Maybe you spent 10-15 dollars (sometimes more) on a toy that you think your Quaker will go nuts for. At least you hope he does...not so much because you spent the money on the toy, but because you want to see him happy playing with something...getting excited over something. Then, you pop the toy in the cage, and it sits. For days on end, it sits. He will have no part of it. So you move it to a different location. Forget it. You're out the money. But all is not lost, because he still has his toys that he really admirers.

Some of those "toys" that he really admirers are not even toys at all. But he thinks they are. They are there for some other reason but for your Quaker, it's a toy to be played with again and again. That's what this thread is about. I am curious to know about all the things that people have in their cages, that are NOT really toys, but your Quaker has so designated as a toy. We all have them. I can't believe that Maxie is the only bird that does this.

So what are Maxie's non toys that are toys that he loves?

1. The metal band that holds the water bottle.
(He only can play with that from the outside)

2. The clip that keeps his birdie buddie attached to the cage.
(he tore off the ties)

3. The link at the top of the cage that holds a toy.
(he never plays with the toy, but he loves the link)

4. The platform (balcony) for him to rest on
(he never rests on it, but he loves shaking it up and down)

5. Just about anything that he uses to make a clangy noise
(the louder the better---for example, Maxie has a foraging
toy that he is supposed to use to get the food out of. He
will have nothing of that. But he loves to bang the item.

So, there you have it. Toys that are not toys.

What items has your Quaker adopted as toys, but are really something else?

Willie's all time favorites are the pair links that hold the toys. He unscrews them, takes them off the toys, takes them to another part of the cage and screws them back good and tight on the cage bars.

He has also learned to "pluck" two cage bars at a time like guitar strings. He'll take one in his upper mandible and the other in his lower mandible and "pluck". I think he's been watching me with my guitar.

cricket is still learning about toys so i don't have a long list but i had a toy strung across the top of his cage. he didn't play with the toy but he bit thru the string.

so the toy now hangs down (which he still doesn't play with) but the other side still has part of the string which he plays with for hours.

just tugs on the string... over and over *sigh*

Kiwi likes to:
1. play with the latch on his cage, for hours
2. make as much noise as possible with his food dish
3. gets on his water bottle and taps it a few times with one foot
4. plays with a cable tie just moving it back and forth on the bars
5. chews up the newspaper on the bottom of the cage and makes spit wads.

Oh....I forgot. There is one toy that Maxie used to play with but no longer does...except for when he get a chance to go to the top of the cage. You see, it is not hooked up with one of those metal pear links. It is hooked with one of those plastic "S" type links. Whoever dreamed up that kind of a hook, obviously never dealt with a Quaker. As soon as Maxie get out of the cage, he would run up to the top, and within seconds, unhook the plastic link from the top of the cage,just to watch the toy go crashing to the floor of the cage. Then, he gives off this screetch of satisfaction. If I go to replace it, he does the same thing all over again.....this time a louder screetch of course....just to show me who is in control.

And yes Sandi.....Maxie loves to shake the food dish up and down too. If he could detach it, he would.

Frankie just loves the plastic caps to soda bottles, and also the flip caps to prescription bottles. He will carry all of them into his toy bowl, and then stack them up, and empty again for hours! He doesn't care much for millet, but loves the plastic millet holder and uses it as a "rope swing" to get from one toy to another in his cage.

great posts of late marcos!!!
well this is probably under toy category so it probably dont apply but mine loves barrel of monkeys (a kids game) and he is constantly hanging those red and blue monkeys everywhere he can it keeps him entertained for hours.

The other thing he really likes is small plastic coffee stir sticks to weave thru bars.

He is also proficient in shredding my pre approved visa card junk mail...when ever I get one I hand it over to him he shreds it and poops on it for good measure.

Hmm.. just about everything he can get his little beak on.

I don't use pear links anymore but found these great plastic ones, Quincy can spend all day moving them around his cage.

An empty peanut butter jar... he's going to get it open some day and get the PB (he goes crazy over PB but only gets it once a week)

The newspaper we keep in a basket by his cage, it's always pre chewed when we clean the cage

Dishes of any sort, he bangs them and tries to throw them off the counter

Anything he can "dribble" on the floor

Plastic children's dishes from Ikea, he likes to flip them over and over just to hear that sound

A cardboard tube, he hides inside and makes monkey sounds

my laptop keyboard, which is now missing 6 keys including the shift, so don't be looking for caps in my posts any time soon! little brat!

lets see....
the clasp that holds the toys on, a metal loop from an old toy he tore apart, water and food bowls, anything they are not supposed to have!

Toby sits by me while I'm on the computer and I keep a couple business cards on my keyboard in the keys and he runs over and steals them. And takes it back to his cage to chew the corners...lol. Great idea on a post btw!

They must be so smart b/c they seem to like clasps links etc something to fig out for them heh...yea why dont they play with "the toys" we get them? Too bring huh? Great post Mark!

Tiki's favorite toy at the moment (discovered by accident), is lets drop the food dish on the sleeping dogs' head. After a week of this you would think the dog would learn,or maybe he enjoys it,cause the food spills out and he eats it.

lol.. what a great post!

Yogi is right up there with the rest of the odd quakers <grin>.

1. clasp on his toys (not the toys though)

2. standing on the other fids' cages, grabbing the tops of the their toys, and banging them like crazy against the top of the cage. This of course drives the other fids crazy.

3. loves to drop corks over the cage onto the dogs head

4. loves to drop corks through the top of his cage onto the head of whichever other fid is visiting inside his house (without permission). It's his own personal burglar alarm lmao.

5. little plastic barrettes. He'll take them out of his toy box, and hang them on the top of his cage. Then when he runs out of them, he goes along flipping them into the cage. I have to retrieve them, and put them back into the toy box so he can start over.

6. the little clip that holds millet or treats. He can spend quite a while just dragging it back and forth along the bars.

7. lifing weights with a little plastic dog bone rofl. I love love love when he does this. It's priceless to watch him.

8. His all time favourite toy that's not a toy.. flinging carrots. Shredded, julienned, chopped, whole baby, etc. Yogi HATES carrots, and throws them over the side of the cage. Luckily for me, our dog LOVES carrots, and anything else Yogi tosses overboard for her to eat.

Gift wrap rolls!
It's more of an interactive 'toy'.. I cut them short (about 8-10") and Qwackers dives head first into one, waits for me to tip it and then slides down to the other end.

Isabella likes to undo all her toys that hang from chains and then spends hours jingling the chains.

I have a big pin like one that you would use for a kilt. I was using it to pin the sheet over the cage at night cause the cat would sneek under the sheet. I went to clips instead. So without thinking I just pinned it to the ladder on top of the cage. Zipper rattles the begeebers out of trying to carry it off to no avail. A tissue will not survive around zipper either. If I leave a writing tool on the table it gets moved as well.

Charlie's newest thing is anything he can steal from me. If I'm paying bills he trys to snatch the papers away from me. If I'm writing he wants to grab the pen.

The funniest of all time was the computer cover. I have a plastic cover for my monitor at home that I fold up and lay on the desk when I'm using it. He pushed it over the edge and then hopped down on the floor and drug it out into the living room.

Otis likes the drink holder from a fast food restaurant. I place all kinds of bottle caps, bracelts, treats, dice, wooden "nickels" about the size of a fifty cent coin and a small baby rattle, in, under and around the drink holder. He can keep himself busy for a very long time.

Laptop keys.....oh yes....I cannot imagine any Q that does not like them. I imagine the same is true for regular keyboards. It has all the entertainment features that they like.

And Impy, Pre approved credit cards??? Carefull, your little guy might charge something without your permission.

1. Horatio loves to "pluck" the cage bars. He can't do it on his big cage only his little travel cage so he will seek that one out on the floor below his normal cage just to annoy you with the sound.
2. Anything, absolutely anything that is attached to your clothing. My wife has a number of sweaters with buttons and small bead work and boy are they ever toys.
3. His treat dish, if it can be knocked off all the better (but boy you should see the expression when he finds he loses the treats out of it if he succeeds in turning it upside down )
4. The spoon, when you give him something to eat as a treat on a spoon, does he want to eat it no, just try to see if he can grab the spoon out of your hand, silly fid!

Wow.....

I really had no idea that this post would take off like it has!! That's good. It makes me happy because now I feel better!! I feel better knowing that Maxie is not the only Quaker that is a neurotic head case that likes ignoring his real toys, by turning items that are not supposed to be toy and making them toys for his own amusement....

All of our birds are nuts!!

There is more good new that I thin can be derived from this thread, and that is that we really don't need to be spending a lot of money on fancy toys to keep our Quakers.....(I guess other parrots too) happy because they will not play with something because you spend a lot of money and bought them a gift. That's what us humans do. They play with whatever amuses them.

The lesson appears to be that next time we think it's time to go to the next bird fair, or Pet store to buy some new toys, maybe we should just be a bit more creative and look what kind of toys are already staring us in the eyes, that our Quakers are just looking to stick in their beaks......

We still need to be aware of the texture, and material. Safety first everone. Just because your bird think's it's meant to be stuck in his mouth, it does not mean it is safe for him to do so..........................

OOops...one more thing. I might try some of the items that your Qs seem to like. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander. (pun intended)

Georgie likes to pluck the cage bars on her travel cage. I don't consider it a toy but mostly a way of showing she wants out.

We get those paper credit card thingys sometimes with a preapprovd letter.....you know the kind.

When we get those cards, we let her have them to crew on.

She likes to play with bandanas too. She chewed the crap out of a green one just here lately.

I forgot to add plastic straws. He will spend all day weaving them between the bars of his cage. Then shrieks like crazy when I take them down.

I know my quaker, Joy, is gone, but I wanted to share one of her favorite things to do..She had a plastic toy(can't remember what it was) but she would drop it to the floor and then go to the bottom of her cage and say, in a whisper,"come on Joy, step up, DON'T bite, OW! step up, good girl." she would pick it up and take it to her food dish and start the whole scenario over...it was SO cute..

Now, I would like to share some of the "non toys" that my CAG, Gabby, loves..she loves adding machine paper (she's gone thru 3 rolls in no time), coffee filters(dunked in her water dish and chewed into small spit balls), any human baby toy, rattle etc...wicker fans, wicker baskets, telephone book pages...There's not too many REAL toys she likes...Her favorite used to be the coffee filters, but it's now running a close 1st place with the adding machine paper..I think I pay about $2 for 3 rolls...very in-expensive "toy"..she also loves cut up paper plates...actually anything paper..I just don't buy many real toys...it's like a child that plays with the huge box that their toys come in rather than the toys...if parents only knew, they would have gone behind the store and salvaged all the boxes..LOL!!

Marcos, this is a great post...

Rebecca

Thanks Rebecca.....

I was surprised at a lot of the stories people are coming up with here.....but I'll say this....I sure have gotten some good ideas. Maxie used to like the coffee filters, the paper muffin (what ever you call those things too). He has moved on to bigger and better things when it comes to paper. Maxie loves paper towels. He prefers bounty though. He would pick out the most expensive when right? I'm going to have to try the adding machine tape one. I think.....Windy City Parrot sells the papero on a plastic dispensor that can be mounted to the side of the cage....

Hope all is well with you down on the coast

Plastic drinking straws! Goes crazy for them. Mine also learned to "pluck" his travel cage bars to make a sound. Also anything like pencils, pens, stir sticks, anything like that he will steal and carry to his nest he is building.

My fids also love the toy clips! They get them from the top and pull, twist, and chew... never mind the toy that's attached! They LOVE anything they can chew and shred. Junk mail, paper rolls, and newspaper are among the favorites but I also give them coffee filters and cupcake holders. Fuzzi's most favorite thing in the world tho is a box. She'll play in it, growl, laugh like a witch, and run out! After a while she'll shred it to pieces. It keeps her occupied for hours and it also helps with the trash! The best thing about it is that is doesn't cost anything extra!

Georgia doesn't much like anything new, though the other birds seem to think anything a) in our hands or was in our hands is a great toy!

In particular they are fascinated with all manner of pop bottles and bottle caps.

Vorpal loves plain paper napkins. I will give her one and she snatches it away and spends lots of time trying to get it into her cage without letting go. eventually she gets bored and goes to the edge of her cages hold the napkin out over the floor and shakes it at me. When I grab the edge she starts shaking her head just like a dog playing tug of war. we keep shaking it and she starts making these really cute little trills and chirps, its the only time I hear her making any happy noise that does not sound like an old man grumbling. She also plays with the clip that holds the blanket on the cage at night. I have bought several toys for her and of course she is only interested in the chain, not the rest of the toy. I am about to go out and buy some stainless steel choke chains so she can have lots of chain but cheaper. Oh yes and of course the dog is a toy too. She loves to watch the dog sitting hopefully under the cage. She will go into her cage grab a pellet go back out to the edge of her door eat two bites of the pellet then look down at the dog, drop the pellet and get a brand new one.

She also loves to make little spit balls out of the newspaper at the bottom. We generally shred the credit card offers, but just to make sure they are unusable we put the shredded paper at the bottom of her cage. She loves it and it is easier to clean than straight newspaper. She does not pluck her cage bars but, she does run her beak along them. it always reminds me of the old movies in which a prisoner runs the metal cup back and forth across the bars of their cell trying to get attention.

Oddly enough she is terrified of anything that looks like a stick. I even have trouble getting her to step up unless I have my hand open. Oh and she HATES any jingly bells (round not clapper style) or squeaker, which means that not only does she not play with the balls I bought for her but she goes nuts any time the dog is playing with a squeaky toy. Even the sight of the balls gets her upset and the few bad bites I have had were from her attacking me when I was holding the ball.

Baby likes to steal my credit cards out of my wallet and will steal a pencil and hide because he knows hes not supposed to have it. After hes done with the pencil he will come to daddy with black lips.

Let's see, One of his favorites: My glasses (when I wear them). He can literally rip them off of my face! A few times, he tried to fly away with them, but they were way too heavy so he paniced and dropped them! LOL You should have seen the look on his face when he took off and the glasses were dragging him down! And, like others have said, ANYTHING attached to our clothing, or the clothing itself. He LOVES to chew on pants, shirts, etc, the papers on the bottom of his cage, the tabs that are supposed to keep him from opening the cage doors and food doors, there's more but I can't remember it all.

Our bird Morracco loves to play with the empty palstic cash resister spool. I tied it to the top of the cage, then ran another sring trough it with a bead tied to each end so that it slides back and forth but will not pass through the center of the spool.

[This is a fun thread

Coci loves to chew the string that hold the other birds nest boxes on their cages. Coci has the room to himself- he hops between cages and destroys that string holding the toys or anything. Click to view attachment

He pushes off the finches nest box- he untwist the wires and makes it fall then begins to bob his head in delight.

Plays with the other birds trays- spilling their water and food- then he goes and eats the spilled food!


The Curtains- he puts them into the birds cage and eventually he traps a finch or budgie and screams in order to scare them.