Bird Toys and Enrichment Guide

Bird toys and enrichment should provide safe opportunities for exploration, foraging, chewing, manipulation and movement that match the species.

Choosing suitable enrichment

Select items based on the bird's size, beak strength and natural behaviours. Some birds benefit from shreddable materials, others from climbing, puzzle-style feeding or objects to manipulate. Avoid assuming that a toy marketed for a broad group of birds is suitable for every species. Supervise unfamiliar items until you know how the bird uses them.

Inspect and rotate

Check toys frequently for loose fibres, sharp edges, broken components, swallowed fragments or damaged fasteners. Remove anything that becomes unsafe. Rotation can keep the environment interesting without continually increasing the number of objects. Food-based enrichment should never make it difficult for a bird to obtain adequate nutrition.

Enrichment is part of the environment

Place toys and activities so the bird can rest and move freely between them. Provide safe perching and opportunities for exercise as well. Watch the bird's response: an item that causes persistent fear is not useful enrichment. If destructive, repetitive or unusually withdrawn behaviour develops, consider health, social and environmental factors rather than simply adding more toys.