just wanted to share: in the dollar spot at target a while back, i found some rope dog toys. i got 2 of each color (two are primary colors, red/white/blue, and two are pastel type colors, pink/green/white). kind of like this, but the preenable ends are longer and it's not all white.

Click to view attachment

i zip tied them together at the end (and tested for strength), then zip tied each end to louie's cage bars. then hung some toys from a link-a-doo. i was trying to make a bridge of sorts from back to front of the cage. he spent the first hour or so on the side of his cage, but when i checked later, he was quiet and perching nicely, and still up for a game of peek a boo.

it's long enough to span the width, yet still not taut so it will swing a little bit, and has cotton ends that he can preen if he wants. i made one for goofy too, but his is more of a toy than a perch, hanging vertically from the top of the cage with toys attached.

not a bad rope perch for $2. ian said i should make a bunch and sell them for big bucks at the bird fair lol.

kris

what a great idea kris! I have often wondered if there are some dog toys that would work well as bird toys...you just see so much of that stuff on sale between walmart and meijers!....there is almost NEVER birds stuff for sale ..lol

lol just about everything i come across during my daily travels is looked upon with an eye for bird appropriateness.

kris

I have a couple of them laying in my yard right now. I guess I need to go and get a couple new ones. Thanks for the tip.

What a great idea!! Can't wait to go the store tomorrow, I have run out of rope perches and those are cheaper, I've seen them in Wal-Mart for $1! Thanks!!!

Well come on, show us a finished product photo too...

i'll get pics when i get home - i'm at (ugh) work right now. when i get pics up, please feel free to offer comments on the set up too. in looking at louie's setup, i think it's pretty busy on one side, but not so much on the other.

kris

Now, why didn't any of the rest of us think of that? My dogs would tear up one of those rope toys in about half an hour -- if they were having a lazy day -- but Clyde isn't very destructive of toys and that's a wonderful idea. And I've seen long ones for big dogs so you might not even have to attach two together.

I've looked at dog toys for Clyde, too, but none of them so far seem suitable. Also cat toys, but the little bells worry me, and they ALL seem to have little bells. Not that Clyde will play with toys much. He does love his comfy perch, though, and they cost $8 or $10, so making one would be much, much cheaper and we don't have to tell the birds where they came from, do we?

this is pic heavy, so dial up members be warned. i tried to get good pics of the perch i made for louie, but he was a bit lungey tonite before dinner so i had to take them in sections from outside the cage. i'm happy he was using the "preening" end instead of his feathers.

Click to view attachment chewing on the loose end
Click to view attachment the back half
Click to view attachment the front end
Click to view attachment the middle, where they are tied together. it's slack there, and dips down
Click to view attachment goofy's toy. 2 tied together in the middle, hanging down with toys tied on
Click to view attachment louie on the front end. it's attached to the bars above his door. you can see how it dips down better in this pic.

kris

THAT IS A GREAT IMAGINATION YOU HAVE. I CAN'T BUY THOSE THINGS FOR MY DOGS CAUSE THEY DON'T EVEN LAST FOR 15 MINUTES.MAYBE TOBY AND SAM WOULD LOVE THEM. I HAVE EVEN SEEM THE ONES FOR TINY DOGS THAT I COULD USE FOR MY TIELS.THEY HAVE A TOY NOW THAT IS A LITTLE STRINGY.AGAIN, YOU JUST USED ZIP TIES? DOES HE TRY TO EAT AT THEM??

yep, zip tied together and to the cage bars. i made sure the longer pieces of zip tie were cut at the cage bar ends, but i figured he could chew on the other pieces inside if he wanted.

he's done surprisingly well with them in his cage, even to the point that when i get home i find him at the front of his cage, perched on the new ropes instead of his sleepy perch or boing. and i even saw him playing with the loose strands too. i'm proud of my little chicken

kris

in the fifth picture I see a toy attached to the cage. Is it one of those toys that makes noises when they push the buttons? If so does your bird use it? I have been wondering about those. I have a baby toy that is like that but I have to put it on the top of my greys cage so she can walk on it. The buttons are too difficult for her to push with her beak.

that is a baby toy in the CAG's cage. that one has buttons that are more raised than flat, so he can bump them and make noise. mostly he rubs his beak on them and gets lucky lol. he does have another one that has a lever type thing that makes noise when you pull it down. i heard that one for about 5 minutes after lights out last nite. lol.

kris

I would love to see a picture of it. Where did you get it?