some of MY personal picks after going thru 88pgs of toys etc that are very good potential BIRDIE FAVORITE HITS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STAINLESS-BRACKE...=item5646c40811

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-BOWLING-bir...=item20b41e4d37

and this is REALLY CHEAP and i have one and its MORE than 18"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROPE-COIL-PERCH-...=item2ebc6a1a05

this is like the one in cappys video its a ball within a ball with a bell

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-BIRD-PARROT-FO...=item336ed3a52f

nice swing

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FREE-SHIPPING-SM...=item1c25087f55

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FREE-SHIPPING-RO...=item5892f68ba4

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Barbell-Rattles-...=item3a4d1ad9fe

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GLOWING-SPIN-WHE...=item3a5a6fd4da

I'd have to buy another cage to hold some more toys, since the ones I have seem to be very popular with Billie.

But I like the idea of toys on the cage bottom, which is pretty bare right now. Based on your recommendation, I think I'll get the bell-inside-the-ball-inside-the-ball. It seems horribly overpriced for what it is, but the convenience of being able to buy it with a click makes a big difference.

Lane

its free ship Lane and good to see you again its been awhile stranger...and there is a video link in another thread of Cappy that links to some other of his videos that shows how much he loves to play with his but with him i use it OUTSIDE the cage with the reg. smaller individual cat balls just like it ...only the smaller cat balls are one singular ball with a bell ...and thats what i have inside his cage...he really enjoys them. and that price on it...is below the average price of toys...

and yes i would imagine the birds cage is full where you use only HALF the space just one side for toys...unlike the me and the rest of us...but i do have several ***foot toys as they are called for cappy too and again those videos will show them.

thanks for those links. I love buying my babies toys. it's crazy. They both have boings, and Chirp lives on his and is so funny how he goes right up the middle when he wants to ge to the top fast. Pips has sat hers once that I saw but must have decided it's boring. She only wants to pick pick pick at her wood ladder.

oooook kathy i think i have said this before but if i havent ...anything a female wants to tear apart this is NOT a good sign as it shows she is going or wanting to go into breeding mode...so remove ANYTHING she does this too... and you should really get some of this BEFORE toys to have on hand where you have a female acting like this...

http://www.herbsnbirds.com/calciboost.shtml

are you giving her only 8 hrs of daylight i know ive said that and cover with only a little lamp on...and no visitation between birds ...their cages shouldnt even be close togther...a different room for each would be ideal...

ok nuf said about this ...i feel like a recording lol...im must of said this stuff now at least ohhhhhhh ten times in last two weeks...and NOT just to you... giggle...

folks please read ALL threads not just the ones you post and kathy i know you do so this is not for you...but please...go to forums list at top...then to general keet chat and also medical and health threads and read all you can everyone...you will be doing yourselves a big service and your birds doing that

gawd if folks dont read all threads instead of just theirs they wont even see this one...sigh

Actually I do have some of the calcium suppliment. It is not liquid, but powder and you sprinkle it on the seeds. She does eat the seeds this is on so I know she is getting some in her mouth. I think I will take that ladder out. She is just spending too much time picking at it. I don't have shreddable toys in there, but though a wood ladder would be ok.
She is doing all she can to destroy it.

All my birds, female and male have loved shredding toys especially the yucca wood discs and none of my females ever went into breeding mode. One of the former members here has a female that will chew up any wooden ladder or perch and she never went into breeding mode. Only 8 hours of daylight is dangerous, it will stress them out too much. Many vets and experts recommend about 12 hours of daylight to keep them out of breeding mode or stop it once it has happened.

ive bred for many years and 8hrs was never a problem

...and your females dont go to nest because of the other birds involved in your house ..they would never in the wild go to nest with that many other large birds in the same vicinity...because other larger species would raid and destroy nest.

in winter months also when sunlight is naturally shorter an limited to about 8 hrs also birds wont go to nest as there isnt enough food or daylight to forage for food to feed young...

this is not a dangerous thing to do...and there are vets who have also recommended this practice... ive known many thru avicultural clubs i use to belong too...along with MANY breeders of different species...along with myself who had very expensive birds and use to show...we would never put the birds at risk...

now that i had some time .. i went and googled about number or hours provided also to keep females of birds from breeding and there is quite a few sites that limit the hours of 8 to 10 maxium...this is only ONE of many. it also states if 10hrs is not enough to reduce to 8 and having 14hrs of darkness etc etc.

i would never say anything here to put a bird into a dangerous or stressful situation...and whats more...i consider being eggbound just about as dangerous and stressful as it gets...as 99% of the time you will lose a egg bound hen...because by the time it shows...unless super swift in getting to a vet ...your bird is lost.

those curious can google this information as well...this is a generally accepted practice...and birds need to feel the envirnonment is conducive to breeding ...larger birds ...overcrowding and reduced food sources as well as daylight all will render females very reluctant to go to nest.

even certain TYPES of lighting can increase or decrease the urge to go to nest...and its a very well known fact that shreddie items is a natural prompt that stimulates this ...or deflates it...

google recommended hours of daylight to reduce bird breeding..there is plenty of the written word from experienced breeders out there as well ...not hobbyist...people who show and breed would never indulge in something that puts their birds at risk because if nothing else the money they have not only invested in the birds themselves but their breeding facilities and equipment... MANY of them being very elaborate and well equipped with all essesntial items for successful breeding...you didnt take any chances.

ive been around breeders and show people of birds to many types of expensive species for a very long time and myself was in that arena of aviculture. I always speak from a depth of experience and many years of it and cant not apologize for that and wouldnt...my interest is in the birds and would never encourage something dangerous or stressful.

someone may also want to google the name LINDA RUBIN she was the president of one of the clubs i belonged to ...even then her name was quite established in the bird world...and has since really moved up the ladder in the avicultural world in a big way as she stayed very active in it...we had all sorts of acclaimed speakers at our clubs from breeders to very established well know world wide vets ..i also gave talks at that time on outdoor mixed aviary breeding techniques when there was but only three of us out there at the time daring to do this and nothing much was known of this type of set up...especially in the northeast where weather and temperatures mean everything to successful breeding.

im very proud as you can see of my experience and knowledge. ..it took a lot of time ..effort...to learn what i have...from a hands on type of learning...and i dont shy away from sharing that knowledge which is SOLID information.

when i find misinformation out there its upsetting...and to say the information i give is dangerous is also upsetting.

it was a who's who type of club with the best of experience being involved all the way to brand new folks just becoming enthusiast..

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/egg_laying.html

just how did this thread go from toys to this is beyond me as a new thread for this should of been made...but lol it does happen often...and of this i guess we are all guility...

I think it was that I mentioned Pips was trying to shred a wooden ladder. I took it out and now she is into haning upsidedown from the top of her cage and flapping her wings like crazy.
She spends a lot of time doing this now. What a nut.
hey, so when I cover them up in the evening, what do they do in the dark? Do you they sleep the entire time until I uncover them in the morning? or is it ok to leave them uncovered in the evening as long as I only have a couple of lights on in the room? I am trying not to let her have more than 10 hours of "light" of any kind, and she is very quiet in there in her darkened cage.
Just wondering if they slept the whole time.
Thanks