Christmas Cookies for your Parrots

[Healthy bird Treats]

Ingredients: 

Directions:

Calcium Deficiency in parrots [bird health]

Pinewood bird toy

I received many questions about parrot toys since I sell them to create funds for my sanctuary and for my flock. There are many different types of parrot toys, all having their own function.

The main purposes of parrot toys are mental stimulation, free of boredom, and exercise. Parrot toys encourage the natural behavior of the wild. Most parrot owners want to create the best habitat for their parrots, and toys help do that. We can provide them with a variety of parrot toys to help them forage, chew, destroy and solve puzzles. This creates a good balance environment for your parrot where they can be challenged, stimulated, and have fun. 

Foraging Toys:

Foraging toys are toys where you can hide food items, and make your parrot work to get the food. These types of toys come in all different varieties and the internet is full of them. Foraging toys allow your parrot to find food, which they do in the wild. 

Seagrass mat with foraging cup bird toy

Shreddable Toys:

Foot Toys:

Puzzle Toys:

Noise Maker Toys:

stainless steel bird toy

Exercising Toys: 

Preening Toys:

duck preening bird toy

Leather Toys: 

1) Do parrot toys need to be colored? 

Will, my parrots chew pine wood, the purple, and red ones first. However, when I got this question, I decided to do more research. 

Parrots see more color than humans. Not only do parrots have three cones color receptors, the same as humans, but they have a fourth, an ultraviolet cone.

This extra UV cone in parrots is very important, and part of your parrot's life. For matting, females can see reflective patches on males' feathers which are unseen by humans. For foraging and food, the UV cones help them detect the bright waxy reflective food in the dense green forest. 

So yes, color is needed for mental stimulation.

However it is also true that many parrots will chew un-dyed woodblocks, and there might be other parrots who might only prefer certain colors.

With time you will find out what your parrots like and want. 

Large block bird toy

2) What if my parrot doesn't play with toys?

You play with it first. The best way is to get a small toy and play with yourself and show your parrot how much fun it is. 

That is the best way to get your parrot to become interested. Sooner or later he/she will have to check out what was so exciting to you. 

3) What toys should I start with?

The small wood toys, larger acrylic toys.
Small wood toys, to see if your parrot will chew wood. Some don't. If they chew the small wood too fast, go to the medium wood toys.

Larger acrylic toys because smaller toys can be more dangerous to parrots because they might easily break the plastic parts. 

4) My parrot is afraid of toys, what should I do?

Introduce the toy. If your parrot is comfortable with you and trusts you,  then if you're able to hold the toy, it means it's safe too.  

Place the toy outside its cage and let your parrot go to the toy.  Once your parrot is comfortable with the toy, you can place it inside its cage.

5) What is the best type of parrot toy? 

There are a few different types of parrot toys. All are important and have functions to keep your parrots happy and stimulated.

Foot toys, shreddable, wood toys, puzzle toys 

It's best to have different types of toys for your parrot to enjoy. It does take time to figure out the best toy for your parrot, but when you do, your parrot will appreciate it so much.

Always remember, new toys should be supervised when first given. 

pinewood bird toy

For more articles about parrot toys please reach us at: https://pdsparrotshop.com/blogs/pds-parrot-blog

DIY Parrot Wood Blocks [complete guide]

Pinewood parrot toy pinewood bird blocks

Have you ever wondered, how parrot wood blocks are made? 
or maybe you wish to learn to do them yourself. 

Here I will go step by step so one can appreciate the effort and love that goes into making and building pinewood bird toys.

Where to buy wood for your birdie block parts?

Pinewood parrot toy

What do you do with all this lumber?

cutting wood blocks for birds

Next, drilling holes

Coloring wood

Now the real fun begins when you start dyeing parrot wood blocks with different colors. We dye ours outside, with lots of room. 

Use food coloring: Wilton, Americolor, or any other human grade-food color.  You will also need 70% isopropyl alcohol.

large block parrot toy

Side note: Alcohol will not be consumed by the parrot. During the drying stage, the alcohol will evaporate. I use alcohol because I find it easier to use, and it disinfects the blocks.

Mix 1:15 ratio of color: alcohol. With gels, you might need to work it a bit more. The ratio can be changed on personal preference. But 1:15 is a good place to start.

Place your color in a bucket and then submerge your wood blocks, take them out and dry on wire or newspaper. I use the same dye for all my wood, vine items, and paper cups. 

After you're done selecting, cutting, drilling, and dying your wood parts, you can start making wood bird toys. 

colored wood parrot blocks

Additional information about parrot toys please visit: https://pdsparrotshop.com/blogs/pds-parrot-blog

__________

Author Monika Sangar
www.pdsparrotshop.com
www.pdsnonprofit.org 
PDS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #46-2470926)

Bhodi is an Indian ringneck who we rescued along with his two brothers. 

All three of them have splayed legs. A condition where legs are deformed due to improper care during the first few weeks of being born. Prince, whose both legs were splayed, didn't make it and passed away two days after rescuing him. Bhodi and Lotus are still living with us in our sanctuary. 

Mr. Bhodi's leg was pretty badly bent. But he manages very well and uses both his legs. Of course, his good leg is used more. Lotus has a curved spine and one splayed leg. 

Mr. Bhodi broke his leg and we took him to the vet. Everything went fine and he healed. A few years later Bhodi had a scrape on his leg. Since he has splayed legs I assumed he caught his leg somewhere or another bite him. I applied healx. 

Birds heal fast. I mean fast. But after three days he was still attacking his leg. This is not normal because the pain should have subsided by now and he should be healing but instead bleeding. 

Quinoa Salad Recipe

1. Cooked Quinoa

1. Cooked sweet potato

1. Your greens: In a food processor chop your greens: kale, dandelion greens, cilantro...etc

1. Seeds: chia, flax, bee pollen, etc

1. Tsp of Lemon or Orange Juice.

1. Red Chill Flakes

1. Mix everything together

PS: vary the greens and add fruits etc.

For the human version:

1. Add salt.

1. Add more lemon juice

1. Don't add the chill flakes

Most parrots love to bathe, which softens dirt on the feathers and skin and encourages preening.
If you bathe your parrot regularly, you will notice that their feathers will begin to waterproof, become shine, due to preening.
Bathing is important for parrots,  skin can become dry and itchy leading to plucking, if not bath often enough.
It’s also important that any pollutants be removed from the bird’s feathers so that it doesn’t ingest any toxic stuff while preening. During the summer you can bathe and soak your parrots down to the skin 3 times a week. During winter you want to have a warm place for them to dry off.
Spray bottles, a bowl, shower are all great ways to shower them.
Don’t use any soap or bathing products.

Normally, daily activities like chewing, foraging, rubbing the beak are enough to keep a beak trimming. Natural wood perches, and cuttlebones, given your parrot tree branches to chew on, is a great way to keep them busy and their beaks trimmed.

Sometimes the beak does overgrow, because will it grows, just like our nails.

A dremel is what I use to trim the beaks, it's easy and I go slow, taking my time not to hurt him or myself. 1) remember to keep the dermal moving and avoid overheating. 2) take many breaks and check my progress, to make sure you are not overdoing it.

If you go to0 far, you can cause pain because the beak does have nerve endings. Uncontrollable bleed could also occur. So always follow the natural beak line. It's better to do less than to do too much.

Our suggestion:

Watch your vet first before doing it at home so you have a better understanding. 

If the beak grows too fast or abnormally, it can be a medical issue like liver disease. A CBC (blood test) is needed for any diagnose of medical issues.