Each bird has it's own individual play style. Some are very gentle with their toys, others are unusually rough. On average, most parrots love to shred, chew, and otherwise "make mulch" of their toys. It's what they do best! Play substitutes for what energetic, healthy birds do in the wild. Play is a companion parrot's "work"-- what they do to expend excess energy. Watch as your bird chews through a hardwood star or shreds a pinata. Notice how attention is focused on the task at hand; how the beak, feet, even wings get in on the action. Toy parts crash to the floor, depleted. Bits of wood, leather, cotton fiber, sisal rope are sent flying. Pleasure and lots of exercise are the end products of most parrot play.

Birds are more likely to play with toys that they can pick apart. Sure, it's okay to have some "indestructible" toys, but be sure to also provide plenty of stuff for birdie mayhem. A bored bird is an unhappy bird. An unhappy bird may resort to negative behaviors like screaming, biting, over preening, and feather picking.

Remember that every bird has favorite play things and favorites do change over time. It's best not to clutter a bird's cage with too many toys, even favorites. Have a few staples, but switch and exchange toys often. You can even spread toys out on the floor, a table, or other appropriate surface and let your parrot make it's own choices. Put the rejected items away for a couple of weeks and do it again. When considering a toy, take the size of the bird and it's personality into account. Just because a product is labeled a "bird toy" does not mean it is appropriate for your bird. Carefully inspect all parts of a toy before giving it to your bird. Look for potential hazards. Sometimes a toy can be altered to make it safe for your particular bird.

It's not always easy to tell the size of a toy from a picture on the web or in a catalog. Unfortunately, some toys advertised for large birds are actually sized for medium and smaller birds, so take care. Fowl Play tries very hard for truth in advertising, giving you an accurate photo as well as lots of information on the toy size and other details to make your shopping easier.

Toys and Toy Parts

The Fowl Play Workshop uses only welded metal rings and chains on our medium and large bird toys. We do not use split rings (key chain rings) on any of our toys as they are a hazard to your prized feathered friend. It is possible for an enthusiastic bird to pry open a split ring, catching a tender beak or tiny toe. Quick Links are used as hangers on larger toys for maximum safety, while Pear Links are used when appropriate on smaller toys. All Fowl Play metal bird toy parts are either nickel-plated or stainless steel.

The Fowl Play Workshop only attaches bells on our x-small and small bird toys. We don't use bells on our larger toys because some enthusiastic parrots are masters at removing and dismantling bells, posing a hazard. You would think that as smart as birds are they wouldn't swallow a bell clapper, but many birds have. We use 100% natural cotton rope that is carefully stored to keep it fresh and clean. Many of the wood parts we use on larger toys are made in the Fowl Play Workshop. We strive to make sure that our parts are properly sized for the toy and the size of bird.

Although we use FD&C approved human grade dyes, we realize that some people prefer dye-free or "natural" bird toys and toy parts, For these customers, we have a separate department of dye-free toys. Check back often to see the new additions.

You will notice that Fowl Play hand-crafted bird toys have plump, fresh, bright, domestic leather that is vegetable-tanned, zinc- and chromium-free and processed in the midwestern USA. After making our toys we take care to store them properly, keeping the leather fresh and clean for your bird.

We use some plastic parts on x-small and small bird toys and Marbella on larger toys to add color and texture which birds crave. Only Marbella parts are used on our medium and large bird toys. Marbella (made by a small American company) is a high impact acrylic, meaning that parts made of it are much, much more difficult to break. If a parrot does manage to break Marbella, what's left is in chunks rather than in shards, making it safer than regular plastic.

We sell lots of smaller toys for x-small and small birds. Many pet birds, however, are in the medium size category and you will find a wealth of hanging toys and foot toys on our site to satisfy their chewing needs. Fowl Play also counts many large Cockatoos and Macaws among our loyal customers. For these especially ENTHUSIASTIC chewers, we have a number of truly large hanging toys that will keep them occupied while providing opportunities for chewing and shredding.

Our online catalog makes specific recommendations for all sizes of birds. We encourage folks to keep in mind that by watching their bird at play they can come to better know his/her preferences and capabilities and become "the expert" at purchasing appropriately sized, challenging toys that their bird will love.

General Size Guide for Toys

X-Small: Parakeets, Budgies, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Prattle's, small Conures, small Lories, Bourkes, Lorikeets, etc.

Small: Pionus, Quakers, large Conures, Senegals, Meyers, Jardines, Large Lories, etc.

Medium: African Greys, small and medium Amazons, small Cockatoos, Eclectus, small Macaws, Ringnecks, Alexandrines, etc.

Large: large Macaws, medium and large Cockatoos, large Amazons, etc.

Toy Hints

1. Avian veterinarians recommend keeping a wide variety of toys on hand and rotating them periodically. Birds need variety, otherwise they may become bored and begin to exhibit unwelcome behaviors such as plucking, biting, over-preening and so forth.

2. Some birds tend to be afraid of new toys. One strategy to help them accept new ones is to start out with smaller toys and over time gradually work up to larger ones. Another strategy is to place the toy where the bird can see it from afar, gradually moving it closer to the cage each day, placing it on top of the cage or hanging it outside the cage, then finally, inside the cage.

3. Some medium sized birds are BIG chewers that make "mulch" of small toys in record time. These feathered mulching machines would do better with a larger, sturdier, more challenging toy.

4. No toy is 100% safe, so always watch how your bird plays with new toys and frequently check all toys for wear that may pose hazards - such as loose fabric strips, frayed rope, dangling clappers.

5. As a safety measure when hanging toys, make sure you tighten Quick Links with pliers. Be sure the size of the Pear Link or Quick Link matches the size of the toy. Large toys require bigger fasteners.

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Used toys cannot be returned. Once a toy has been in contact with your bird, even hanging untouched in the cage, it cannot be returned. But, if you open the Fowl Play package and discover right away that a toy is just not what you had in mind, you can return it or exchange it for another. Returns and exchanges are welcome, but please know that you will be responsible for the normal return shipping charge. Make sure to carefully pack the items you are returning. You won't receive credit for items that arrive to us damaged due to lack of protection during return shipping. Food items must be returned within fourteen days of purchase.

In certain circumstances we reserve the right to charge a restocking fee for returned orders. Please feel free to contact us for shipping instructions and other details before returning items. See the Terms tab at the top of this page for our shipping rates and other important information.

The Beakly Reader

The Beakly Reader is a free quarterly newsletter for Fowl Play customers. Each issue features a column about what's happening around the Fowl Play HQ, a report from Critter the Blue-Crowned Conure about new toys and products, helpful hints, and details about the free, monthly "Beakly Special" toys. Maybe the best thing in the Beakly Reader is the announcement of the winners of the seven gift certificates that we give away each quarter to recent Fowl Play customers!


Fowl Play Supplies Your Flock!

Please consider Fowl Play the source for whatever your "flock" needs. We offer hanging toys, hand toys, shredding toys, chewie toys, preening toys, dye-free toys, and a HUGE assortment of bird toy parts for making your own toys. Cage accessories include dragonwood perches, Sandy Perches, and Booda Comfy Perches. Lixit crocks are perfect as food and water bowls or for keeping a hoard of favorite chewies at hand.

We stock the favorite foods of your flock like Harrison's, Goldenfeast, ZuPreem, Roudybush, Lafeber (Nutri-berries), Scenic, Crazy Corn, and Beak Appetit. Cleaning products include Poop Off and Pet Focus. For insect control we carry Moth and Fruit Fly Traps, plus everyone's favorite bird-safe insecticide, Camicide.