Which Toys Should You Buy Your Pet Bird?

In the wild, birds can play, chew, forage, and fly long distances to stay mentally and physically active. Pet birds need toys to keep them stimulated and trim their claws and beaks to prevent overgrowth.

Foraging Toys

While wild birds forage for food, pet birds receive food in a dish, eliminating the mental and physical enrichment that they get from foraging. Some birds gain weight and become lethargic. Others destroy their cages because they're desperate for stimulation.

Foraging toys encourage your bird to work for their food. The toy might require your bird to shred material, solve a puzzle, or press buttons to receive their treat. You don't need to feed your bird exclusively through toys, but make foraging part of their routine so they feel like they're accomplishing something.

You can buy foraging toys at pet stores that have complex puzzles and mechanisms. If you'd prefer to make your own, you can start with the most basic foraging toy: food wrapped in a paper ball. You can also hang fruit in their cage or hide a treat in a Chinese finger trap.

Chewing Toys

Birds chew on the materials around them to search for food and learn about their environment. Chewing also keeps their beaks trim — like human hair, they never stop growing. Birds use their beaks to climb, forage, eat, groom, defend themselves, and care for their babies.

If birds don't have chew toys, they turn to other sources, such as door frames, windowsills, and their cages. A lack of chew toys could cause stress, muscle loss, and beak overgrowth. Some bird owners place chewing materials in their bird's cages to keep them healthy. This includes nuts, cuttlebones, and calcium blocks.

For extra stimulation, give your bird a chew toy with various materials, such as rope, wooden beads, coconut shells, fabric, and colored blocks. These toys decorate their cages and keep your birds active for months to come.

Swinging Toys

Wild birds sit on tree branches that sway back and forth in the wind. For some birds, the swaying motion stimulates them. Others relax on the swaying branches until they drift off to sleep. Swinging also provides exercise because birds have to grip the branch and maintain their balance.

Pet birds instinctively enjoy swinging. Unfortunately, their cages usually have stationary perches that provide little enrichment. Adding a swing to your bird's cage improves their mood and discourages bad behavior, such as excessive screaming and tearing out their feathers.

Birds don't just perch on their swings — they climb, chew on them, and play with toys attached to the swing, such as bells and feathers. You can buy swings at the pet store or make them at home with wood and chains.

Whether you buy toys or make them at home, bird toys can maximize your pet's lifespan.