IMPORTANT Toy Safety

All companion parrotlets benefit greatly from the enrichment that toys bring. It’s not always easy however to find safe, appropriately sized and affordable parrotlet toys. In fact, it has taken considerable research, in consultation with avian veterinarians and parrotlet owners to find solutions. As a result, Aussie Parrotlets offers only the safest toys for your parrotlet.

The key safety principles that toys offered by Aussie Parrotlets uphold are:

No cotton

Cotton fibre is known to have been ingested by birds chewing on cotton-based toys. Unfortunately, this cotton fibre can accumulate in your parrotlet’s crop over time, eventually leading to a fatal obstruction. Instead we sell toys made with sisal or rattan fibre as this is a significantly safer alternative.

No “Birdie Huts”

Birdie huts are a tempting addition to your parrotlet’s cage; however, these can induce nesting behaviours that may lead to fatal egg-binding in females and aggression in male parrotlets.

No concrete or sandpaper perches

Aussie Parrotlets only recommend and sell perches that are comfortable and appropriately sized for your parrotlet. We do not sell concrete perches as these are too firm for bird’s feet. We do not sell sandpaper perches as these can cause foot sores which lead to infection.

No inappropriately large toys

Not only are all toys on this site specified for optimal safety, they are of course all appropriately sized for your parrotlet… After all, your parrotlet is what Aussie Parrotlets is all about!

No toxic Zinc plated steel

Avian Veterinarians have known for decades of the dangers of zinc toxicosis in birds. The problem stems in part from the fact that most of the steel used in bird toys is zinc-plated (galvanised) steel. Similar issues exist with aviary mesh too. Considering this, Aussie Parrotlets sells only toys containing higher quality safe nickel-plated (stainless) steel instead.

No unnecessary waste

Better still, we support the sustainable use of resources as the steel parts in the toys we sell are reusable rather than disposable. Simply order a refill kit for selected toys to reuse the stainless-steel part. Alternatively, the stainless steel mounting prongs may be re-used as fruit serving sticks.

A note on getting the best from your parrotlet’s toys

Now that we have the right toys… It’s important to get the most out of them. The purpose of toys is to promote engagement and avoid boredom. To achieve this end, the best tip is to rotate a different toy(s) into the cage weekly.

Whilst changing toys over, be sure to check your parrotlet’s toys to ensure they are still in good condition. Be sure to discard and replace the toys your parrotlet has destroyed (as he/she should!), or if any aspect of the toy has become unsafe.

OK, so now that’s all clear, why not check out the toys category?