Bird Toys: The Good, the Bad, and the Hilariously Unnecessary

 

When Birds Take Toy Shopping Seriously

Ah, the joy of bird ownership. You spend countless hours looking for the perfect toys for your parrot. You scour the internet, read reviews, and even get a little excited when you see a toy that promises to be the ultimate source of entertainment. But here’s the catch: Your parrot, that delightful little rascal, doesn’t care. It’s not about the bells or the wooden blocks, it’s about one thing: who’s the boss here? Spoiler alert—it’s not you.

Bird toys are essential for keeping parrots engaged, stimulated, and out of trouble. But let’s be real—picking the right toy can sometimes feel like you’re auditioning for a role in an avant-garde bird movie where the plot makes zero sense. The real challenge, though, is figuring out which toys will keep your parrot entertained, and end up as shredded bits of fluff scattered around the cage like confetti. But that’s part of the fun, right?

The Bird Toy Dilemma—Why Is It So Hard?

Choosing the right bird toy is a lot like choosing a gift for someone who already has everything. No matter how many times you’ve read that the toy “stimulates their mind,” your parrot’s only reaction might be a disinterested glance, a disapproving squawk, and a swift retreat to the corner of their cage. Birds, it turns out, have a unique sense of humor when it comes to toys—your $25 puzzle? They’ll ignore it in favor of a paper towel roll. It’s the bird equivalent of getting a beautifully wrapped gift and deciding you’d rather play with the box.

Then, of course, there’s the overload of choices. You’ve got swings, PVC, stainless steel, foraging toys, shreddable stuff, chewables, wood, and, well, the miscellaneous. The variety is staggering, and your parrot’s attention span? Not so much. How do you choose the right toy? Do you opt for something colorful, something noisy, or the one that looks like it could double as a snack? It’s a gamble—sometimes, the toy that seems perfect ends up being the one that gathers dust while your parrot happily chews on the corner of your shoe.

The Unlikely Favorites—Birds Love the Weirdest Things

Birds are notorious for their odd preferences. There you are, spending a small fortune on bird toys designed by experts who claim to know exactly what your parrot needs, and yet, your bird’s favorite item might just be the cap off your bottle of water.

One bird parent swears that their parrot’s only toy of interest is a simple q-tip. Not the expensive balsa sticks bird toy, not the brightly colored wooden beads strung together on a rope—nope, it’s a $0.01 q -tip that gets shredded to bits like the bird’s life depends on it. Forget high-tech toys—parrots are perfectly happy with the things you were planning to throw away anyway. It’s as if they know that the simpler things are, the more fun they are. Give them an old keyboard and watch them go to town!

There’s also the infamous “pasta phase.” It sounds weird, but once your bird discovers the joy of uncooked pasta, you’ll never be able to go back. Twisted fusilli? A parrot’s dream. Spaghetti? You’re better off giving them the entire box. Sure, it’s a mess, but it’s one of those moments where you can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

The Great Toy Disasters—When Birds Go Rogue

Now, let’s talk about the dark side of bird toys: the toy disasters. We’ve all been there. You bring home a shiny new toy—something that looks indestructible. You’re feeling confident, like this is the one that will make your parrot’s day. Fast forward two minutes, and that “indestructible” toy is now in pieces, scattered across the floor like shimmering bits of paper at a parade. What went wrong? Apparently, your parrot's beak is more powerful than you anticipated, and that sturdy bird toy? Yeah, that was no match for their mighty talons.

Then, there’s the “didn’t last five minutes” toy. The toy you spent about $30 on, only to find that your parrot took one look at it, and decided, the toy must die. In fact, they’ll destroy it with such precision and enthusiasm that you’ll wonder if you accidentally bought them an invitation to the Bird Toy Destruction Olympics.

Of course, let’s not forget those toys that have too many parts. They look so complex and fascinating on the shelf, but when you bring them home, your parrot stares at them with the kind of judgment only a bird can muster. “Really? This is what you think I’ll enjoy?” Five seconds later, there’s a cloud of tiny parts, and you’re left wondering if your parrot is secretly a toy designer who enjoys deconstructing more than playing.

That Make You Question Your Life Choices

There are the toys that look promising—until you realize they don’t do anything. You’ve spent $60 on a hanging contraption that does absolutely nothing other than spin in circles when your bird looks at it. Oh, it jingles, sure, but so does the bell on your grandma’s old-fashioned telephone, and your parrot has zero interest in that, too.

So you stand there, looking at the sad, unused toy, and wonder, “Did I really just spend my money on this? Is my bird secretly laughing at me?” And the answer, of course, is yes. Your parrot is laughing at you, because they’ve already decided what’s worth their time—and it’s probably something free, like a cardboard box or his own feather.

The Classics—Bird Toys That Never Disappoint

But don’t despair, dear bird owner. For every overpriced or overly complicated toy, there are classics that never fail. Wood, Swings, Foraging—these are the workhorses of the bird toy world. These humble toys are the backbone of your bird’s entertainment routine. You’ll find your parrot spending hours swinging, chewing wood, or hours trying to get the almond out of the foraging toy.

The classic rope toy? Never out of style. Your bird will latch on with a grip that defies logic and spend hours hanging from it like a professional acrobat. The joy of simple wood block toys—the best chew toys around. The swing? It’s basically the bird version of the amusement park ride they never asked for but love anyway. And don’t forget the bells—oh, the bells. The sound of a jingling bell is an instant invitation to the play zone. These toys might be basic, but they’re reliable.

The Toy Trainer—Birds Who Think They’re Toy Experts

Birds are picky. They’re not just bird toy users—they’re critics. And they’ve got some strong opinions. When you introduce a new toy, they’ll give it the once-over, as if conducting a thorough inspection. The beak goes in, the talons poke around, and then—nothing. No enthusiasm, just a judgmental stare. “Is this it? This is what you’re offering me today?”

But when your parrot does approve, you’ll know. They’ll perch on it like a king on his throne, claiming ownership of the toy like it’s their new kingdom. You’ve just been graced with their approval. If they’re particularly fond of it, expect hours of intense action and perhaps even a proud display of destruction. A toy isn’t truly theirs until they’ve taken it apart, piece by piece, as if proving their superior intellect.

Birds, Toys, and the Never-Ending Quest for the Perfect Toy

In the end, bird toys are a hilarious, unpredictable adventure. For every toy you buy, there’s a 50/50 chance it’ll be adored or ignored. You’ll find yourself endlessly testing, analyzing, and reviewing the toys in your parrot’s collection, only to come back to the fact that, sometimes, the best toys are the ones you didn’t even plan to buy.

So, here’s to the chaos and laughter that come with bird toy shopping. May you always find the perfect bird toy at pds parrot shop—or, your chapstick that keeps your parrot entertained for hours. Because at the end of the day, the real joy isn’t in the toy—it’s in the bond between you and your mischievous bird.

Author: Monika Sangar
Co-founder of Prego Dalliance Sanctuary, Artisan of PDS Parrot Shop