Shreddable, Food-Finding, Parrot Toy Examples

Hi Chet.
We have two birds, a hand reared sun conure, and an unhandled two year old ringneck.

I purchased your parrot training CD set, but have not applied any of your information due firstly to the seemingly ridiculous fact that a full diet pellet product is not available here in Australia. And secondly, not anywhere have I been able to find information on whether the birds must be in separate cages. Perhaps I have missed it, but would be very interested to hear your opinion.
Many thanks,
Lyn

I bought the toy in the second picture for my sun conure and I hung it in his cage….he wouldn’t touch it. After watching your videos & reading your emails about letting the birds search for food…I took this toy out of his cage, cut it open in the center and stuffed it full of goodies inside and on the outside, I then hung it close to his favorite perch by the kitchen window. He now has a great time with this toy and he has finally found that the toy actually is full of stuff (stuff that came inside) he constantly is now shredding the toy and having a great time doing it….I’m so glad he’s enjoying it now….I thought I had just wasted $25, but believe me it was well worth it. I now look for toys that I can stuff food in….and my bird is much more confident about exploring the new toys now.

Thanks for your info, you have made a huge difference in how we interact with our parrot….he’s happier and so are we!

Lyn, there are quite a few good pellets available here – if you go to the parrot rescue centre’s website they sell some good brands on there and you can have them mailed to you.

I keep a ringneck and a cockatiel together in a big cage without any problems but I don’t know much about sun conures!

I also would like to know if birds should be in separate cages? I believe that I’ve made a mistake, by putting to blue and golds together. Before they use to love me and now that they have been together all they do is attack any body who comes near the cage. don’t know what to do, when we separate them they scream and scream. can you help me? i love them both
Marie

Hi Lyn, I live on the Sunshine Coast and have never had any trouble finding full diet pellets. Hagen make one – just to name one off the top of my head. If you go the the website parrotrescuecentre.com (not sure if there is an “au” on the end) you will find lots of parrot stuff including food. The Centre is on the Gold Coast Queensland.

Hi,
I live in Cranbourne Victoria and did find pellets a little difficult to find. The Australian Brid Company had them but I dont like to buy off them as they gave me some bad advise and I nearly lost my bird. I now get them from a pet stock & produce type place, that caters for all animals not just household pets. You might have to drive for them but they come in a big bag an last a good 6-12 months even with the birds throwing them on the floor etc. Try a place that caters for househld pets, horses, retiles etc

I live in Aus too and we have a great Australian company over here called vetafarm that make great pelleted food and parrot breed specific pellet diets too. I have a Rainbow lorrikeet and they are the only company in aus that I can find that makes a lorrie food with out added iron. Lorries are often iron intolerant. Vetafarm too can be looked up on the net. Good luck.

Hello,

I have a timneh African grey, a rescue, and a blue and gold macaw. I also have observed birds since I was a child. One thing I do with my two birds (who by the way, are so well behaved they do not have cages and my home is very clean) I feed them in the morning and evening. They are dependent on me to receive the food they love. I take pelleted food and soak some in V-8 Fusion juice. I then warm it and they love it besides getting fruit and vegetable nutrition. They have a little pellets in their baskets during the day but they will wait and even demand their loved food by saying “breakfast” in the morning and at night. Perhaps with some or I believe all pet birds, they are more likely to want to interact with us if they need us … like bird parents in the wild. I have found that when they get too independent, they are not as gentle nor as happy.Just look at wild birds and how friendly and brave they will become if they are being feed by us at feeders.

Hey Lyn, unless the birds know each other really well and get along great then they shouldn’t be put in the same cage. Birds can be really terratorial and they could wind up trying to kill each other.
If they play together fine and go into each others cages often then seeing if they like to nap together to start with will give you a good idea of whether they’ll accept being shut in together eventually. Usually it’s a slow procedure and you’ll have to observe their behaviour closely.
My birds have never accepted one another and will attack one another if they get too close. (one is a ringneck.)

lyn, myparrotshop.com.au has fantastic pellets toys and advice, enjoy!

Hi Lyn, surprising that u havent so far found a pellet diet. i live in sydney and my favourite store is Kellyville. its massive and there isnt anything on earth for pets that u wont get there. website: kellyville.com.au. check it by actually visiting the store. i love it.

Thanks !! very helpful post!

i have tryed to order the toys ….but it will not send my order out….i have filled in every thing it says to…..i have tryed several times…..ty Daisy

Daisy that shouldn’t be happening, please contact our customer service via email or phone here; http://www.birdtricks.com/contact-us.html

I HAVE AN AFRICAN GRAY PARROT (NIKO) & I USE HARRISONS BIRD (PELLETED FOOD). MY NIKO WAS ON SEED WHEN I ADOPTED HIM 5 YEARS AGO & I IMMEDIATELY STARTED HIM ON HARRISONS, HE LIKED IT SO WELL AFTER 2 DAYS HE REFUSED TO TOUCH ANY KIND OF SEEDS EVEN AS A TREAT. YOU CAN GET IT AT, http://WWW.HARRISONSBIRDFOOD.COM
YOU CAN ALSO GET A LIST OF WEAR THEY MIGHT SELL IT IN YOUR AREA.

that’s a little bit stupid to me because when they shred it it makes a BIG mess. i know from experience. and u can bond better with your bird if u hand feed it treats. this is really the only advice that i’ve gotten from chet that’s really dumb in my opinion. if u want something for your bird to wear down it’s beak on, i’d recommend a mineral block or cuttle bone. and to keep your bird interested in it’s toys,just switch in and out different toys into the cage every so often.you can rearrange them too. it works perfectly fine for my parakeet, Ivory, he’s happy and healthy. still…thanks for everything chet, u have helped me alot! -acey

Acey,

There’s more to owning a bird then just building a bond. It needs to be able to entertain itself when you aren’t there. This process helps birds simulate the process of looking for food like they’d have to in the wild… and makes a dramatic difference in their ability to not get bored.

I think simulating the food foraging process sounds like a great idea. I’m going to start trying it immediately. Thanks for the idea!

hi i was given a quaker parrot he does not like to be held or to come out of his cage except when he is in the room by himself i hand feed him all the time so he will get used to me he is doing well with that i know it will take time but if you have any ideas would be gratefull

Pam,
Depending on the age of your quaker and what his past is it could take a long time to bond. Quakers are known to be very territorial and often become cage aggressive. It sounds like you are doing well based on the fact that he will eat from your hand. I have a suggestion. Most quakers are very food motivated. Find a few of his favorite foods such as grapes, pistachios, apple or maybe even crackers. When he takes one from you, let him see that you have more and move away from his cage where he can see you and put the treats on a small plate near you so he will come to you and is rewarded by treats. Keep moving it closer to you until you put the treat in your open hand and he will come to you to get it. It is a process but it will hopefully teach him to trust you. Good luck and hopefully you will develop a strong bond to each other and have many years of happiness ahead.
Renee

Chet,
I think this is a great foraging exercise. I have spent a lot of $ purchasing foraging toys and most of my parrots have very little interest in them. Perhaps I should do something to show them a few times how to get to their treat. I’m sure you have seen the plastic-like foraging toys that I am talking about. You can see through them but the bird has to learn how to get to the treat that it sees. I have actually purchased some of the toys you are showing and the birds like the natural toys and like to shred them but I think hiding treats in them would be great fun for my birds. They make little bird pinatas that have bird treats in them also. I was actually going to make some of those pinatas with toilet paper and paper towel rolls and newspaper or crepe paper and trying some pepper strips, carrots or apple slices. I am home all day with my fids so I am able to keep a close watch and the food wouldn’t be left for too long causing possible bacterial growth.
Renee

Hello,

I have a timneh African grey, a rescue, and a blue and gold macaw. I also have observed birds since I was a child. One thing I do with my two birds (who by the way, are so well behaved they do not have cages and my home is very clean) I feed them in the morning and evening. They are dependent on me to receive the food they love. I take pelleted food and soak some in V-8 Fusion juice. I then warm it and they love it besides getting fruit and vegetable nutrition. They have a little pellets in their baskets during the day but they will wait and even demand their loved food by saying “breakfast” in the morning and at night. Perhaps with some or I believe all pet birds, they are more likely to want to interact with us if they need us … like bird parents in the wild. I have found that when they get too independent, they are not as gentle nor as happy.Just look at wild birds and how friendly and brave they will become if they are being feed by us at feeders………………………………

nouman elahi

Hey pam, you are probably bed time.doing quite well with your quaker by now but still just to let you know. My partner and i both own quakers and they are the best little personalities but as youd know they can get a lil cranky. We usually try and keep them out of the cage most of the day while we are home with time on their own in the corner to play together on top of the cage and lots of interaction with us. But we have found they will get cranky if they dont get a little bit of time out each day. Kikii my quaker will nip at anyone but me if she doesn’t get her time out for a day or so if i have a full long day at work, even when she only gets 20 mins before bed time. When she has had time out during the day she will happily step up for almost anyone. They also love Corn, Snow peas and grapes. Hope all is going well with you and your quaker they are the best.

Hi, I have a rescue cockatiel a little over 2 years old who refuses to touch any kind of pellet foods, I have tried many different brands and many different sizes as well as many different ways to incorporate them into his diet and nothing is working. I would really like to get him off of seeds, does anyone have any ideas?

When you order a bag of Birdtricks.com organic pellets it comes with a recipe (via video featuring Chet and Dave) that teaches you how to get your picky bird to eat the pellets. You can order here; http://www.birdtricks.com/store/food.html

Hi!
I have a Quaker, named “Peppermint” (Peppermint Candy is his favorite thing!) after he removes the wrapper and chews on it for a while, he puts it in his water and makes “TEA”. Everything else goes in his water to make “SOUP!”
He is a happy Bird who loves to sing “Old McDonald,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Jesus loves me.”
(Often he sings Jesus loves Jingle bells, Eee III EEEE III OH!)
He does not like conventional Bird foods. (What Mama is having will be just fine for me, Thanks”)
I raise a garden, so my Birds get a variety of organically grown fresh vegetables. I also give them baked potato, cooked beans, and rice.
I pick seed pods from various types of grass from my yard, and grow Giant Sunflowers, and Alfalfa.
(I raise Cockatiels, with 3 adult pairs, Three Babies, and an older Female Lutino with a crippled foot. (Her first flight ended disasterously on the top of my Friend’s Senagal’s cage.)
There is a cup of conventional bird seed in each cage. (That keeps people who visit from thinking my birds are not being fed!)
I’ve tried many varieties of pellets for my birds, but they use them for Ammo to throw at the Dog and Kittens!)
I guess mine are spoiled!
This morning, I fixed skewers with Yellow and Zuchinni Squash, Turnip, Carrots Cantelope, Apple, and Cherry tomatoes, and hung them in each cage.
Later, they got leaves from several types of Lettus, Cabbage, kale, spinach, and turnip greens . Before “Birdie bedtime”, we had air popped popcorn.
My Youngest baby (Lutino) Cockatiel will be a month old, Sunday, He made his first flight, today! (Rather precocious, I think!)
He is hand fed with a diet of commercial Baby Formula, mashed potato, rice, eggs, steamed carrots, and suitable soft foods from my plate.) and he is still being fed by his parents, too.
THey were also my “Hand Fed Babies, so they think I am supposed to help feed their babies!)
Mine seem to be healthy, and Happy, so I’ll not worry too much about what they eat!
CJJ

Hi Chet,
I adopted a 10 yr old yl nape that was actually sold me as a breeder and I feel as though I adopted him because he turned out to be the best pet. not nippy at all and very loving to me. The problem is he won’t eat any pellets at all. I have tried crushing them and putting them on his fresh food and that doesn’t work. I am so afraid to leave him for a day because he really depends on me for his food. He eats breakfast and dinner with us. what ever we eat he eats plus he gets fresh fruit and veggies and beans in the morning and afternoon.. He also will not play with any toys, I have them hanging everywhere and he won’t touch them. I have had him for about a month and have only seem him once try to chew on his perch
can you please help me
thanks alot
Donna

My cockatiel is very comfortable on his cage. He gets stressed if I move him 3 feet to be on the coffeetable. He also refuses to step ever unless there is millet available for a treat. He’s never been forced and he has only received yummy treats when he does comply. Advice?

Heather,
Have you tried lowering the height of his cage? Birds generally feel safer (and higher in the pecking order) when they are up higher. Maybe a mobile stand/perch might encourage him to come & play away from his cage’s roof?

Hey, I was given a business card from my mother w/a free sample of a shreddable toy for my green parrotlet DEWEY, Its called SHREDDERS natural woven palm leaf bird toy. I put sunflower seeds into it and Dewey just loved it.
They say that they are manufacturers of Fine Earth-Friendly Bird Toys. The prices seem good to me, but I,m not sure if the toys are like the ones Chet has mentioned in the past. So maybe somebody could check out the web site and let me know if I should start spreading the word about this place or not. Thank you
go to( Planet Pleasures.com) any feedback would be appreciated.

Yep, we use a lot of Planet Pleasure’s toys in the Bird Tricks toy line, among other naturally made and safe toys.

I am “babysitting” for a sun conjour. She is terrified when you put any toy into her cage. I am afraid to leave it in the cage for sefveral days at a time as she just hangs unto the side of her cage and trembles. Any ideas? Thanks. Barb

i get so mad and hurt with frankie iv’e hadhim in trainning 16 wks now im stilling ready th book looking at your tapes he is in some ways doing better with me not th way i want him…. when my 26 yr old daughter comes in from work at 6pm i get so hurt he will do eveything she tells him to do and will even follower her walking beside her… i dont understand he wont bite her at all!!!!!!!!!! he will alow her to pet her at any time he gets so excited when she even drs up in the drive way as if he already knows ts he…. i have a very tender heart with ppl animals ex. this guy knows where to hurt me the most my heart he will not stop bitting me day i get him out i have to set and talk with him for 30 min or more to earn that trust he wants one time he got my he charged me and got my foot and im telling you he would not let go he has strenth i feel like an eagel and im telling you he wouldn’t let go he help on for dear life with my foot im not scared of him im a pretty tough cookie i have a farm but this has been the worse ive ever been threw and nothing is working he is evil with me i love him i show him no fear at his best time is when i feed him ive cried and prayed for him but like i said he will do more when my daughter comes in what do i do sell him am i wasting my time with frankie?

im sorry i didn’t tell you what kind of parrot he is a yellow nape i dont want anymore food that i ordered from you iv’e done everything for him to eat it he is that goffy its just a waste of time and money my daughter said he is bypolar are they?? i dont want to sell him i had hope things well get better and i hope it does im not a quiter………… but when he see’s her he will spread is beautiful colourful tail and fluff so beautiful and acts just like ray charles in is dance only thing missing is a pair of sunglasses..lol he can be a doll i love frankie he picks up words so easy i just dont understand him at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ty mrs yount

Thank you guys, most informative information I will check out the online info and I can and will visit the pet shop at Kellyville which I know quite well.
Lyn

I fully agree. My cockatiel loves to shred up anything he can and the more he destroys it, the more fun he seems to have with them lol.

Hi Chet,
My name is Venes. To date e have 2 Blue Quakers(Loki&Sygin) bothe turned a year in Oct. , 1 Female Goffins named Zena, turned a1 this past mont and 1 Greenwinged macaw {Hela} just 8 months and a Harleqin macaw {Lissa} just turned 6 monyhs and today we were given an Ocean parrolet tha is not in to good of shape that was leftin a cage in a dark romm only fed and water, no cage cleaning and had plucked its self almost bald. It doesent seem to be a year yet and has already buttered up to me. We got stared with these guys after my husband came back from his 4rth tour in Irac with {PTSD} and {TBI} which is emotional trauma and brain injury. He had brain surgery 1 year ago, discharged after 15 years of the army in severe depression. So I bought him Loki a 4 wk old Blue Quaker last year. I put the baby in its box in my husbands lap and said feed it and love and walked off. He couldn’t resists that little baby bird and ended up resarching and learning. Now the two of them are inseparaqble. My hsband is now back in college with a 4.0 and on the Deans list. This has all lead to the birds we now have. I truely injoy your emails and will be purchaseing your products around the first week of January for myself and my best freind as she cannot afford them. I gave her a baby girl blue quaker with $800 worth of cage,toys and products.
I read the notice about the toys, and the tragedy about the teflon. When we first got Loki I purchased a book called Cookbook for parrots and it mentioned teflon among other harmful things to birds. We emediately got rid of all teflon and other non freindly bird products. This is why I enjoy your site so much, there is so much info. that bird lovers need but just not easily found.
We will be moving to Oregon this summer, my husband is studying wildlife medicine, and I am studying to be pacifically involved in Aviary medicine.I wanted to thank you for all you do here and we will be referring others.
This is an awsome place to come to for not just information and mere tips. I feel ths site has offered extream and much needed, and I mean life saving lessons for bird owners. You can veiw our babies at mosier@nsuok.edu on Facebook.Thank you so much, Venes, Rodger,Loki, Sygin, Zena, Hela, Lissa, and the little paroolet we havent named just yet.

This is a great idea. This is a technique used in zoos to keep animals engaged in their habitats.

My bird is happy but its bites and i ddont know that to Do PLEASE help me some one ??

THANKS FOR THE INF yOU ARE GREAT ALL YOUR SUGGESTIONS ARE PERFECT. I SEND YOU A CHECK THE OTHER DAY FOR A TRAINING TAPE FOR $49.95. TO TRY FOR 30 DAYS WILL SEE HOW IT GOES.

THANKS AGAIN
sarapadgett@bellsouth.net

thank you so much for all the little e mails you send me like this, I find it so helpful and interesting, again many thanks

Hi, i have a Sulphur-Crested cockatoo and he had many toys in his cage and he destroys anything but he would not go near any of the products i had brought from above it scared him that he nearly had a heart attack and he became very aggresive towards my family members and friends that he loves therefore i i would not recommend birds to get cotton toys.

I just inherited My African Grey he belonged to was my sisters bird who passed away in december and he is still so stressed he freaks out everytime I try to put anything new in his cage and I have tried so hard so he will quit plucking also he doesn’t like pellets but peanuts and nuts now he loves them and I am allergic to them. those toys look great but I would have to wait awhile before I could think of trying them I just recently received your training kit and hopefully that will help

I have 2 minature parrots,,,one is a male and the other is female….the male is very aggressive with the female…biting her feathers and niping at her toes when she is eating , the male of mine always seems to do everything first before her..any suggestion on how to stop this behavior…she has lost many feathers because of him

Thanks Chet these are really nice ways of teaching my bird to work to get his food but how do i know when hes hungry so i can do it?

Hi Chet,

I have a story to tell you and a question. Ok ive had 2 parrottlets for about 3 and a half months and everything was fine untill we took them out once and it was hard to put them back and they had a hard time getting back in.( we dont usually take them out because their wings arent cut and we have a high ceiling) A few days after that one of them fell asleep early and the other just pulled a big part of his feathers from his head and every time we think its growing back a little, he keeps pulling his feathers out! What should we do? Now the one who had his feathers got out of his head seems healthy but were not sure. Should we seperate the cages? Should we take him to the vet? Please help me!

–Tamara

Typo: here not hear

good looking thing though

They used hear instead of here?!?! and i think this was very helpful

Hey Chet. I have a parakeet who doesn’t like the toy I got him. The toy is 3 little swirly balls and i got him those things that trim there beak and still doesn’t touch it. Why is that? did i get him the wrong toys?

I enjoyed these really great stories from bird owners
. I was surprised that one woman who was obviously very good with birds and raising them was feeding them cooked potatoes. I was told the stone cells that make up a potatoe couldn’t be digested by birds and they shouldn’t have potatoes.
I think all animals are telepathic but birds more than most. They are very traumitized by illness of someone close to them and the death of someone they are close to ; must totally put them into shock.
I think the woman who put the baby bird in her husbands lap is brilliantly insightful.She has performed miracles with her husband and birds.
I like the clever way of hiding the bird food Chet suggessted. I have found that except the round plastic toy for seed balls my parot doesn’t like toys with food in them
He goes crazy after the empty cardboard roll paper towels come on He attacks and tears it up Maybe I will try sticking celery in one He attacks the celery I stick in his water dish and eats it down to water level.
I wonder if Frankie’s wings are clipped by its owner or something else she did for Frankie, he didn’t want but was good for him It sounds like Frankie doesn’t think the daughter is a threat in any way Maybe all she does is pet it or feed it when it wants it?
My bird like women but not men. Some men with a stronger aura about them frighten it more than others. Maybe its owner, being a strong woman, just frightens Frankie and he goes on the offensive for defense.

I do agree a bored bird will misbehave and these types of toys that make them work for treats are a great way to keep them busy!

I have a quaker parrot and try and find something that he likes as treats. Everyday I give him pineapple or papaya, oranges, apples, celery, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, eggs, rice mango etc. I have tried everything and nothing seems to interest him. I have also offered pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, cereal etc. What do they like as treats. He likes sunflower seeds but they are not supposed to be good for them in large quantities. Help please..I want him to be happy.

What I did was I blew up a small balloon, then made a paste of flour and water. I took some strips of newspaper and made a papier-mache potato-looking object. After the mess dried, I removed the balloon and added pellets to the middle, sealed it back up, and gave it to my conure. She loved it! She had so much fun shredding up the toy and getting to the prize in the middle!