HOW IT SHOULD BE

This is my most popular toy I make.  I named it Peanut Butter & Jellyfish because it just looks like something from the bottom of the ocean.  This is a photo of it in a brand new state.

And this is a photo of what it should look like after it has been preened to death.  I have to have one of these toys in Timothy's cage at all times.  He works on it every day and never tires of playing with the long cotton fibers.  When a toy ends up looking like this, I am pleased.  As all the energy put into preening this toy, is that much less time Timmy spends on picking his feathers.

Again: new and pretty.

Used and loved.

All this equals one happy parrot that is beginning to let his feathers grow.  I can't claim this toy will cure a feather picker, but it sure does help ease the plucking/picking obsession of my boy.  And for that I say, "thank you" to my God, who sees even the tiniest sparrow fall.

RE-LAUNCH OF ETSY SHOP

As I promised, my Etsy shop opened back up on February 1, 2012.  You can see my shop here.  I am excited to bring quality hand crafted bird toys to my customers.  The toy above is for sale in my Etsy shop and is a great toy for little birds.

I use zinc free hardware, Paulie rope that is hollow and will not trap toes, Supreme Cotton rope, vegetable tanned leather, bird safe plastic chain, along with colored wood pieces made with human grade food coloring.  I do everything I can to keep my toys as safe as possible.

t

My birds, although not in contact with the toys I sell, get the toys I make to see how they like the materials and designs.  Timothy goes through toys like nobodies business, and hasn't had a store manufactured toy in years.  He relishes the toys I create and is making great strides in using the toys as an outlet for his energy instead of his feathers.

So stop by and visit my Etsy shop and see if there is anything there that would be perfect for your feathered baby.  I will be putting more toys in the shop all the time and there will be more information on toys here on my blog as they become available.

COME ALONG WITH ME

A good Monday morning to you. I am beginning a new journey (from an old one) and I invite you to come along. I started an Esty shop back in 2008 with a few of the toys I made for my birds. For the last few years I have been dragging my feet and only dabbling with my Etsy shop. I put my heart into making the toys, but as for the running of a business, I lacked dreadfully. But I have grown a lot in these years of dabbling and am now ready to put 100% into my Etsy shop. My toys sell very successfully here in my town at a local bird shop, so I know I have a product that sells.
I picked up this book on Amazon.com and it has captured me from the word "go." I approached this book with the attitude of starting over, like I had never had an Etsy shop before. This attitude has served me well, as Etsy has made significant changes over the past couple years. I have finished the first section of the book and am now ready to start re-building my shop. Also, I have been refining my toys, tweaking them to better serve my feathered clients. It has been over this refining process that I have fallen even more in love with birds and their mental well being.

Here is a picture of one of most popular selling toys.  It will be available for purchase in my Etsy shop starting February 1, 2012.  All the details for this toy will be on the site, including all the parts I use to make the toy.  I will also be featuring one of my toys per week on my blog.  It will contain detailed information on the designing and making of the toy.  The toy of the week will also be on sale in my Etsy shop.  Stay tuned for this exciting adventure to unfold!

FIESTA FESTIVAL

My inventory was getting a bit sparse, as sales have been good.  I promised myself a while ago that I was going to share my creative process and highlight a few of my best selling toys.  I am learning how to be more efficient in my workspace in order to put out as many toys in one sitting that I can.  Since I am the only creator and assembler of these toys, fine tuning my work time was of utmost importance.

I like to layer my pieces so that in the end, the toy is full and fabulous and just waiting for an eager beak or two. 

Step by step, piece by piece, the toy begins to take shape.  I labor over each toy to make sure it is of high quality and craftsmanship.  As I create, I imagine the different kinds of birds that might one day be playing with one of my creations.  I am humbled and honored to be helping the mental health of the avian community.

Color is important, as birds have a fuller spectrum of hues they see, that we don't.  Have you ever seen your birds pupils dilate and contract?  That is called "pinning" and it means they are excited.  Excitement can mean a variety of things to a bird, so it is not the most opportune time to get your fingers near them.  My birds' eyes pin when I hand them one of these toys.  It's a tactile sensation and they can't wait to dig in!

Here you have the finished product.  There are layers upon layers of munching, tearing, and shredding fun.  My Etsy site will be up and running again soon.  And this delicious beauty will be waiting for that special winged wonder........could it be your bird?

PLAYGROUND CONSTRUCTION

 I have had this playstand in storage for many years, saving it for when I had the time to enhance it with toys and for when I had a bird large enough to use it.

 As you can see, it is a very plain playstand with only the bare essentials included.  Sure, it has a swing and some ladders, but not much more.  Basically it is one of the dullest stands I have seen.

 I knew the rungs of the ladders would be much too slippery for my birds, so I pulled out some supplies and went to work on creating a play structure that my boys would love...(at least I hope they love it).

 The rungs were easy enough to cover, but with so many of them, it took quite a while to finish them all.  At this point, things were beginning to take shape.  By adding some more texture, the stand was showing some bird friendly possibilities.

 Adding cotton rope (supreme cotton) will give the boys some grip, texture and chewing adventures.

 And what playground would be complete without a tunnel to crawl into and explore?

 And of course, I had to add a toy from my ZeeksBeak workshop.  This one is called Migraine.  This will give the boys something to pull on and chew...not to mention picking possibilities with the paper stuffed in the ball. 

 It seems that all boys love airplanes, so I added this one to the mix and filled it with millet sprays.  What a treat!

 Why, here is a birdie already playing on the ring swing.  Hopefully this little guy will be a great playmate for the boys.  He is just the right size too.

 Foraging opportunities are a must, and this egg carton filled with small toys and yummy treats will lure the birds to hunt and seek their treasures.

 Adding a rope sphere is a no brainer.  Birds just love these orbs.  I hope one day to be able to afford a real orb from Mother Pluckin Bird Toys.  Check their website out, it's great.

 And who could resist having some monkey business going on in the playground?  These guys are full of fun and mischief.

 Add some balls for movement, sound and extra color and..............................

Tada.....the playground/rumpus room is finished!  Woo hoo....let the fun begin!

PAYDAY PURCHASES

One thing I love about payday is that I get to spoil my birds a little.  These purchases didn't break the budget, as most of them were on clearance and the others just plain affordable.

Now that I am making more natural foods for my birds, they needed new cups that would be easy to pop out and clean.  Their current bowls are already used to capacity.

Egg cartons from the feed store are a cheap and natural way to offer fun enrichment.  I will cut them down to appropriate size for each bird, stuff them with paper shreds, toys and plenty of treats.  A weekend treasure hunt for sure.  The boys will go nuts.

This pinata is for Zeek.  He loves his pinatas.  I've tried making him some, but he wants a certain kind and no other will do.

Timothy loves the tiki huts.  The one I got him for Christmas has long been destroyed, repaired, destroyed, repaired...well, you get the picture.  It was time for a new one and when I saw that it was on sale I gladly conceded and bought it for him.

This precious airplane was on clearance.  I have been wanting to get this for Gabriel for the longest time, but never had the extra funds to do it.  Naturally when I saw the price I danced a jig because I could finally get it for him.

This is a new perch for Timothy.  It is flat and will give him a wide place to rest his feet.  It is always a good idea to offer your bird different sized perches so their little feet won't get tired or worse, sore.

And last but not least, the most coveted treat in the world.  Millet.  My boys only get one millet a week and sometimes not even that often.  It is definitely considered a treat around here.  So there you have it; one of my moments of spoiling my boys.  Saturday will be the day that each bird gets his treats and toys.  It is then that I will scrub each cage and do some rearranging.  So stay tuned for the extreme cage makeovers.

AT TIMMY'S REQUEST

Hey everyone....it's me, Timmy.  I just wanted to send out a reminder for all mom's out there that make or buy toys for their feathered kids, to always make sure the parts on the toys are safe.  Zinc free hardware, such as nickel plated or stainless steele, is a must.  Zinc is toxic to us avian babies young and old.  Also, make sure the rope that is used can be easily pulled apart and not stringy to tangle our toes.  A safe bird, is a happy bird.  Have a happy weekend y'all.

SATURDAY BLISS

Every Saturday, I take extra time preparing new activities with my flock and rotate all their toys.  My favorite part is refilling their toy boxes.  I use locking crocks, as it keeps the "box" from being flung on the bottom of the cage.  Here are the boy's crocks ready to be filled.

I choose the appropriate size toys for each bird.  Gabriel, being a cockatiel will not get the big toys that Timmy gets, nor will Timmy get Gabe's toys, as this could pose a choking hazard to him, due to the size difference. 

These are some of the smaller parts that I give to Gabe and Zeek.  They love picking out the different pieces and running their tongues over the varying textures.

Timothy gets chunkier, meatier toy parts to chomp on.  As you can see, I like to add variety to the boxes in order to keep busy beaks occupied.

These are some of the foot toys, or "Talon Teasers" that I have created.  I sell them to shops here in Portland and in my shop on Esty.

Okay, this is the favorite part of the toy box.  The shredded paper!

Here is the finished product.  All three toy boxes overflowing with new and different toys.  The boys will have a blast checking to see what is new and spending time pulling the shredded paper out piece by piece.

One last step...locking them safely on the bars of the cage!  Now the little rascals can dig and play to their hearts content, and they won't dump the whole contents on the floor...and then scream for me to come clean it up.  I love locking crocks for just that purpose.

SUCCESS!

It only took Timothy one day to warm up to his new toy that I created for him.  After that, he dove right in and began shredding it by the mouthfuls.

He is now quite possessive of the toy and didn't appreciate the camera being in his space...so he turned his head to ignore the whole situation.

So, in order for you to fully appreciate his fine piece of work that he performed on the toy...instead of his feathers, I had to remove the toy to snap a decent photo.  I am very pleased to see that my little man is taking his anxieties out on toys instead of his feathers.  It is a work in process, folks.  I will definitely make more of this design and put it up on my Etsy site for purchasing.  I call this a successful venture.  And hey, if it helps other birds like my Timmy...then my work has been truly blessed by God.