Budgie Toys
Budgies are very active acrobatic little birds so you can't go wrong with getting some budgie toys! If your budgie spends a few hours a day alone it is a good idea to make their cage more exciting with some toys and things to play with. But what is the right toy for your bird? You have to be a little bit careful when choosing a new toy for your parakeet, whilst they tend to have fairly resistant claws, certain strings on some toys can cause a budgies foot to get stuck and cause injury. If your new toy is too big for your budgie it can also cause potential injury risks so sometimes it is safer to go with a less elaborate toy at the risk of killing your budgie with kindness!
Ropes: Some experts believe that regular cotton rope can be problematic with some Budgies, and whilst I haven’t seen this in my experience it is worth being cautious. Supreme cotton rope is recommended as it easily pulls apart and is said to even be digestible which is good news in case your budgie is feeling peckish (pun intended). Sisal is another good fiber for budgies and can be used in the same way as a cotton rope would be used.
Something to climb: If you aren’t keen on cotton ropes for your budgie to climb then you can always find yourself a soft wooden ladder, or even a plastic ladder. When considering budgie toys in general it is best to go for soft woods, leather and plastic. This means you could also fashion ropes and other climbing constructions for your budgie out of a combination of substances, even little rope ladders made from leather and natural tree branches.
Bells: There are a number of budgie toys on the market that include bells! This isn’t some ploy by the cat industry; budgies just will enjoy playing with bells! If you decide to purchase a toy with a bell attached then remember to not choose a toy that is too large for your budgie, it is worth considering a toy that combines a bell with a mirror or similar as this will provide your Budgie with a few entertaining items in the one location.
Something to chew: As mentioned on our basic budgie cage page budgies love to chew and nibble on all kinds of things. A piece of cuttlefish in their cage can be a good source of entertainment as well as an outlet for their chewing and beak up keep habits. Soft woods and seeds can also be used to fulfill this need, but it’s always a good idea to have a little bit of cuttlefish for your Budgie.
Get creative: Remember that budgies come from the wild! Budgies will have fun climbing and pecking natural sticks and leaves, so something as simple as going outside and picking a small eucalyptus branch will give your feather friend some excitement and a change of scenery. Budgies have been known to play a little bit of soccer (football) with their beaks too so if you have some spare time you may want to find a nice light small ball and see if you can get your Budgie to flick it back to you. Budgies are clever and alert animals so if you give them the chance they will turn almost anything into a play thing, although some a more shy than others so it can take some time to introduce them to new things.
