Coconut toys...

[Chrissy and Flock]

I have been looking at toys online (wow one could go broke in a hurry) :D I see where some of them are made from coconuts... does anyone know if they do anything to the coconuts before making them into toys or do they just clean out the shell and use it.....

[birdie]

I don't know for sure what they do, I have gotten a couple, one is smooth the other has some of the hair on it. I think I'll just go to the store and buy one & have hubby cut it on the saw for me.

[Chrissy and Flock]

Thats what I was thinking of doing ... they have bunches of them here in the grocery store....

[birdie]

the birds can have some yummies from the inside too:)

[Chrissy and Flock]

Thats what I was thinking too a toy thats yummy to the tummy...

[MoluccanZoey]

I got Zoey a real coconut the other day and (since no hubby) just drained it by using a screwdriver and then cracked it with a hammer. She did enjoy eating the "meat" of it- but a warning, it molded REALLY fast. So I wouldn't use a fresh one as a toy, since I can mold (within 24hrs). Just treat it like any fresh fruit and discard after they have had their fun. But when you by a coconut TOY, they have removed the inner meat and is safe to play with for a long time.

[Evelyn]

I have been looking at toys online (wow one could go broke in a hurry) :D I see where some of them are made from coconuts... does anyone know if they do anything to the coconuts before making them into toys or do they just clean out the shell and use it.....


Chirssy -

There's lots of stuff you can get at the dollar store that make good toys: wooden spoons, wooden clothespins without the little metal clip, toys for infants (these are usually plastic so dont' use them if you bird chews on plastic), etc. You can come out with an armful for very little money. Sometimes I just give them the wooden stuff as is, and sometimes I string it together.

Plain paperbags (not the fancy colored gift bags) make great toys, too, especially if you put stuff inside: other toys, treats.

Has anybody suggested hanging an old telephone book up the cage? That usually makes for hours of fun (a big mess, but that's what vacuum cleaners are for).

Rolled up newspapers are good, but don't fasten with tape or rubber band. I use raffia strips or thin leather strips.

A favorite toy for all the birds I've ever had was one I made myself (many of them). Sew buttons onto a piece of fabric and hang it in the cage. Make sure the buttons are big enough they can't swallow them and are safe.

One bird likes tossing a plastic soda bottle around. I'm not sure, though, whether the plastic stuff would harm a bird if he/she chews it. Maybe Don or Bill will comment on that.

You can get a length of UNTREATED lumber at Lowe's and cut it into blocks and string them together. Hubby is in the process of making some toys for me that I saw in a store and that cost $55.00: 3" blocks strung on a small stainless steel chain or rope or think leather strips. Alternate the blocks with some big beads and/or tie knots in the leather strips along its length.

I don't know if Lowe's would cut the wood for you or not.

Evelyn

[Evelyn]

Chrissy -

Another thought I had. Have you tried making shish-kabobs out of food? Mine love those, and they frequently eat something from the shish-kabob they wouldn't touch in their food bowls.

Mine had a ball with pomegranites; but I wouldn't recommend those for inside. What a mess!

Evelyn

[Chrissy and Flock]

Cutting the wood would not be a problem I have all kinds of power tools in my garage (no room for a car) I have a large container of wood peices I bought online, and I have some untreated wood that I can cut up when I run out of the peices already drilled. I was just trying to think of things to add to it and I saw coconut toys and thought I would try to find out if it is safe to use fresh coconuts.