Now you really never know which toy will make your bird happy. Your bird might like that silly bowling game. Your bird might be perfectly content playing with plastic Dixie cups. But here is an example I got at a local chain store that was selling them for $1 just to get rid of them. They retailed for $17 if memory serves. It’s for large birds but I bought it specifically for this website.
As you can see, its bullet proof. Indestructible but it really does nothing. It has a ring to pull that hits the white puck but that essentially does… nothing. It has 2 balls that roll back and forth and 2 bead slots that do the same thing, neither of which you can see very well. For all intents and purposes, this toy is useless. This toy is the Hogan’s Heroes of bird toys, especially for the retail price. But, that doesn’t mean your bird won’t like it. However, if you were to spend upwards of $20 on a toy, wouldn’t you want to spend it on something that your bird might be likelier to enjoy?
So keep those things in mind when you’re looking for bird toys. The one thing I will suggest though is this; any time you travel, if you either pass one or actively look for bird stores near places you plan to travel, stop in and visit them. Preferably, even if it’s just a bag of treat balls, buy something. There are plenty of big pet stores that aren’t national chain stores that are competing against the giants. These are owned by people who started the business because they love pets. Not to say that they chains aren’t good or anything like that but chains have set suppliers and those suppliers are also usually large chains. Patronizing those local business is good to help keep them afloat but its also good because since they don’t have set suppliers like the chains do, you never know what you may find at these local pet/bird stores.
I found this yellow-green ladder on clearance that I’ve used for 7 years at one of these shops. I have never seen this before or since but it ended up being a great purchase. So whenever you travel, search for bird stores and pet stores near your destinations. You never know what treasures you may find.
You may even turn your bird into Magic Mike. I wonder if I can get Elton John to write the song Tiny Pole Dancer 🙂