Without a doubt, many bird species are characterised by their high intelligence. Among the particularly clever representatives are corvids, parrots and their smaller relatives, parakeets. Among other things, this manifests itself in the fact that they like to occupy themselves with objects. In order to keep your clever pets intellectually stimulated, it is best to provide them with a variety of toys. You will find a large selection of bird toys and bird playgrounds in our online shop from manufacturers such as AniOne, Trixie and fit+fun.

Generally, birds will play with anything they find that seems interesting enough. For example, a budgerigar that is out and about on a desk will certainly soon start probing paper clips. Gnawing on paper or rummaging around in houseplants are also common bird games. You should always keep an eye on your birds to make sure they don’t put themselves in danger. For this reason, provide them with suitable toys:

• Hanging play items: Birds love to explore or pick apart threaded wooden items. Wood, cork, leather, shells or willow balls with different textures challenge the animals’ exploratory instinct. As birds are much better at recognising colours than humans, bird toys can be colourful – but ensure that they are non-toxic and choose leather straps that match the size of your bird’s beak. The fibres from cords can cause digestive problems.
• Bells and rattles: things that make noises are also very popular with birds.
• Rings: Interconnected rings and chains are exciting to climb and nibble on. Avoid metals containing zinc or lead. The chain links should correspond to the size of the bird so that the birds do not get their feet caught in them.
• Mesh balls: Many birds like to roll or carry these light hollow balls over surfaces.
• Ladders, rings and swings are not so much toys as gymnastic equipment for athletic birds.

You can play with your birds depending on their character and the level of trust they have built up with you. Birds like to be encouraged to play ball games or “tug-of-war”, parrots are also not averse to intelligence exercises such as hat-games with a treat. A particularly popular bird game is throwing down certain objects that the human has to repeatedly pick up.

In the past, bird toys such as mirrors and plastic birds with a tumbler toy effect were common in bird cages. Avoid these products: they make a bird believe it is looking at a member of its own species and promote behavioural problems. Also make sure that hanging bird toys are made in such a way that they do not get caught, tangled or strangled. Cords and sisal are generally not recommended. The fine fibres are plucked out and can lead to serious goitre infections and blockages. Good toys for birds are tied together with leather straps. In general, as little plastic as possible should be available to the birds so that they do not swallow splinters and small parts.