Toys and Enrichment
© Laura Fratoni – Eddie’s Aviary -reproduce only with permission please
We love our birds. We want them as comfortable and happy in their homes as possible. It is the human’s responsibility to make sure our birds don’t suffer from boredom as it is a source of over preening or plucking behaviors, and overall lack of vigor that depression can cause.
What Type of Toys do Linnies most Enjoy? The biggest thing to consider with toys for your Linnie is choosing ones that are size appropriate, and safe. Toys that are too small can have tiny parts that don’t stay attached to the base and can be swallowed. Toys designed for large species can be boring as they are made from materials (usually hardwoods) too tough for a Linnie to chew into.
Linnies like to chew and shred toys made from lightweight balsa wood, palm leaf toys, vine balls, shreddable kabobs and grassmats. Remember that shredding can trigger females to lay eggs, so watch the amount of light you provide over the cage (anything more than 12 hours is a trigger length), and if your hen is acting “nesty”, remove shreddy toys during that time.
They like to keep busy beaks, and we find they enjoy highly beaded toys that have movement, and different textures. Toys that are knotted after each bead or two last the longest. I have seen them spend 4 hours to remove a single bead! Be sure to trim the strings when they remove knots to take off the beads.
Enrichment: In the wild, our Linnies would have spent most of the day foraging for food, and when kept in our homes with 24/7 full feed bowls, they can find boredom in eating. Since most of the foraging toys are designed for much larger parrots, they have heavy lift gates to access the food, and usually won’t work for our diminutive Lineolated parakeets.
What we feed, and how we feed, keeps your bird mentally stimulated. For example, pomegranate served quartered, instead of just the seeds really increases its value as it is both nutrition and a foraging activity. View food as an opportunity to help enrich their life instead of just calories.
We love the 50+ ingredient seed/nut/fruit/veggie Linnie Mix for its ingredients, but also how it mentally stimulates your bird as they dig through the dish. If you feed the same food, day in and day out, you are missing an opportunity. People love to make chop or offer cooked foods. Use that opportunity to bring variation to your birds’ life. The same “recipe” of chop becomes mundane, even if packed with a ton of different things. We like to “surprise” our birds each morning and early evening with something new and exciting in their bowls. Adding a heavy wooden toy block to the center of the food bowl makes them work to move it to get their food, also a natural behavior.
You can use cardboard (glue free) tubes to put snacks in, such as Nutriberries, then seal the ends with paper and a rubber band or string. They will chew through to get to the treats. Perches with natural knots in them can also serve as fun little “hiding spots” for goodies. Try to make them work for their meals, and you will find your mentally stimulated Linnie is a happy one.
Safety: Be mindful of where and what your bird toys are made from. China produces a lot of products for the US, and their pet products have been under fire for years. Using toxic lead in paint for bird toys being one of the more highly publicized events. We always try to buy US made bird toys, and stainless-steel hardware when possible.
Once you have eliminated toxic materials from your list of birdie-safe toys, you need to consider wear on those toys. All toys should be checked daily for long strings that need to be trimmed, and that quick links have not opened up (as they can snag on lower beaks, legs and bands). Look your bird over to make sure no strings have wrapped around toes or necks.
NEVER use a “sleep hut” made from fabric or fleece. Birds may never chew them, but then all of a sudden decide to (usually when you aren’t home)! These items are also breeding triggers, causing egg laying in hens, or aggression in males. If you really feel your bird needs a sleep spot, use grassmat swings, or huts. They do wear (from chewing or pooping), but are a safe option.
What does Toy Rotation Mean? Boredom is something we all try to avoid in our birds to minimize the chances of over-preening (in Linnies this turns the feathers black, or raggedy) or plucking. Lack of mental stimulation also turns your fun, playful bird into a perch potato, and they lose vigor for life. Picking two toys of different style (example: a shreddable toy, and a busy beaks design with lots of color and beading) and rotating them out each week with new styles will keep them excited.
Conclusion: Shopping for new bird toys is one of the best activities for bird owners! There are few things in life better than seeing your birds happily playing with their toys. Investing in a good stock of toys will increase your enjoyment in “bird keeping” as well as offering your birds the best life possible. Buy quality, US made toys that are safe, and be sure to check them daily.
If you enjoy this Forum, or the Content found here helpful.... consider buying the author a coffee. Helps with website costs, and keeps motivation levels up for more late night work. Thank you
CLICK HERE to Buy Me A Coffee
© Laura Fratoni – Eddie’s Aviary -reproduce only with permission please
We love our birds. We want them as comfortable and happy in their homes as possible. It is the human’s responsibility to make sure our birds don’t suffer from boredom as it is a source of over preening or plucking behaviors, and overall lack of vigor that depression can cause.
What Type of Toys do Linnies most Enjoy? The biggest thing to consider with toys for your Linnie is choosing ones that are size appropriate, and safe. Toys that are too small can have tiny parts that don’t stay attached to the base and can be swallowed. Toys designed for large species can be boring as they are made from materials (usually hardwoods) too tough for a Linnie to chew into.
Linnies like to chew and shred toys made from lightweight balsa wood, palm leaf toys, vine balls, shreddable kabobs and grassmats. Remember that shredding can trigger females to lay eggs, so watch the amount of light you provide over the cage (anything more than 12 hours is a trigger length), and if your hen is acting “nesty”, remove shreddy toys during that time.
They like to keep busy beaks, and we find they enjoy highly beaded toys that have movement, and different textures. Toys that are knotted after each bead or two last the longest. I have seen them spend 4 hours to remove a single bead! Be sure to trim the strings when they remove knots to take off the beads.
Enrichment: In the wild, our Linnies would have spent most of the day foraging for food, and when kept in our homes with 24/7 full feed bowls, they can find boredom in eating. Since most of the foraging toys are designed for much larger parrots, they have heavy lift gates to access the food, and usually won’t work for our diminutive Lineolated parakeets.
What we feed, and how we feed, keeps your bird mentally stimulated. For example, pomegranate served quartered, instead of just the seeds really increases its value as it is both nutrition and a foraging activity. View food as an opportunity to help enrich their life instead of just calories.
We love the 50+ ingredient seed/nut/fruit/veggie Linnie Mix for its ingredients, but also how it mentally stimulates your bird as they dig through the dish. If you feed the same food, day in and day out, you are missing an opportunity. People love to make chop or offer cooked foods. Use that opportunity to bring variation to your birds’ life. The same “recipe” of chop becomes mundane, even if packed with a ton of different things. We like to “surprise” our birds each morning and early evening with something new and exciting in their bowls. Adding a heavy wooden toy block to the center of the food bowl makes them work to move it to get their food, also a natural behavior.
You can use cardboard (glue free) tubes to put snacks in, such as Nutriberries, then seal the ends with paper and a rubber band or string. They will chew through to get to the treats. Perches with natural knots in them can also serve as fun little “hiding spots” for goodies. Try to make them work for their meals, and you will find your mentally stimulated Linnie is a happy one.
Safety: Be mindful of where and what your bird toys are made from. China produces a lot of products for the US, and their pet products have been under fire for years. Using toxic lead in paint for bird toys being one of the more highly publicized events. We always try to buy US made bird toys, and stainless-steel hardware when possible.
Once you have eliminated toxic materials from your list of birdie-safe toys, you need to consider wear on those toys. All toys should be checked daily for long strings that need to be trimmed, and that quick links have not opened up (as they can snag on lower beaks, legs and bands). Look your bird over to make sure no strings have wrapped around toes or necks.
NEVER use a “sleep hut” made from fabric or fleece. Birds may never chew them, but then all of a sudden decide to (usually when you aren’t home)! These items are also breeding triggers, causing egg laying in hens, or aggression in males. If you really feel your bird needs a sleep spot, use grassmat swings, or huts. They do wear (from chewing or pooping), but are a safe option.
What does Toy Rotation Mean? Boredom is something we all try to avoid in our birds to minimize the chances of over-preening (in Linnies this turns the feathers black, or raggedy) or plucking. Lack of mental stimulation also turns your fun, playful bird into a perch potato, and they lose vigor for life. Picking two toys of different style (example: a shreddable toy, and a busy beaks design with lots of color and beading) and rotating them out each week with new styles will keep them excited.
Conclusion: Shopping for new bird toys is one of the best activities for bird owners! There are few things in life better than seeing your birds happily playing with their toys. Investing in a good stock of toys will increase your enjoyment in “bird keeping” as well as offering your birds the best life possible. Buy quality, US made toys that are safe, and be sure to check them daily.
If you enjoy this Forum, or the Content found here helpful.... consider buying the author a coffee. Helps with website costs, and keeps motivation levels up for more late night work. Thank you
CLICK HERE to Buy Me A Coffee