-!WARNING!- Dangerous Toys!

Well, its been a while since I gave this warning, so here goes! Birds and loose string toys do not do well together! Any cage toy that has tassels, loose string, ropes that can be unwound, or anything similar is extremely hazardous for birds. This warning applies mostly for budgies, but all parrots can fall victim to this hazard. Ropes, rope perches and rope swings are fine, just check them every day for loose or frayed strings.

What happens is that the bird plays with, chews, climbs over and through and hangs from the strings. They sure do love them, but a string can quickly become wound around a toe, a leg, a wing and often their neck. Every year I get messages asking for help when a bird gets their toe or leg tangled, circulation has been cut off and they are horribly injured. And all too often I hear of people looking into their cage only to see their beloved birdie hanging dead with one single string wrapped around their necks.

Again, this happens mostly with budgies as they are so explorative and playful, but any bird can get their toe or leg wrapped. In fact I do a cage check here three times every day to make sure none of my birds has their toe trapped in a loose string from a rope perch or toy, or has gotten themselves into trouble any other way. The dangling strings are the most hazardous, and if any of your birds' toys have them I most strongly recommend to cut them off. You can leave the rest of the toy in the cage, but cut off any loose or dangling strings and anything frayed.

I first learned about this years ago, the hard way. I purchased 30 English budgies from a local breeder, and had a whole row of flight cages all set up. I thought all the cages were perfect, dishes and toys and perches and everything. Three days later I found one of the English budgies dead, hanging from their neck off the tassels of a rope swing. I thought it was a fluke, these toys came from a reputable store and therefor of course must be bird friendly. A week later another beautiful budgie was dead, hanging from a foot, even though I had trimmed all the tassels to an inch just to be safe. It really does not take much length for a budgie to hang themselves, and since then I make sure to inspect every rope toy frequently and cut off anything loose, and cut down all tassels and string toys to under a quarter of an inch.

Unfortunately for me, my English budgie breeding program never took off. The budgies began dying and none of the pairs were laying eggs. It was only after some rather expensive vet visits that I learned that the local breeder had sold me budgies that were near or at end of life for age, instead of the 6 months to a year old I was told. All I could do was to set them all up in a nice big flight with a cage heater to keep them warm and comfortable, and feed them treats. Only one still remains, a creaky old man still plugging away far past his time. Not pretty to look at, he is, and I have to wipe his sparsely feathered butt every day, but he seems happy and still loves his good feedings so there he will remain, in a nice high cage with his heater, watching over the younger pairs of American budgies and their squabblings.

In conclusion, check your toys! Cut off any loose strings, and make sure your avian first aid kit is stocked and easy to get into with one hand, for your other hand could be holding an injured and bleeding friend that needs your help! Why are these toys still being sold like this? Because people buy them and they make money, same with bird grit and cage covers, toys with mirrors, sandpaper perches and cage liners, round cages and plastic water dispensers.