Birds For Dummies. Gina Spadafori

remove them before giving a toy to your bird, your veterinarian may be removing them from his gullet.)

       Construction: Challenging toys, the best choice for busy birds, feature pieces combined in ways that make it hard for birds to pull the whole product apart — but not too hard. Indestructible toys are not appropriate for most birds, because the fun of ripping the gadget apart is missing.

       Size: Little toys for little birds, big toys for big birds. A big bird can catch and lose a toe in a toy made for a smaller bird, and small birds can get their heads trapped in toys made for larger relatives.

       Connectors: If the toy isn’t already equipped with a connector, a simple key ring, available from any hardware store, is one way to attach the toy to the cage. Not all birds can safely have access to key rings, though. The larger the parrot, the greater the potential for them to pry it open and then injure themselves if their tongue or beak becomes trapped. Good ways to connect toys to cage bars include C-clamps and balls that rest on top of the cage with a hook hanging down for attaching a toy. You can also tie toys in place with pieces of rope or rawhide, but they won’t stay put very long.

      What toy is bound to light up your bird’s face? Unfortunately, no clear-cut answer exists. Toys are a trial-and-error endeavor, a matter of individual preference where only your bird has a vote. Watch your bird. Look for trends in the kind of toys she prefers; those clues can guide you when you’re shopping for new ones.

      CHEAP! CHEAP! AND FUN, TOO!

      Toys can really break your budget, especially if you have a very destructive parrot. No matter how much you love your bird, you’re bound to mutter under your breath the first time you watch him gleefully and quickly destroy a toy you spent $20 on just a few hours before. Keep in mind, though, that aggression toward toys and perches is better than destructiveness directed toward your bird’s mental stability, his feathers, or you. Tearing toys up is properly channeled normal behavior for most parrots, and a very good thing. Just keep reminding yourself of that — again, and again, and again.

      Fortunately, some alternatives to expensive store-bought toys exist, but you need to rely on creativity to find them.

      The cardboard cores of toilet-paper and paper-towel rolls are perfect for shredding, especially for smaller birds. String those tubes together on a thick leather cord and hang them in your bird’s cage for his discovery and play. Other cheap options include ballpoint pens with the ink tubes removed, Ping-Pong balls, old plastic measuring cups and spoons, and plastic bottle tops.

      Toothbrushes are another bargain toy, sturdy and colorful. You can buy them new or give your pet your worn ones — just be sure to run them through a hot, soapy wash and rinse first. Hard plastic keys on a ring for babies or puppies are also a budget-wise buy that birds love, and real keys can be just as fun. Stringing these “jewels” onto leather shoelaces and hanging them in cages provides a very low cost, very big entertainment thrill for your bird.

      Keep your eyes and mind open for playthings — you may surprise yourself with the possibilities. Think cardboard boxes, magazines or newspapers inserted with their pages down into the top of the bird’s cage, and paper cups or cupcake liners. Use your imagination!

      Remember, however, that really none of these items is intended for consumption. If your bird is able to chew them apart and potentially eat them, it may be time to rethink what you offer.

Some birds are apprehensive about new toys. If yours is one of them, try to set the toy outside the cage (but within eye range) for a day or two and then put it on the floor of the cage for another day or two. You also can place desired food items near it, to help your bird learn that yummy stuff accompanies that new thing. If your bird starts to play with the toy, you can hang it up permanently — or at least as permanently as possible with a playful and powerful bird. If he starts screaming and flattening his feathers against his body when the toy is placed at a certain distance, move it back to where he was comfortable with the toy’s presence. Wait longer and move more slowly in reintroducing it. Reward your bird with a special treat, a head scratch, or whatever he especially likes any time he doesn’t show fear or try to escape from the new item.

      Harness and leash getups are a recent invention, geared for larger parrots. With a harness, you can take your parrot along when you’re running errands or visiting friends, without worrying about him getting away. (Even a wing-clipped bird can achieve enough loft to escape — it’s just harder.) Harnesses can add a lot to a companion bird’s life. Just think about it! You can harness up your buddy, let him perch on your shoulder, and go out for a walk. How fabulous is that! Not all birds benefit from this, of course, and no bird should be forced into a harness that he’s afraid of or doesn’t understand. But it’s definitely something to consider when thinking of ways to enrich your bird’s life. For more on the basics of harness training, see Chapter 20.

Clearing the Air

      Depending on where you live and what kind of and how many birds you keep, you may want to add an air cleaner or humidifier (or both!) to your shopping list. Paying attention to air quality is good for your bird and for you, too.

      First, the pitch on humidifiers: Today’s climate-controlled houses are often too dry for birds, some of whom represent species most at home in tropical rain forests. Daily misting is a great idea (see Chapter 7), but so, too, is keeping the moisture content of the air up with a humidifier. If you live in Hawaii, South Florida, or another tropical environment, lack of humidity isn’t a concern. In other parts of the country, however, dry air sometimes can be a problem. Remember, too, that when it gets cold outside and the heater is turned on inside the home, the relative humidity of your home drops.

      As for air cleaners, the decision whether you need one depends on a couple of factors. Some species of pet birds — the cockatoo is perhaps the best example — give off a lot of feather dust, a powdery natural grooming material that originates from the powder-down feathers over the flank and hip areas. (The dust factor is why we don’t recommend cockatoos for people with allergies — other particularly dusty species are the cockatiel and the African grey parrot.)

      

Unlike other feathers on a bird’s body, powder-down feathers grow continuously and are never molted. They break down and produce the dust we see when birds preen their feathers. Some species, such as cockatoos, cockatiels, and gray parrots have lots of powder down, while others such as Amazons and conures produce little.

One dusty bird can really reduce the air quality of a room. Several can make it downright unbreathable. (Feather dust is not a problem when a bird is in his natural environment outside, but inside your home, it’s another story.) The level of dust you’re willing to tolerate is a matter of personal preference, of course, but if you’re living with one or more dusty birds, we recommend an air filter. You and your birds will breathe better for your decision, and you can look forward to a reduction in your home’s dusting requirements. Get an air filter that generates a good amount of air turnover for the room you’ll be using it in, and place it near the source of the dust — the bird’s cage.

Cleaning Up

      Birds are messy, we admit. They destroy toys, they fling food, and they spread old feathers and dust wherever they go. Keeping things clean isn’t all that hard, though, with a plan and the right tools.

      Stocking up on cleaning supplies

      For your own sanity and for your bird’s health, you need to stock up on basic cleaning supplies. Here’s your shopping list:

       Brushes: Assemble an array of brushes with plastic bristles to clean fecal matter