All toys should be of the appropriate size for the bird to which you are giving them. A toy meant for a small bird can easily be destroyed by a larger bird, and they might ingest dangerous pieces. Be sure all toys you use are made of untreated wood, welded or closed chains, and leather that is vegetable tanned. Birds can catch their toenails and beaks in any small openings, this includes jingle bells. Carefully investigate each toy for anything that can be dangerous to your birds before you purchase it.

Many bird toys that are available are not safe. For instance: Small chains and ropes can wrap around a bird’s neck or feet or legs. Birds can get caught on chain links, especially if the links are not closed so their toenails can get caught in the openings. Plastic chain can be dangerous if not sized right for your bird. Ropes can also be dangerous, as birds can hang themselves or wrap themselves up in them. Frayed ropes are especially dangerous.

I had a Cockatoo that wrapped the frayed ends of a rope around her toes while gripping a perch. When I found her stuck there, I cut the rope and threw the swing with the rope in the garbage. She ended up losing the ends of 2 toes.

A large Macaw was playing with a rope toy with about an 8" plastic top and with 8 rope strands with wood blocks on each strand. The bird's owner was not at home at the time. When she came home, it was to find her Macaw strangled to death. It only takes an 1-1/2" to 2" of rope strand to strangle a bird.

A small Macaw was playing with a rope toy with frayed ends when she began screaming. The rope was wrapped around her neck. Luckily her owners were home so she survived.

A pet Pionus loved her cotton rope-covered Boing and played on it continuously, and swung from it. Her owners made sure any stray threads were removed immediately, and her toenails were kept trimmed. One day she called her owners in an unusual voice, and they found her hung up on a cotton loop that had come loose from the rope. In checking, they couldn't find anything else that caused the problem, so they snipped the loop and left the Boing. In less than a week the same thing happened again. A smooth nail had become wrapped in a string from the cotton rope that had been checked that same morning.

A Cockatoo had a rope toy in the shape of a figure eight which he loved to play with. One day his owners came home to discover he had chewed a hole in the rope and gotten his leg caught in it. Luckily they found him before he was badly injured.

An Amazon loved toys with sisal rope on them so she had several in her cage. They all had frayed ends from her chewing on them. Her owner found her hanging by her beak from one of the frayed ends.

A highly recommended toy was purchased at a bird store that was a metal ring with frayed rope tied in knots all the way around it. This hung from three chains attached to a quick link. A bird somehow got all three chains wrapped around her neck, and if the owner hadn't found the bird in time, she would have hung herself.

Split rings, such as those used for keys, are extremely dangerous as birds are strong enough to pry them open and get their beaks, toes or tongues caught in them. You will find many toys using these rings. One Cockatoo got her tongue stuck in one of these rings after prying it open with her beak. Again, luckily, the owner found the bird and pried it off before the bird lost its tongue.

Skewers are quite popular to put fruits and veggies on, making a bird toy as well as giving birds nutritious foods. Some of the available skewers have plastic parts that can be broken, and also have parts that birds can get caught in. Be very selective when purchasing a skewer for your birds.

Many toys have woven fabric attached for a bird to play with. This can be dangerous as loose threads can get caught around toes, feet, legs, and necks. A Conure lived in his new home only a few short months, when he died from wrapping some of these threads around his neck and his owner did not find him in time.

Some bird have ingested the material in Happy Huts, and some have gotten the loosened threads wrapped around their feet. One Lovebird chewed through the hut and got its head stuck in the open and strangled to death. A Timneh Grey was found hanging upside down with his foot twisted in threads from his Happy Hut, which was so new it hadn't yet been washed. While attempting to free himself he had chewed off a large portion of his foot and two toes. He did survive, but had to have major surgery and might never be able to use his foot properly again.

Inappropriate cage covers, such as towels, are also dangerous, as bird can pull those loose threads and become tangled up in them.

A Cockatoo was playing with a plastic chain and got her foot stuck inside one of the plastic links. While her foot was stuck in the link, she was hanging upside down and pulling the link tighter on her foot as she struggled to get away. Luckily when she screamed her owner was nearby and able to free her foot, and no damage was done. The chain was taken down and the bird now plays with it on the floor of the cage, where she can pull it around and have fun.

A pet Senegal was playing with a plastic chain with round, square, triangle and diamond shaped links in different colors made for human babies. The bird began to scream and the owner found he had his head stuck in one of the links and was strangling. These are the plastic chains that are currently being sold as safe for birds.

A Lovebird had a doll toy with a straw hat, and the owner found him hanging by his neck from the stitching on the hat. Once again, it was extremely lucky that the owner was nearby and saw what happened and released the bird.

A Red Bellied parrot was heard screaming by its owner, who found the bird fluttering and hanging by its beak, which had gotten caught inside one of the bells hanging on the toy. This was a bell shaped like a mini cow bell and had a clapper. The bird was able to get her beak up inside trying to remove the clapper when it got caught. Needless to say the bells were thrown away.

Many people use human baby toys for their birds. Some of these may be safe, but many are not. Check them over carefully before using. Toys and perches made with soft PVC are dangerous when chewed. Many human baby toys made of this material have been pulled off the market due to the issue of toxicity when chewed.

A Moluccan Cockatoo had a toy with a bunch of leather strips with wood and beads hanging on it. She completely wrapped one leg in the toy and could not get loose by herself. The toy was brand new, but the owner cut it off the bird and threw it away.

A common fastener used to hang bird toys is a Quick Link or "C" link. These are now available in stainless steel, recommended over the zinc ones in order to prevent zinc poisoning. If you have toys hanging with these links be sure to watch your birds carefully. Larger birds can undo these links and possibly get hung up on the open hook. A parrot managed to open one of these links and got her head in between the opening and the bottom of the hook. The hook went up under her beak near her throat and was wedged there. She could not get loose. Luckily her owners were home and released her. If you are using any of these links to hang your bird toys, It is recommended to tighten them with pliers in order to make them much harder to open.

In closing, please inspect all of your bird toys to be sure there is nothing that might be unsafe for your birds. Remove any split rings from your birds toys. If you have the name of a manufacturer of an unsafe toy, be sure to write them and let them know of your concerns. If we all work together on this, perhaps we can get them to be more careful in what they manufacture for our birds to play with.

The above list is, by no means, a complete list of dangerous toys. Always be on the alert, and remember, these birds are masters at getting into trouble with anything!

Avian Network