Toys

[shellbeme]

If you want to make your own toys, where do you find the parts? The cotton rope, the safe leather to use, the ss clamp thingies, the large, colorful acrylic beads, the wooden pieces. I have been looking in craft stores I can find some wood and and a few things but is there anyplace online that you can purchase these parts from? I'm thinking a craft store or something-not a bird toy store that is selling bird toy parts. With the price of bird toys I'd kinda like to start making my own.

[becca623]

There are tons of on line stores bird stores that carry the parts. Or people buy them at bird fairs. Craft stores like Jo-Ann Fabric, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc have a lot of the parts. You'll have a harder time finding the clamps and metal parts if you don't buy from bird toy sites. Ebay usually has a lot of that stuff too.

[Congobongo]

I pick up stuff at the dollar store too. Plastic wire ties work great stringing stuff to plastic wiffel balls.

[Congobongo]

Also, when you are at a bird fair, look at the items/parts they use to make the toys. You can find them at craft stores and elsewhere to make your own.

[Congobongo]

Plus, I have to remind myself, my birds don't really care if it looks cute or dimensionally correct, they just care that is is something they can tear up! So, don't worry if it doesn't look cute or totally put together. That is for us, not for them. They don't care!

[becca623]

I forgot about the dollar store! Thanks for catching it. Those whiffle balls are a favorite here. So many easy fun things you can do with them to make them even more appealing.

[BellaBlue]

Great ideas. Thanks for the tips

[Congobongo]

Here is a pic of my GW, Rosie with a toy I made with parts from the dollar store.

[iggysbirds]

first your toy looks really great and I am sure your bird will have a lot of fun with it. I did have one question though are those pipe cleaners or chenille stems (sp) on it. The only reason I ask is that the wire inside has been said to have zinc in them made by many of the main companies that distribute them. Kind of like twist ties (bread wrapper twists). Plastic zip strips (also called cable ties) work really well in place of them and also can be found in dollar stores in a large variety of sizes and colors.

[chinniechantel]

OMG pipe cleaners! Duh. Thank you for that pic, I have been using wire and that is really annoying, pipe cleaners is a great idea. I love those wreaths from the dollar store, my bird loves using them as a swing and then destroying it.