Home Made Lovebird Toys, What Is Safe?

[Kefka]

Hi I was just wondering I have seen several good ideas on here and come up with a few of my own. I just want to make sure they are all totally safe.

What are some good home made lovebird toys, things such as uncooked spagetti, toilet paper. ect...

I recently gave my lovebird a whole peanut so he could have fun cracking the shell, is this safe for them? I havent read anywhere that it is dangerous so I assume it is ok.

Also I want to make him a home made swing with some perches I got, can anyone tell me what material is safe to use as a rope to tie his perches in his cage? Thanks.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

For toys, I generally stick with things I know are safe: hard wood blocks and beads, etc. I use vegetable tanned leather strips to string them together. You can get these at a bird specialty store or you can order them online. Try doing a search on bird toy parts and see what websites you can find; I think I used choppers toys once previously.

You can also drill holes in popsicle sticks and string them together, alternating with either very hard plastic beads, or wooden beads / blocks. My birds currently have a toy like this but it's wooden clothespins (the solid ones, not the ones with the metal hinge).

My birds love anything they can chew and destroy so most of their toys are wood of some kind.

I would avoid things like toilet paper holders because (a) birdy could get caught in there and (b) the glue used on them is not safe. Also avoid fragile plastic toy parts that can be broken, and any metal that is not stainless steel. Lovebirds may be small but they have very strong beaks; you're better off with toy parts aimed for a larger bird like a conure as opposed to a smaller bird like a parakeet.

One other thing to avoid, is bells. After finding my lovebird hanging with his beak caught in a bell (thank God I was home at the time) and an emergency trip to the vet's office for an x-ray to ensure he had not swallowed part of of it, I do not think any bells are safe.