We received an email recently from a new customer saying that she likes to take the small disposal paper cups (like the dixie brand cups but NOT waxed).  She puts a nut or something "special" inside and crushes the cup before putting it inside something else (like the stainless steel treat cages or the treat holders).  Great idea!  Thanks for sharing!  Editor's Note:  We have several very durable, refillable items that you can apply this same idea to!  Click here for more "hideaway" options!
 

Ever wonder what to do with all those telephone books that you've been collecting?  You can cut them on a band saw and weave through the cage bars so your birds can shred and tear them apart.  Messy but fun!  The same concept holds true for paperback books ... smaller books can be given as is for the bigger beaks to destroy (hmmm ... we actually have several hard cover books that were unintentionally parrot beak modified  J).
 

Recycling is important for all of us to take seriously.  Our birds can help!  If you take several pages of newspaper, roll them as tightly as you can, tie in the center with vegetable tanned leather strip, colored or natural sisal leaving a "tail" so you can hang from the cage or tie to the side of their playstand.  Won't take long at all for your birds to start tearing it up.  If you don't want the ink (most inks are soy based so they aren't harmful) to get onto your bird, you can use white or colored bond paper to get the same results.
 

Most of us have a plastic bottles which are hopefully being recycled.  Coco, the M2 pictured left, thinks there is nothing better than putting some corks into a quart size bottle and he LOVES to work them out one at a time.  Mixed with a few wooden pieces to make it more difficult, he spends hours with this inexpensive toy.  The same principle works with water bottles.  Put a few corks, some pistachios (or whole nuts that fit through the hole) and watch the fun!  You can even replace the plastic screw on top to let that be part of the fun and make it a bit more challenging for your FID (feathered kid).
 

Vine rings and munch balls are great foot toys or a great shredable component for other toys.  Use a few to change the looks of existing toys or put them into a small, clean cardboard box along with some unsalted, no butter, popped corn so you have a homemade treasure chest for your parrot to explore, destroy and enjoy!

Since there are an abundance of woven (Easter type) baskets available (be sure to check for the natural type, without nails or varnish) and repurpose them as your parrot's personal toy basket!  Fill the basket with leftover, clean pre-loved pieces of wood, (nut cage refills work well too), shredded paper, adding machine paper, whole nuts, chopsticks, popped corn, wooden ice cream spoons, parropop (craft) sticks, dried pasta, ParroStix, dried or fresh peppers, corks, whole carrots, fresh apples, etc. inside and put the basket on top or at the bottom of the cage.  Your bird can help themselves and you'll get more mileage out of pre-chewed toys.  Inexpensive way to get more use from left over parts and if they chew up the basket ... just get another from your local hobby shop!  Note:  leave the paper on chopsticks since that's part of the fun!

Layer birdie bites or bagels by putting them over the chain of older toys to make them new looking again!  This is an inexpensive way to extend your parrot's chewing pleasures!

Do you have lots of leftover 'pre-loved' parts from your bird's chewed toys?  Take a few clean pieces and put into a paper bag (like a lunch bag), twist the top, tie with a vegetable tanned leather strip, colored or natural sisal and attach to the cage ... viola ... a new foraging toy for next to nothing!