Macaws:
Red Shouldered (Hahn's) Macaw
Severe Macaw
Blue And Gold Macaw
Blue Throated Macaw
Military Macaw
Red Fronted Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
Green Winged Macaw
Hyacinth Macaw
One of the simplest and cheapest sources of parrot fun is actually nothing more than clothespins (the wooden ones that you use to hang clothes to dry on a string). Mainly these feathered little devils just need something to keep their beak occupied and it really isn't worth putting out too much money on fancy toys that will be broken in no time.
Clothespins are simply one of the cheapest sources of chewable wood for parrots. Truman's breeder actually suggested this to me and said that she's been serving them to her parrots for many years without issue. I bought a pack of 72 wooden clothespins for just $1 at the 99 cent store. I simply twist the clothespins and pop the springs out and it makes for 2 wooden sticks. That is 144 wooden sticks for $1. That comes out to less than one cent per bundle of fun.
The clothespins sticks can be used as a reward for training. Occasionally I'll give Truman a break from training by rewarding him with a clothespin and he happily chews on it for 10 minutes. Alternatively they can be used to make a toy by drilling holes in the sticks and then hanging them on a stainless steel or aluminum wire.
I went out to buy some more perches for Truman because he was having trouble reaching perches in his cage. I bought a comfy rope perch to hang diagonally across the cage to make it a bit easier for him to get up and get around. I added some more intermediate perches to help him get from the bars to the perches. Eventually I should be able to remove this safety perches but for now he is clumsy and these save his butt from falling down an extra time. I also needed to buy perches to use to make special training stands for Truman similar to Kili's.
Since I drove nearly an hour to get to this wholesale place for parrot supplies, I figured I'd make the most of it. I bought a year's worth of toys and some additional swings/perches. I didn't buy any toys for Kili - not only because she has a ton of old toys I can reuse - but also cause when Truman breaks his toys down to smaller pieces, I'll be able to recycle them and make smaller toys for Kili out of those. This way, effectively I can spend one bird's worth on toys and keep a second equally well supplied.
I bought a boing to put in Truman's cage eventually. I got him a large bird kebab, a rope swing, new basketball prop, swinging ladder, comfy perch, and a bunch of other toys. I also got a handful of mounting clasps. Not that I lose them, but somehow certain toys end up coming without them and I always find myself borrowing clasps from other toys. Now I should be set for a long time and will be able to rotate toys for Kili and Truman without having to do any more shopping.
Here is a video showing off Truman's wondrous shopping list worth of toys and then gives you a look inside his cage. You can see the way I changed the set up around to make it a bit easier for him to climb around. He's been having trouble climbing the dome top and the vertical bars. The cage is great for a smarter/older bird but kind of tough for a baby parrot to get used to because there are many aluminum dividers that make getting from one set of bars to the next difficult.
Trained Parrot is a blog about how to train tricks to all parrots and parakeets. Read about how I teach tricks to Truman the Brown Necked Cape Parrot including flight recall, shake, wave, nod, turn around, fetch, wings, and play dead. Learn how you can train tricks to your Parrot, Parrotlet, Parakeet, Lovebird, Cockatiel, Conure, African Grey, Amazon, Cockatoo or Macaw. This blog is better than books or DVDs because the information is real, live, and completely free of charge. If you want to know how to teach your parrot tricks then you will enjoy this free parrot training tutorial.
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