Safe Toys for Parakeets and Budgies

One of the most important things you can have in a parakeet cage, besides food and water, is a toy or two. A parakeet is a VERY intelligent creature and can literally go stir crazy if he doesn't have something to play with. Also, a parakeet needs new toys (or at least a rotation of toys) every few months. They will get incredibly bored if they have to look at the exact same toy every day. I try to rotate the toys in my parakeets' cage every month or so.

Parakeets love sound, so one of the best kinds of toys to get for a parakeet is one with a bell. Do NOT get the jingle-bell type of bell that is a metal sphere with little holes cut in it. A parakeet's toes can easily get stuck in those little holes. Here is an example of two GOOD bell toys:

The one on the left is a rope-and-wood bell. The keets love chewing on the wood bits and can even hang on the rope. The one on the right is plastic - it lasts longer and the keets love the bright colors. Getting different types of toys of different materials helps keep your keets entertained.

Another very popular keet toy is a series of rings. We have both rope rings and plastic rings. The rings are big enough for the keets to climb through, which they love to do. They are quite the acrobats! Here is a picture of a rope ring set:

Be sure to treat any parakeet toy just like you would a toy for an infant. Make sure there are no sharp edges and that it cannot break easily. Make sure there are no tiny parts that might fall off and get eaten by accident. Don't leave any long strings lying around. Parakeets can sometimes get themselves tangled up in rope or thread that is loose.

DO expect your parakeets to gnaw any toy part that's gnawable. That's what parakeets do! You should always have at least one wood-based toy in the cage, and expect to replace that one regularly :)

- Building a Playgym for your Parakeet
- Making Your Own Parakeet Toys
- LisaShea Handmade Parakeet Toys