Toys For Finches?

[Emberrhine]

Hi there, everyone!

There's nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction I get when I see my cockatiels having a blast with a new toy I got for them. Be it a "birdie pinata," a plastic ball to roll around, or a little bucket packed with treats and goodies, my 'tiels seem to enjoy playing with such a wide variety of toys that it's fun and easy to keep them entertained.

I would like to provide my shaft-tail finches with similar enrichment, and was wondering if any of you guys noticed your finches having fun with a certain type of toy? I know that finches aren't quite like hookbills when it comes to entertainment, and they do a lot more jumping and flying than climbing and biting--a bird pinata probably has little value to them except as a source of nesting material. But still, I've noticed my own finches pulling at fake-plant leaves and dragging around little pom-poms at the bottom of their cage, and I'd like to offer them as many ways to have fun as I can. Sure, a lot of the "playing" I've witnessed with my shaft-tails has probably been nesting-related, but even so I can't help but think that even finches like to poke and prod at shiny new things now and again...

Looking forward to hearing your ideas!

-Ember

[lovezebs]

Emberrhine

Goodmorning Ember.

Most Finches, don't really have much interest in toys.

However, swings are usually enjoyed by all across the board. Fake plants (as you've mentioned), are a fun thing for them to fiddle with and most have fun with them.

Something that many do enjoy, is a container, with some Timothy hay, with some goodies in it. You can add little bits of spray millet, live meal worms, some bits of crushed egg shell, and some wild grass seedheads (if you can find them in your area, making sure that haven't been sprayed with anything). My guys love foraging in there for ages, looking for goodies.

[Sojourner]

My guys totally ignore all toys, including the swing I bought for them.

They do love their bath, but that's about the extent of it as toys go for them.

[Lucille]

I second Elana's ideas. They love their little swing. And when I put a small heap of timothy hay in there, they will carry around the bits, put some in their nest, and entertain themselves. They like the silk plants although they unsuccessfully try to tear a leaf off in order to take it to their nest.
I bought a hook bill toy for them that had a bunch of different textured stemlike things sticking out and they try to pluck all of that out.
I have keets also and the keets are much more involved in their toys.

[GouldieFledge]

Believe it or not, one of my gouldian hens likes playing with mirror-bell toys. It even prompted her female companion to give tugging the bell a try a few times. I had a couple of bell toys in the enclosure, so I'd "play a game" with her where I'd hit the bell in response to her tugging on the other one. She generally won't reciprocate, but I can usually here that bell ringing again as soon as I leave the room!

[Emberrhine]

Good afternoon, everyone!

Thanks for the great suggestions--a pile or container of timothy hay and hidden goodies sounds like something my birds would definitely get some fun out of. I'll try that one for sure!

They used to have a plastic swing with a bell, and they did sit on it from time to time, but to save space in their current cage I took out the swing. When I get my new, bigger cage this fall, I'll be putting the swing back in, though, so I can't wait to see them playing on it again!

Sometimes they'll also tug on a small "pinata" for hookbills that I secure to the side of the cage, particularly if that pinata features pullable strands (as Lucille noted).

Fake plants, too, are a real winner! Whitey, my albino shaft-tail hen, pulls on her leaves so often that she frays all the edges and I have to trim/replace them. Silly bird!

Finches may not love their toys like parrots do, but I still want to give them an opportunity to have fun in their cage. I appreciate the tips!

Take care, everyone,

-Ember

[kyro]

Finches don't really play with toys like hookbills. But a swing will do just fine. I placed a swing in my flight cage and my zebras and shaft tails take turns on it. Now I'm planning to put a couple more so there would be enough swings for them.

[Koko]

Maybe try to give them a ball with grains, like my finches have, see the photo. It is made from a bag after garlic. They also like sth like this, but I have to change the place a position of this "toy" they notice it as something new because they forget they have it in the cage still... They love also every tapes, also cables, for ex. computer It is a pleassure for them to pull through the half of room dried twig with leaves. And when I give them a piece of toilet paper, I see their eyes are sparkling, seriously, nothing is better than toilet paper which they could jump with from stick to stick. So there is many of possibilities...

[Brette]

They love messing around with nesting material and the little waxbills love their swing. My birds love this toy (see below). The male gouldians pulled and pulled at it, it was funny to watch

[Derk]

Emberrhine
I friend of mine saves the plastic tag that holds a bread bag closed and fits them onto the cage bars. She said her finches love to peck at them.

I also agree with the toilet paper. I left a roll of it sitting near a cage and it is obvious my cordon bleus and gold breasted waxbills went crazy trying to shred it and pull as much as they could into their cage.

[Spreckles]

When I learn how to post pictures I can show my cages. I have hanging "balls" that can be stuffed with hay. Also mirrors and ladders with mirrors. I have multiple swings and some branches outside the cage. Also a bowl of water on top of one cage for a bird bath. They love to play with the hay and hop from swing to swing. one of them is in love with the birdie in the mirror. I leave my bird cage doors open so they can fly between the cages and perch on the branch if they want. Sometimes they make a little flight lap around the room but mostly stay near their home. The other thing my birds like is music, they sing along.

[Zebrafincher]

I give my birds lots of dried or fresh grasses, twigs for nesting, dried millet, seeding grasses and similar. I've also tried dried pellets but they always ignore them. My two zebbies love some hamster balls (made out of light bamboo with a small ball inside) - they tug and play at them as well. They all love mirrors - my star finch Merl takes this to extremes and spends all his time looking at himself in the mirror!

They all love swings. My old star finch has a lot of perches made out of twine as he can't perch very well now. He hopes around a lot though. They all enjoy time outside the cage as well.

Birds are sweet

Kind Regards

Zebrafincher

[Emberrhine]

Hi again everyone,

These sound like great ideas--I'll have to give them a try!

I did get my finches a metal ball stuffed with foraging/nesting materials, and they love to perch on top of it and pull out the fun stuff inside. Plus, when they drop the materials on the cage floor they can play around with it later on, picking it up off the ground and dragging it around.

They don't seem very enthused about the little mirror I got for them, but they do love spray millet for sure!

I like the little tassel toy that Brette posted a picture of--it looks like something my birds would like, so I'll keep on the lookout for something similar. The bread tags also seem like something my finches might enjoy.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone! Finches may not be parrots, but they still do have bright minds and enjoy the excitement and challenge of new playthings.

-Ember