How to Make Wooden Bird Toys
Wooden bird toys can run a bird owner into quite a bit of money, especially if the bird is a power chewer. Some of the larger birds can destroy a wooden bird toy in as little as a day, but most toys last at least a few weeks. Birds tend to become bored with nothing to do, and will pluck themselves naked, so keeping a supply of toys is an important part of the care of birds, particularly parrots.
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Things You'll Need
- Wood block
- Untreated pieces of 2-by-4-inch boards
- Paulie rope
- Beads
- Drill and drill bits
- Stainless steel quick links
- Stainless steel chain
Instructions
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1
Determine the size of the wood and bead parts needed for your bird. The larger the bird, the larger the toy parts should be. Parts range in size from 1/4-inch pieces to 1 1/2-inch pieces. Purchase multicolored parts and Paulie rope or leather to put the toys together. Paulie rope is a type of rope made specifically for bird toys.
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Plan the look of the toy. Choose the rope or leather pieces to hold the blocks and beads. Small birds are comfortable with toys that are no more the 4 to 5 inches in length, but larger birds will need something 12 to 18 or more inches in length. Take the size of the cage into consideration, and think about how much room the bird will have to move around in the cage.
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3
Drill a hole large enough for the Paulie rope or leather stringing material in the center of the blocks. Some blocks may be pre-drilled. Drill holes in the main piece to hold the strings of wooden parts and beads. Thread the rope through the main piece of the toy and knot it well. The knots should be enough to keep the rope from sliding out of the main piece and need to be tied tightly, as most birds will untie the knots.
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Thread wooden blocks and beads onto the rope or leather. Alternate colors and materials. You can even add leather pieces between the blocks. Once a string is full, knot the bottom or tie the Paulie rope or leather into knots or tie a stainless steel quick link (the kind that screws together) to the bottom to hold all of the parts on the rope or leather.
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5
Drill a larger hole in the center of the main hanging piece. Thread stainless steel chain, leather or Paulie rope through the center hole. Connect the ends with a stainless steel quick link. The quick link can be unscrewed to fit over the bars of the cage or aviary, then screwed tightly together and makes a great toy hanger. If you are using chain, simply loop each end of the chain onto the quick link. If you are using Paulie rope or leather, knot each end of the main hanging material to the quick link.
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Tips & Warnings
Always use stainless steel for any metal parts in bird toys.
Resources
- Photo Credit Copyright Cheryl Bowman
