You’ve probably never considered the importance of your parrot’s toys before now but they may serve a bigger and more beneficial purpose than you realize. Certain toys that act as treat dispensers are designed to challenge your parrot’s foraging skills and problem solving instincts. Since the task of finding food is removed for household parrot’s this kind of toy forces the bird to use the same skills he would need to survive in the wild if he was fending for himself. There are many foraging (fancy word that basically means “searching for food”) toys available that will make your parrot pick, dig and hunt in order to locate the treat or food that is contained within the toy.
The key to having a happy bird is keeping them intrigued and challenged so they don’t grow bored and listless, so try and provide parrot toys which provide some of level of challenge or purpose for your bird. Aside from foraging toys to keep your parrot busy, there are many other activity based toys for your parrot that will keep them entertained while allowing them to pick up an impressive new skill. Maybe your parrot would enjoy a game of basketball or would he be more inclined to start roller skating? Regardless of the specific trick or game you would like to teach your parrot, it is a great interactive past time for both you and your parrot. Tricks are also a great way to stimulate your parrot’s mind while building on your relationship during the training process.
Another great alternative to buying parrot toys is making your own! This is a great money saver and can also double as a fun activity for you or your kids. There are many great resources on making parrot toys out there so you should have no problem finding ideas with complete instructions and required materials for making new and exciting toys for your parrot to play with. Another benefit of making your own toys is that should your parrot not particularly care too much for his new toy (as we all know parrots can be quite picky!), you’ve not wasted any money and hopefully not too much time in the process so the investment on your part is minimal. The vast majority of toys can be made quite cheaply from items you have laying around the house so in most cases you will never have to venture out and spend any great deal of money to make your own parrot toys. If you’re really feeling motivated you can even build your own parrot gym!
Regardless of what type of parrot you own, they’re all highly intelligent animals and when in their natural habitat spend their timing flying and canvassing their environment for food. However when parrots become pets these innate skills and instincts are no longer needed as their environment is now your home and finding food is no longer a problem. It’s for these reasons that interactive, engaging parrot toys are so important for your pet bird. Keeping their mind and body active is vitally important for maintaining your parrot’s overall well being and increasing their longevity.