Home made toys Vs bought toys...

[kikibird]

Hey guys,

Well today I made my first couple of home made toys for Kiki.

I used some straws that we got from KFC, some bottle tops off of empty flavoured milk and soda bottles, some peg people (little plastic people that are pegs) that came for free in our clothes washing detergent, some old paddle pop sticks, cotton rope that was pulled off of a dog toy bought from the $2.oo store and some old c clips.

Basicly these 2 toys that I made for her cost me about $2.00 all up. I made a big dangly thing packed full of bottle tops, peg people, straw peices and padle pop sticks and I made a preening toy by tying small pieces of splayed cotton rope around an old c clip.

You know what? She loved these 2 toys more than I have ever seen her like a toy before. Toys that I have bought for her in the past she has played with not very enthusiasticly for a few minutes and then has forgotten about them. But these 2 that I made she sat there watching me make and as soon as I hung them in her cage she raced up to them and played with them for hours.

I now know what I will be doing in the future and it wont be going to the pet shop and spending $50.00 on toys when I can get a few materials from a $2.00 store and around the house and make the cheapest toys I have ever seen and toys that my fid absolutely loves.

[tielfan]

My birds generally like homemade toys better than the ones that come from the store. Most of the commercially-produced toys aren't the sort of thing my birds like to play with. But I know what they like and I can tailor the homemade toys to their taste.

[felisdomesticus]

I wouldn't give my bird plastic figures that were marinating in laundry detergent.

[Machelle]

I wouldn't either. I make all of my toys. I buy from ebay and the dollar store is a great place to buy stuff. Its alot of fun.

[kikibird]

Actually the little plastic peg people are plastic wrapped and sealed in the box so none of the washing powder gets to them and also after I unwrapped them just to make sure they were washed, soaked and scrubbed thouroughly about three times to get rid of anything that may have been there.

[Alyce Johnson]

Sounds like you did a great job!
I've found my fids like to show their "appreciation" for the toys they watch me make by destroying them most throughly!

They do seem to really get a kick out of watching us silly humans work on something for hours and then - *give it to them*! Funny - that's the same way they feel about our food, too...

[kikibird]

Ive given up on spending time nicely dicing fruit and veges and spending lots of time preparing soak seed, I just see it fly everywhere and majority go to waiste.

Now I just whack it all together, who cares willy nilly, 5 minutes and its done. But you know the funny thing? Now that I do it this way she is prepared to eat everything given to her instead of chucking it all out.

I dont get it, I really dont. I just hope my new Artemis is nothing like kiki.