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Tree Branches Make Excellent Toys

 

Birds need to chew and tear up their toys. In fact, parrots need to be able to easily destroy their toys. Buying toys that are not readily destructible will do little to help your bird's enjoyment of their environment.

Thus, we are left with providing relatively expensive toys that they destroy in a short period of time. Or we can, with a little thought, create cheap toys using things that are around the house or yard; toys that your bird can have a wonderful time tearing up and chewing to pieces!

We recommend one book that describes hundreds of easy to make, cheap toys. The book is called: "Parrot-Toys & Play Areas (How To Put Some Fun Into Your Parrot's life)". To learn more about this book, click here.

One of the best things you can give your bird are branches from trees. Fresh cut branches are the best. As you can see from our picture of a pine cone on the Bird and Exotic home page, we especially like pine cones and spruce cones as well as branches.

Follow these simple rules:

  1. Select appropriate sized branches for the bird: your bird must be able to chew through and easily destroy the branch
  2. Select branches that are fresh-cut and come from soft woods, when the season permits (soft wood is easier to chew through)
  3. Don't use branches from trees that have pesticide sprayed on them
  4. Don't use branches from trees that border busy roads and highways (much higher levels of heavy metal and petroleum byproduct residues are found on branches from these trees)

There is no need to bake the branches or disinfect them in any way. Baking destroys beneficial nutrients, including antioxidants called olygomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC's, click here to read about the marvelous beneficial health benefits of OPC's). Baking also makes the branch harder to chew through. Disinfecting will leave residues of toxic compounds found in all disinfectants. The bird is then exposed to toxic compounds while chewing on the branch.

If the branch looks clean it is probably fine, but to be completely sure, simply wash off the branch and dry it before giving it to your bird. Leaving the branch outside in the sun for a few days will add even more security, since the sun will also destroy most organisms.

We don't recommend the routine use of disinfectant soaps or other types of disinfectants. See our article on disinfecting, click here.

 

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