Budgies in party mode: toys they'll actually use
Budgies are curious, chatty and very playful. Here's which toys they like, how to arrange them and why it's worth swapping them round now and then.
If you keep budgies, you'll know they never sit still. They peck, climb, hang upside down and chat to anything that moves. All that energy needs an outlet, and that's where toys come in.
An entertained budgie is a calmer, more active budgie, and less likely to pick up bad habits out of boredom.
What kinds of toys they like
- For pecking and shredding: natural untreated wood, cardboard, natural fibres. Destroying things is part of the fun.
- For climbing: ladders, ropes and swings that keep them moving.
- Noisy ones: little bells and jingly pieces, always firmly closed and with no parts that could come loose under a beak.
- Foraging toys: pieces where you can hide seeds so they have to search for them.
- Assorted perches in different thicknesses and materials, good for their feet.
Safety first
Budgies test everything with their beaks. Choose toys designed for small birds, with no loose parts they could swallow, no long threads they could get tangled in, and no paints or varnishes that aren't suitable for them.
Check the toys often and remove any that are badly frayed or broken. And wash them from time to time: they end up covered in bits of food.
Not too few, not a jungle
The cage needs toys, but also room to spread their wings and hop from one perch to another. Fill it too full and it turns into a junk room. A good trick is to have several toys and rotate them: some in, some put away, swapping them every week.
When introducing something new, put it near the cage for a day first. Some budgies are wary of the unknown and need to eye it up for a while before they dare.
The best toy is you
No accessory replaces company. Budgies are social animals and enjoy daily interaction: talk to them, let them see you and, if they're used to it, let them fly outside the cage in a safe room, with the windows shut and no other animals nearby.
If you notice your budgie plucking its feathers or spending long spells motionless and fluffed up, see a vet who specialises in birds.
At Petuki you'll find toys, perches and swings so your budgies' cage becomes a well-organised theme park.