HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TOY FOR YOUR AFRICAN GREY PARROT
Whether you and your Grey have been companions for many years or you've just brought your new baby home, we know that it's sometimes frustrating to shop for toys for our feathered family members. We've heard so many times "my bird is so picky!" or "my Grey is afraid of everything!" So we've compiled this list of toys for anyone searching for that perfect toy for their picky and/or skittish African Grey parrot.
OUR TOP 10 PICKS FOR AFRICAN GREY PARROTS:
10. Tiki Tangler by Cheep Thrills
WHY WE LIKE IT
The Tiki Tangler is full of Vine Balls, which is always a favorite among birds, but it's also loaded with different paper textures and therefore lightweight and good for birds who pick and over-preen their feathers.
9. Pharaon Medium by Fun-Max
WHY WE LIKE IT
One question we often get is how people can entice their parrots to chew more wood. Birds, even some of the largest parrots, won't just chew any wood, they need something softer and more sporting to dig their beaks into. That's what makes the Pharaon Medium one of our favorites for "pickier" wood chewers. It's got a ton of soft pine that's thin and easier for beaks to shred.
8. Firecracker Jr. by Super Bird Creations
WHY WE LIKE IT
The Firecracker Jr. has been one toy that we've carried for many years simply because it's one that can't be beat! So many birds crave seagrass, and this is one medium sized roll-up with layers and layers to slowly demolish. It's also an excellent foraging toy if you take the time to stuff it full of your parrot's favorite nuts or other treats. We've also found that seagrass is another great toy for pluckers and over-preeners, so it's a win-win all the way around.
7. This & That Round Large by Aronico
WHY WE LIKE IT
This & That is a fairly new toy to the scene, but it has everything that a timid grey might want. Sometimes when birds are naturally afraid of new things, toys with less color can help them get over the newness of them a bit quicker. Since this toy is largely made up of fibrous coconut, it's not so "scary" to some more skittish parrots.
6. Mega Rolls by Cheep Thrills
WHY WE LIKE IT
It's simple, it's mostly natural colored (to help with birds who are afraid of bright colors; do we sound like a broken record yet?) and it's got a ton of layers to shred, right down to the bird safe wire in the center. It's just a good, simple toy.
5. Pod Party by Cheep Thrills
WHY WE LIKE IT
Again with the natural colors. Plus, if you haven't tried mahogany pods for your flock, we highly recommend doing so. They are a very unique, crunchy-but-soft texture that most birds go absolutely nuts over, African Grey's included. The Pod Party is packed with them and can easily be refilled with a new pack of mahogany pods and your bird's favorite rope.
4. Wiggle Waggle by Cheep Thrills
WHY WE LIKE IT
With 32 individual cups, the Wiggle Waggle is good at slowing down the chewing and giving your grey a task to work at. Everything is strung on natural hemp rope which is small but super tough. This is also a great toy for birds who like to shake their toys around for a little bit of noise, but great for the "parronts" who don't want to hear a big racket.
3. Peacock Sr. by Super Bird Creations
WHY WE LIKE IT
We'll say it again: thin. wood. is. key. The Peacock is nothing but with a rainbow of soft pine slats all held together with 100% natural cotton rope. Another oldie but a goodie!
2. Jumbo Pine Cone Preener by Cheep Thrills
WHY WE LIKE IT
It just doesn't get much more natural than a Jumbo Pine Cone Preener. These giant, untreated pine cones may look delicate, but they are anything but. There are dozens if not hundreds of little nubs to chew and underneath is a surprising "feathery" texture that birds love to continue to nibble and preen for hours.
1. Fireball Small by Fun-Max
WHY WE LIKE IT
We had trouble selecting exactly which toy should be number one and in the end, we decided that something that would take the most time to chew through would be a good wrap to the list. There's no ball in the center like you would think; it's small pieces of wood through and through. So, even if your Grey doesn't enjoy chewing large blocks but you know how important it is for beak health for them to chew at least some wood and you're looking for a place to begin, look no farther than the Fireball Small as a good intro into wood chewing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We get that shopping for bird toys that your flock will actually play with can sometimes be daunting, but we hope that this list has given you some good pointers in the right direction. We've been told for many years that the toys we carry are like "bird crack" and asked what we do differently and part of that answer is simply that we kinda know what birds love and know the correct direction to steer people when their parrot has a particular preference.
If you still feel like you need some more dedicated help with selecting some bird toys to try, please drop us a line with any questions you may have and we would be happy to help in any way that we can. We always love when our customers find that perfect combo of goodies that their feathered family members can enjoy to the fullest. After all, happiness is super important to flock health and keeping them entertained with the right toy is a good step in that direction!