Bird Toys: Ultimate Guide to Toys
Keeping a parrot happy and healthy goes far beyond a good diet and a clean cage, because mental stimulation and physical activity is just as important. Bird toys provide the enrichment parrots need to explore, chew, forage, and play, all while preventing boredom and stress-related behaviors. Over the past 12 years, I’ve been designing and handcrafting toys for rescued parrots, watching how the right toy can completely transform a bird’s mood and confidence. A well-chosen toy can encourage exercise, strengthen natural instincts, and even help birds recover from trauma or neglect.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about bird toys from how to choose safe, engaging options to creative DIY ideas and proven enrichment strategies. Whether you’re caring for a single companion bird or a lively flock, the right toys will help your pet bird thrive both mentally and physically. Want to see examples of safe and engaging parrot toys? Explore our bird toy collection designed and tested by our sanctuary flock.
Table of Content
Why Are Bird Toys So Important?
Birds are highly intelligent, active animals. Without enough stimulation, they can become bored, stressed, and even destructive. Bird toys for parrots help prevent these problems by encouraging natural behaviors like chewing, foraging, climbing, and problem-solving.
Behavioral Benefits of Bird Toys
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Reduces Feather Plucking and Self-Destruction: Toys offer mental and physical outlets to prevent stress-related behaviors.
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Encourages Exercise and Muscle Development: Swings, ladders, and bungees strengthen coordination and wing health.
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Promotes Natural Behaviors: Chewing, foraging, and shredding satisfy instincts birds would use in the wild.
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Decreases Stress and Anxiety: Variety in toys and regular rotation prevent boredom and emotional distress.
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Strengthens Bond with Owners: Interactive play and puzzle toys can become a shared activity.
Whether you have a tiny budgie or a bold macaw, the right toys can help your bird live a happier, healthier life.
The Benefits of Toy Destruction for Birds
It might look like your parrot is just making a mess, but when they destroy their toys, they’re actually doing something really good for themselves. In the wild, birds spend hours chewing on branches and peeling bark, it’s how they stay busy and happy. When your bird tears apart a toy, it’s following those natural instincts, keeping its mind sharp and boredom at bay. Plus, chewing helps keep their beak in great shape by naturally wearing it down and making it stronger.
On top of that, shredding toys helps your bird feel calm and confident because it gives them a way to control their space. By giving your parrot plenty of safe toys to chew and swapping them out regularly, you’re helping keep them healthy, happy, and entertained.
Tip: Stock a variety of shreddable and chewable toys to keep your parrot’s interest alive. Rotating these toys regularly ensures the excitement of destruction never wears off.
By giving your parrot plenty of safe toys to chew and swapping them out regularly, you’re helping keep them healthy, happy, and entertained. To dive deeper, learn more about destroying bird toys and why it’s such a vital part of your bird’s well-being.
Types of Bird Toys
Not all bird toys are created equal. To ensure your bird gets the most out of their playtime, it’s essential to provide a variety of toys that cater to different needs. Below are the primary categories of bird toys:
Foraging Bird Toys:
Foraging Bird Toys might be the best bird toys for parrots, where you can hide food items, and make your parrot work to get the food. These types of bird toys come in all different varieties and difficulties. Foraging toys allow your parrot to find food, which they do in the wild.
Seagrass mats are a great foraging bird toy that allows mental stimulation by foraging for treats in the mat itself. The woven seagrass mats are perfect to hide the treat in and colorful seagrass mats attract birds to start playing.
Shreddable Bird Toys:
Shreddable Bird Toys are to rip, destroy, and chew. Chewing is a major natural activity in the wild and enriches parrots' well-being therefore a great addition to our best bird toy list. Parrots love the shred, tear and rip these types of toys. It's a natural behavior. Shreddable bird toys are made from all parrot-safe, shreddable items: paper, egg cartons, pinewood, balsa wood, vine items, cardboard, etc, at our shop. Depending on your parrot's personal preference, they might like soft paper shreddable toys or need wood bird toys. This helps them maintain and challenge their natural instincts and activities.
Bird Foot Toys:
Bird foot toys are essential for parrots. Bird foot toys are small toys that parrots can hold and grab with their talons. Different shapes and sizes help with motor development, coordination, and balance. Since these types of bird toys are small and less expensive, it's a great way to try out new bird toy parts. They also love carrying around small toys and throwing foot toys on the floor.
Puzzle Bird Toys:
Puzzle toys are amazing. They are made from durable plastic and come in different sizes and puzzles. The purpose of these bird toys is to make your parrot solve the puzzle. The best bird toys stimulate the brain and help develop skills that puzzles bird toys do. With puzzle bird toys, parrots can be opening little drawers, turning, or pulling, or they will surprise you and find a completely new way to solve the problem.
Indestructible Bird Toys:
Stainless-steel toys or PVC, indestructible bird toys are annoying and loud but parrots love the interaction. The best bird toys for parrots are the ones that keep them engaged when you're not there. Stainless steel toys usually have color, make lots of noise, and are durable. Indestructible bird toys are made from nickel-plated or stainless steel hardware giving them extra durability for large birds. Indestructible bird toys are the best type of bird toys for parrots who play rough. They love making loud noises and banging toys around; stainless steel is perfect for this.
Exercising Bird Toys:
Exercising bird toys are toys that make your parrot move around in different ways making them work different muscles. In nature, everything isn't straight, so having bungees, cargo nets, and swings is a great way to make them exercise, gain muscles, and work on balance. Bouncing or swing motions are great fun but also help strengthen coordination through their bodies. There is some mental stimulation with these types of toys: figuring out how to balance, being able to climb up, or how to move around.
Preening Bird Toys:
Preening bird toys are the best type of bird toys to help feather plucking parrots to relax. They are usually made of non-pill fleece, leather strips, or other materials, and the parrot can preen, and chew on this toy.
Leather Bird Toys:
Vegetable-dyed leather is a great material to use for parrot toys. It's great as a preening bird toy or just another texture to allow your bird to play with. Thick veg-leather strips are great to chew on, make foot toys or add to any seagrass mats.
How to Choose the Right Bird Toys
When selecting bird toys, it’s important to consider your bird’s species, size, and personality.
1. Match the Toy to Your Bird’s Size
- Small birds like budgies and lovebirds require lightweight toys. For more inspiration, check out our list of cockatiel bird toys.
- Medium-sized birds like conures, eclectus, and cockatiels need sturdy, medium-sized toys.
- Large parrots like macaws and cockatoos need heavy-duty Large Bird Toys to withstand their powerful beaks.
2. Consider Your Bird’s Behavior
- Active birds may prefer climbing or swinging toys.
- Birds with a strong chewing instinct will benefit from destructible chew toys.
- Curious birds thrive on interactive or foraging toys.
3. Choose Safe Materials:
Buy from safe bird toys. Avoid chemicals, paint, open links, oiled ropes, and harmful wood.
4. Provide Variety
Rotate toys regularly to keep your bird interested and engaged. A bored bird can quickly become a stressed bird.
Species-Specific Toy Recommendations
Budgies and Parakeets
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Best with lightweight shreddable toys, swings, and small foraging items
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Avoid heavy or oversized toys that can intimidate them
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Recommended: Mini foot toys, balsa wood toys, and small vine balls
Cockatiels
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Enjoy preening toys, swings, and soft shreddables
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Benefit from gentle climbing toys and lightweight foraging options
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Recommended: Seagrass mats, soft wood toys, and hanging paper toys
Conures and Quakers
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Curious and playful—love interactive and puzzle toys
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Need medium-sized toys for chewing and hanging exercise toys
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Recommended: Vine balls with treats, rope perches, and stainless steel toys
African Greys and Amazons
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Highly intelligent—require foraging puzzles and destructible toys
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Benefit from foot toys for coordination and beak exercise
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Recommended: Coconut foraging toys, cardboard destructibles, and puzzle feeders
Macaws and Cockatoos
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Strong chewers and active climbers, need indestructible, heavy-duty toys
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Enjoy large swings, stainless steel toys, and heavy wood chews
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Recommended: Thick wood blocks, stainless steel bell toys, and large rope nets
Encouraging Play in Reluctant Birds
Some parrots are naturally curious and will dive right into new toys, but others are cautious or even fearful. If your bird seems hesitant, patience and gradual introduction are key.
Tips to Encourage Toy Play:
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Start Outside the Cage: Place the toy nearby so your bird can observe it without feeling trapped.
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Demonstrate the Toy: Tap, swing, or play with the toy yourself—parrots are social learners and often mimic your behavior.
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Use Treats as Rewards: Hide favorite treats in or around the toy to create a positive association.
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Introduce Slowly: Move the toy closer over several days, eventually hanging it in the cage once your bird seems comfortable.
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Rotate and Experiment: Try different textures and colors; every parrot has unique preferences.
Pro Tip: Shy birds often warm up faster to foot toys or soft shreddable toys before larger hanging toys.
How to Maintain Bird Toys
Keeping your bird’s toys clean and safe is crucial for their health.
1. Regular Cleaning
- Wash toys with warm water and bird-safe soap weekly.
- Avoid using harsh chemicals.
Want a deeper look into bird toy cleaning? Check out our How to clean bird toys.
2. Inspect for Wear and Tear
- Check for frayed ropes or sharp edges that could harm your bird.
- Replace damaged toys immediately.
3. Rotate Toys
- Rotate toys every few weeks to keep things fresh and exciting for your bird.
4. How Many Toys Should a Bird Have?
Variety is key! Most birds should have at least 4–6 toys in their cage at a time, including:
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1 for chewing
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1 for foraging
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1 for climbing
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1–2 foot toys
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1 rotating puzzle or new toy
Birds thrive on novelty, so change things up regularly. Even moving a toy to a new location in the cage can refresh interest.
Toy Safety: What to Avoid
Not all bird toys are created equal. Here are key safety tips:
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Stay away from frayed ropes, loose fibers can tangle toes.
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Never use painted materials.
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Regularly check toys for wear and tear.
DIY Bird Toy Ideas (Budget-Friendly Fun!)
Making your own bird toys is easy, cost-effective, and fun. Try these at home:
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Shreddable Cupcake: Take a cupcake base, fill it with paper shreds and a treat.
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Pinecone Forager Bird Toy: Clean and bake a pinecone, then stuff it with treats.
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Paper Roll Puzzle: Fill a toilet paper roll with crinkle paper and hang it with bird-safe twine.
- Foraging Box Bird Toys: Fill a box with crinkle paper, foot toys, safe bird toy parts, and add some treats for your bird to find.
How to Introduce New Toys (Especially for Shy Birds)
Some birds are naturally cautious. Here’s how to help:
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Place new toys outside the cage at first so your bird can observe.
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Handle the toy in front of your bird so they see it's safe.
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Use treats and praise to encourage interaction.
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Move the toy inside the cage once your bird is more comfortable.
Patience is key—give your bird time to explore on their own.
Specialty Bird Toys
We also offer specialty toys tailored to birds with specific needs:
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Soft toys for pluckers and sensitive birds
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Natural bird toys made from pods and vine
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Seasonal toys (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day)
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Bird Foot Toys for enrichment in cages or playstands
Where to Buy Safe and Reliable Bird Toys
When it comes to bird toys, safety is non‑negotiable. Low-quality or mass‑produced toys can contain unsafe paints, zinc‑coated metals, or frayed ropes that pose a risk to your bird.
What to Look For in a Trusted Bird Toy Shop:
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Non‑toxic, bird‑safe materials (stainless steel, vegetable-dyed wood, untreated leather)
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Handmade or small‑batch products that undergo quality checks
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Species-appropriate sizing for safe play
At PDS Parrot Shop, all of our toys are:
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Handcrafted from bird‑safe materials
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Designed by a parrot rescuer and avian nutrition specialist
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Tested and approved by our own flock before reaching your bird
Conclusion
Bird toys are much more than just colorful cage decorations, they are essential tools that support your parrot’s physical health, mental stimulation, and emotional well-being. By choosing a variety of safe, engaging toys tailored to your bird’s species and personality, you can help prevent boredom, reduce destructive behaviors, and encourage natural instincts like chewing and foraging.
Remember to maintain and rotate toys regularly, introduce new toys with patience, and always prioritize safety. Whether you buy or DIY projects, providing enriching play opportunities will keep your pet bird, happy and healthy for years to come.
Explore our wide range of bird-safe toys designed by passionate parrot lovers who truly understand your bird’s needs. Because when it comes to your parrot’s happiness, the right toys make all the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bird Toys
Q: What is the safest toy for parrots?
A: The safest toys are made from non-toxic wood, stainless steel, and vegetable-dyed natural fibers. Avoid toys with paint, zinc, frayed ropes, or glued parts.
Q: How many toys should a parrot have?
A: Most parrots should have 4–6 toys in their cage, including at least one foraging toy, one chewing toy, one foot toy, and one swing or climbing toy. Rotate toys regularly to keep things exciting.
Q: Do parrots need foot toys?
A: Yes! Foot toys improve coordination, reduce boredom, and encourage exercise. They are especially important for small and medium parrots.
Author: Monika Sangar, MSc – Molecular Biology | Avian Nutrition Specialist | Founder: PDSnonprofit | Owner: Pds Parrot Shop
Monika Sangar is a parrot rescuer, bird food chef, and toy designer with over a decade of experience in avian care and nutrition. She is the founder of Prego Dalliance Sanctuary and the author of The Science of Avian Nutrition, a cookbook dedicated to fresh, healthy meals for parrots. Explore more bird care tips and bird toys at PDS Parrot Shop!