DIY toy ideas

Any good ideas for making your own toys?

I like to take apart "used up" toys and recycle the parts that are still in good shape, especially metal and plastic parts. You can buy all sorts of wood and plastic toy parts online, as well as leather and rope to use in building toys. But some of Scooter's favorites are plain old household items:
TP tube (try to find them without glue)
Adding paper roll tied to side of cage
Pill bottle filled with a few beads instead of pills
Kleenex box.

Those are good ideas! Thanks!

This is a GREAT group for making cheap parrot toys n tips. They also have listings for toy parts and safety tips.


http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CheepParrotToysNTips/

Thanks!!!!

Crystal?

But I do agree with reusing toy parts.

zazanomore wrote:

Crystal?

What do you mean "Crystal?"

VickiNumbers wrote:

zazanomore wrote:

Crystal?

What do you mean "Crystal?"

Crystal's Bird Toys

zazanomore wrote:

VickiNumbers wrote:

zazanomore wrote:

Crystal?

What do you mean "Crystal?"

Crystal's Bird Toys

It's like she's calling "Bueller, Bueller!"

Before I began my enterprise, I'd been making my own toys for about 11 years or so.

Merlin did not like the store bought toys, and back then they only really had hard wood toys in the stores at that time...and I don't even know what kinds of web searches they had - this was pre-Google time. I know - ages ago.


So I would buy toys that once he chewed off the chewable parts, I could replace with strips of fleece for him to preen or bits & pieces of soft wood, pony beads, and shreddable type materials I found at the craft stores. There really weren't a lot of options back in the day. I would also use egg cartons (the cardboard ones), and he really loved Tim Horton's coffee cups and plastic bottle caps as foot toys once they were rinsed.

Now, you have a plethora of stores that sell parts - and since you're in the USA, you have so many places to choose from!

Just remember - toys take time to make, and even though they may not initially look too pretty - as long as your fid plays with it, that's all that counts!

Having a band or mitre saw and drill press help too

Too bad I can't build anything! haha. Im hoping Patrick will be able to help. But I will give it a shot.

You know, I really try to avoid buying toys since I now have a huge stash of toy parts, but Crystal's site sure has some stuff I know Scooter and Scotty would adore!

I know I should be making more of my own toys, but my guys LOVE Crystal's toys.

When I first moved into my apartment, my stepdad bought me this awesome hand held drill. I've been drilling holes into Popsicle sticks like a crazy person!

Alyssa - the next time you visit home, I'll give you my old Drill press - it's small, and requires a drill to power it, but would do for your needs Much easier than hand held!

I inherited a drill press attachment for a Dremel that works pretty well. I do some metalsmithing using my Dremel as a makeshift flex shaft and drill. It's a bit on the edge of good enough for jewelry work, but I bet it would be more than adequate for working wood for bird toys at a hobbyist level. It's a fairly inexpensive way to get a whole bunch of "power tools" in one package.

Stores like Michael's (craft stores) are great for this stuff, dollar stores too. I buy cheap rattan dish mats, baby toys, novelty trinkets like big block acrylic rings, they love that stuff.

You just have to be a bit more careful when you are buying from a craft store, to make sure the pieces are safe, since they won't have been stocked with bird safety in mind (glues, dyes, wood treatments, source of wood, etc.) To date I've been willing to pay a bit more to have someone do that legwork for me, but as I'm very likely to be a lot poorer soon, I may start doing more of it myself.

Marty likes the rolls of paper

I just gave Minion and Ducky an empty soda carton. They're both immature, so I'm not concerned about stimulating hormones. They're going to town destroying it right now.

Coral had a good idea - rolls of paper. I've given mine the last of rolls of toilet paper with paper still on them; cash register paper (make sure it's plain paper and not the duplicating or thermal stuff); paper towel rolls with a few sheets of paper still on them.

Hey Wyspur, if it isn't a trade secret, where do you source those "end caps"? I've made several versions of a similar adding-tape toy, albeit horizontally oriented, and I've not yet found exactly the right piece to cover the ends, those look ideal.

Bookmarked!

wyspur wrote:

http://www.parrottoyangels.com/supplies4c.html

i just ordered your ding a ling....lol...from your site


dusty

ScooterNScotty wrote:

Hey Wyspur, if it isn't a trade secret, where do you source those "end caps"? I've made several versions of a similar adding-tape toy, albeit horizontally oriented, and I've not yet found exactly the right piece to cover the ends, those look ideal.

How about party favor mini frisbees from the dollar store?

dusty wrote:

wyspur wrote:

http://www.parrottoyangels.com/supplies4c.html

i just ordered your ding a ling....lol...from your site


dusty

Thanks Dusty ;o) It's on the way. Thanks for liking my Ding-A-Ling. They are dishwasher safe ;o)