"jmcquown"  wrote:

> Peaches has several toys with vegetable-dyed blocks of wood, bells, leather
> strips and large beads.  She has a swing with wooden beads on the sides.
> She gets on the swing and when she gets tired of playing with the wood beads
> on the swing she gets the swing going really hard so she can try to grab the
> dangly toys on either side of the cage.  She gets into some rather
> precarious positions trying to hang onto the swing and also tug on her other
> toys at the same time! :)
>
> She seems happy with the toys she has but I'm in the market for something
> new to let her play with.
>
> If you have a lovebird and a medium-sized cage (18X16-ish) what would you
> give to your lovebird to introduce more fun to play with?  Thanks in
> advance.
>
> Jill

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Jill:

A lot has to do with the individual bird.  I have seven lovebirds (five
black-masked and two peach-face mutations) and they all seem to prefer
different toys.

None of my lovebirds really enjoy swings, but they love their boings.
None of them are too enamoured of their mirrors, except for my Dutch
blue boy. Some of my  LBs like hard plastic coloured links and string
toys that have wooden beads and leather strips.  My female lutino
peachface likes hanging toys with beads and small bells.  She also loves
to play at the bottom of her cage making paper strips from the newspaper
lining her cage.  This keeps her occupied for hours on end.  She has a
small hard plastic ball that has a bell inside which she beats up on a
regular basis.  The ball has good sized holes which enables her to grab
it and toss it around.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind when you're out shopping for
toys for Peaches.

1.  Make sure you buy toys that are suited for lovebirds, i.e., made
with very hard plastic, acrylic, etc., as their beaks are pretty
powerful and they can easily destroy toys that are made for smaller
birds like budgies.  It's better to spend a few extra dollars for
well-made toys.

2.  Also, if you buy toys with lots of "stringy bits", make sure to
inspect these toys on a very regular basis.  Birds can easily get long
loose hanging strings caught around their legs/feet/necks which can cut
off circulation or, in some cases, even be fatal.  I've heard of birds
getting tangled in stringy toys, so although lovebirds generally like
this type of toy, be extremely cautious with them and check them
regularly for wear and tear.  Remove toys when the stringy parts become
frayed.

3.  If you buy toys that have bells, make sure that the bells have
clappers that are solid with no openings anywhere.  My late Sydney
(PFLB) once got the tip of her beak caught in a very tiny opening in a
bell clapper.  At first, I thought she was only carrying the bell
around, but on closer inspection I saw (much to my horror) that her beak
was actually caught in the tiny hole in the clapper.  I was able to get
it off and she was perfectly fine afterwards, but that was a real scare
for both of us.

4.  Check every toy you buy for pieces that can break off easily, small
openings or holes that can trap toes and beaks, parts that may break off
or wear out, leaving jagged or pointy ends.  Make sure that the dyes
used to colour wooden blocks, pieces, etc. are safe.  Most manufacturers
will use vegetable dyes which are not harmful.

5.  If you decide to buy Peaches a boing, keep in mind that they can be
washed in cold water (on the delicate cycle) in your washer.  Also
inspect the boing for any loose hanging threads and trim where
necessary.

6.  I've recently discovered a line of bird toys (for lovebirds,
budgies, canaries, parrotlets) that I guess I would call "smart toys" or
educational toys.  They're made by a company called "Insight" and
hopefully you can find them at your local pet supply store.  There's a
whole line of toys, as well as sandperches, that are very nice.  I think
I have just about every one that exists.  My budgies especially love
these toys.

I'm always on the lookout for new toys for my birds.  You should see
their toybox .... LOL !!!  Anyway, I hope this helps you find all those
special toys to fill Peaches' toybox, too.
--
Linda


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