyed by a variety of birds, honestly not my Amazons, but all the other medium & smaller birds I have had, fostered or cared for. It can be a fatty seed so it is to be a treat, especially if your bird is a little heavier as a lot of domestic birds can be.
Dried fruit without sugar, salt or chemical preservatives can be a nice treat as well. Some birds will eat dried fruit like this, but not touch fresh or the opposite. I recommend you read the ingredients before buying them for your bird. Fruit is a natural sugar, so don’t feed more than about a teaspoon a couple times a week.
There are a variety of other things you can consider getting for your fine feathered friends: Fresh nuts in the shell) (shell & chop up for those birds that can’t open nuts). I usually give the partly open ones to my Amazons as they are seniors & can’t open them as well as when younger. My Amazons like toys that can hang from the ceiling & they play with them when they are out of their cages. This year I will be looking for a corner perch for Ringo, he is moving slower & slight arthritis may be setting in. My Vet doesn’t see anything significant & he was in there recently for his annual exam. Last year He got a rope perch for the outside of his cage, that goes to the floor so he can get on & off his cage when he is out. It has about 25 circles connected 5 across & 5 down. Sassy enjoys wooded toys he can chew apart, so think that is what he will get. Spree & Jonah like things they can shred, so shred toys for them & spray millet. Lazarus is a hard one to buy for so that will take some thought & research still.
Whether you buy Christmas or Birthday gifts for your pets doesn’t matter, its good to keep things fresh & interesting as birds can get bored & like things to do.
Things to consider getting them or giving them:
1. For small birds they can like something as simple as an empty toilet paper roll, it can be fun to play in or with (Lovebirds like these) .
2. Special fruit & nut mixes
3. Toys (hanging or foot held, or picking up with beak)
4. Perches (rope, wood, corner, platform)
5. Swing
6. Play stand for on top of cage or separate
7. New seed or water dishes
8. spray millet or a spray millet holder
9. A bird bath or new spray bottle for bathing your bird
10. Many birds would just like to hang out with their humans a little more, or time out of their cage. So it doesn’t have to be expensive. I think the best part about the holidays for many of us is spending it with those we love & care about.
I hope you’re enjoying my blog & learning new ways to care for your pets. Please help me get the word out about my blog by visiting often, telling your friends & family about my blog (social media), subscribing, commenting on posts, clicking the like button at the bottom of posts. My goal is to reach as many pet caregivers as possible & help them help the pets they love. If you have a topic you would like to see me write about please email me & let me know. Thank you for reading Debbie
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Echoing Great Pet Care 