Last Updated: 07/10/2025
What are the Best Toys for Birds?
Which toy is right for your bird? Our vet guide details the best toys for every need, from chew toys to puzzles that bust boredom. Discover top picks for swings, mirrors and budget-friendly options.
Author: Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 8 minutes - short read
From the cheerful chirps of a canary to the cheeky antics of a cockatiel, birds are incredibly intelligent and engaging pets. These feathered friends are brimming with personality and curiosity, and with a fun selection of bird toys, they become playful little clowns in disguise!
Why is choosing the right bird toy important?
Providing an array of toys for your bird has many benefits. Not only are bird toys fun to play with, they are also important for your bird's mental wellbeing. Birds are natural problem-solvers with busy minds, which means that boredom is just as tortuous and mentally damaging for them as it is for us. Toys are particularly important if your bird is caged. (Note: we don't ever recommend an entirely caged existence for birds - read more in our Beginners Guide to Bird Care).
Choosing the right toy goes beyond just picking something colourful. A well-chosen toy can prevent serious behavioural issues and health problems, while the wrong one can pose significant dangers.
Four factors to consider when choosing a toy for your bird:
1. Prioritise safety
A dangerous toy can cause serious harm. Always check for potential hazards before purchasing.
- Safe materials: Choose toys made from non-toxic materials like natural wood, stainless steel, and vegetable-tanned leather. Avoid parts with lead or zinc and soft plastics that can be swallowed.
- Solid construction: Look for toys without small, detachable parts that pose a choking risk. Avoid long, loose fibres or strings that can cause entanglement.
- Safe destruction: Shredding is a healthy, natural instinct! Provide toys made for safe destruction (like cardboard or yucca) and remove them if they become worn and hazardous.
2. Match the size to the species
The toy must be appropriate for your bird's beak strength and body size.
- Small birds like budgies and finches need lightweight toys they can easily handle.
- Large birds like macaws and cockatoos need highly durable toys that can withstand their powerful beaks. A small toy is a choking hazard for a big bird.
3. Cater to your bird's personality
Observe how your bird plays and choose toys that suit its natural instincts.
- Chewers need destructible wood and cardboard toys.
- Acrobats love swings, ladders, and climbing toys.
- Foragers thrive on puzzle toys that hide treats and challenge their minds.
- Preeners enjoy toys with shreddable fibres, which can help redirect feather-plucking.
4. Provide variety and rotation
Boredom can lead to behavioural problems, so keep your bird's environment stimulating.
- Offer variety: Provide different types of toys at once - something to chew, a puzzle, and a swing - to let your bird choose its activity.
- Rotate toys: Keep a "toy library" and swap toys out at least weekly. This keeps things fresh and gives you a regular chance to inspect and clean them.
In this article
- How we review our products
- Best Foraging Toy: Creative Foraging Tug N Slide
- Best Chew Toy: Super Bird Crinkle Crinkle Little Star
- Best Bird Mirror: JW Insight Fun House Mirror
- Best Swing Toy: Birdie Parrot Triple Jute Ring
- Best Quirky Toy: Kazoo Bird Toy With Sneakers And Dice
- Best Budget Toy: Living World Plastic Keys
- What to look for
How We Review Our Products
Our Vet team use their health and husbandry knowledge, along with their own personal and clinical experiences to evaluate each product and provide detailed, informative reviews, free of any commercial bias. We then collate this information into our 'best of' recommendations.
Top Recommended Bird Toys in Australia [Vet Reviewed]
Best Foraging Toys
Creative Foraging Tug N Slide
Pros
- Multi-step puzzle, providing a significant challenge to keep your bird's mind active and engaged
- Specifically designed to promote foraging behaviour
- Effective "boredom buster," which can help reduce the likelihood of behavioural issues like screaming or feather plucking.
- Builds problem-solving skills
Cons
- The two-stage mechanism could be frustrating for birds that are not accustomed to foraging toys, potentially causing them to give up
- Designed specifically for larger birds
Suitable for: large birds including Macaws, African Greys, Cockatoos and Amazons.
Foraging is a natural instinct for birds, and helps keep them occupied and mentally stimulated. Providing your bird with safe toys that encourage problem-solving and foraging behaviour helps to fight boredom.
Creative Foraging produces a whole range of puzzle toys to exercise your bird's mind and encourage problem-solving. In the Tug-N-Slide, once food has reached the bottom section, your clever bird can retrieve the food by pulling down on the leather strap.
Best Chew Toys
Super Bird Crinkle Crinkle Little Star
Pros
- Destructible wooden and paper chew toy with metal bell, perfect for shredding and tearing apart
- Combination of different textures for the beak and feet, along with the engaging "crinkle" sound the paper makes, provides both tactile and auditory enrichment to prevent boredom
- Chewing and ripping at the toy's materials helps to keep a bird's beak conditioned and trim
- Super Bird is a reputable brand that uses safe, non-toxic materials
Cons
- An enthusiastic bird may shred it very quickly, meaning it will need to be replaced frequently.
- Due to the nature of the toy, there will be regular clean-up required of the bottom of the cage and surrounding floor.
Suitable for: small birds like Canaries, Budgies, Cockatiels and Budgies
Your bird will love to chew, nibble, and tear at these crinkly toys! Anyone familiar with the feeling of having your earring nibbled at will know that chewing is a natural instinct for birds. It is particularly strong during the breeding season when birds will naturally create nests. Providing your bird with safe, destructible toys to chew on helps to fight boredom and keep them mentally and physically stimulated.
Super Bird's range of crinkle toys contain destructable cardboard and crinkle strips, with fun touches like a mini rubber duck or bells. All materials are safe and non-toxic. Our other favourite from their range is the Activity Wall. The Activity Wall is from fun and safe to chew sea grass matting with safe, non toxic toys attached.
What our customers say: "Small toy, ideal for a smaller space in the cage. My bird loves it and shakes it up. I just try stuff the inside with a bit more tassel, but that's to replace what my birdy ripped out."
Best Bird Mirror
JW Insight Fun House Mirror
Pros
- 3 mirrors side by side to provide your bird with different 'angles' of themselves for extra interest
- Easy to attach to cage
- Can be used inside or outside the cage
- Lightweight
Cons
- Suitable only for smaller birds
Suitable for: small and medium birds like Budgies, Cockatiels, Budgies, Conures, and Ringnecks
Mirror, mirror, on the wall... Birds are social creatures, which means they love having a 'friend' for company. As sad as it sounds, providing a mirror is an easy way to create a 'playmate' for your birdie. Most species of birds aren't mentally able to recognise their own reflection, so mirrors effectively provide a pal for them to interact with. Please note: if housing your bird by themselves, you are their 'mate' and need to provide abundant attention and companionship to them. A mirror should only be provided as a supplement to this.
The JW Insight Fun House Mirror provides three mirrors side by side for extra 'friends'! Your birdie will think they've hit the jackpot with 3 pretty birdies to chat to.
What our customers say: "Easy to install on any cage and a big hit with our cockatiel. He was super impressed with all the angles and was bobbing around for ages testing out his new toy for his best angle."
Best Swing Toy
Birdie Parrot Triple Jute Ring
Pros
- Fibrous texture of jute is excellent for satisfying a parrot's instinct to chew, shred, and preen
- Soft on feet
- Multiple rings encourage climbing and swinging
Cons
- Jute is a relatively soft material. A large parrot with a powerful beak may destroy this toy quickly, making it less cost-effective than more durable options
- Strands of jute can pose a risk of entanglement or impaction, so the toy should be inspected regularly and long, frayed strands trimmed off
Swings provide a fun and entertaining perch from which to play, nibble, and survey their 'kingdom'. Many birds enjoy being little acrobats when provided with a swing, and it can be a whole lot of fun to watch!
The Birdie Parrot Triple Jute Ring not only swings, but the multiple rings encourage climbing, swinging, and manipulating the object with both beak and feet. This is great for strengthening muscles, improving balance, and keeping your bird active.
What our customers say: "My budgies love this ring - hangs on my curtain rail so they can be up high and see outside - it's really soft on their feet and they jump up and down it. Easy to attach toys to as well."
Best Quirky Toy
Kazoo Bird Toy With Sneakers And Dice
Pros
- Varied textures for diverse pecking and chewing experiences
- Bright, colourful colours add vibrancy and interest
- Dangling components are perfect for birds to grab, pull, and manipulate
Cons
- Suitable only for small to medium sized birds
- Not suitable for strong chewers
We're not sure why exactly, but it's oh so satisfying and hilarious watching your bird use proportionately sized mini human things! You'll feel like you have a doll house again, filling your bird's cage with ridiculously cute objects like these.
The Kazoo Bird Toy With Sneakers And Dice is a fun, quirky toy designed to capture the attention of curious birds and prevent boredom. Its unique combination of miniature sneakers and colourful dice provides excellent mental stimulation and a rich sensory experience. The varied textures of fabric, rubber, and plastic encourage birds to explore and manipulate the different components with their beaks and feet, promoting healthy, interactive play.
Best Budget Toy
Living World Plastic Keys
Pros
- Made from hard plastic, it is long-lasting and can withstand vigorous play from small to medium-sized birds
- Easy to clean
- Brightly coloured for visual enrichment,
- Encourages manipulative play
Cons
- Unsuitable for large, strong Birds
- Designed for manipulation, not destruction so does not satisfy a bird's need to shred and chew
Priced under $5, this fun toy will make an affordable addition to your bird's cage. The Living World Plastic Keys are a classic, durable toy designed to provide long-lasting entertainment for small to medium-sized birds like budgies and cockatiels.
Made from hard, easy-to-clean plastic, this toy is both hygienic and built to withstand enthusiastic play. Its bright colours and the jingling sound of the keys offer valuable sensory stimulation, while the shapes encourage birds to use their feet and beaks to explore and manipulate the toy.
What to look for in bird toys
Bird-safe materials
Birds explore everything with their beaks, so non-toxic construction is essential.
Opt for natural, untreated wood (like pine, balsa, or eucalyptus), stainless steel for all metal parts (including clips and bells) and natural fibres like jute. Hard, durable plastics can also be suitable for some birds.
Steer clear of toys with cheap metal hardware, which may contain toxic heavy metals like zinc or lead. Avoid soft plastics that can be easily chewed off and swallowed. Be cautious with dyed items unless you can confirm bird-safe, food-grade colouring was used.
Size and durability
A toy must be the right size and strength for your specific bird. A mismatch here can be dangerous.
For small birds (e.g., Budgies, Cockatiels) look for lightweight toys that are easy for them to manipulate. Heavy toys can be intimidating or even cause injury.
For large birds (e.g., Galahs, Macaws, Cockatoos), these birds have incredibly powerful beaks. Look for highly durable toys made from tough wood or strong plastic. A toy designed for a smaller bird can be destroyed in seconds, and its broken parts can become a serious choking hazard.
Enrichment and purpose
The best toys serve a purpose by satisfying your bird’s natural instincts. Think about what your bird loves to do and choose a toy that matches that behaviour.
For the chewer, look for destructible toys made from safe woods, paper or cardboard. Chewing and shredding is a vital, healthy behaviour that keeps their beak in good condition.
For the thinker, look for foraging or puzzle toys that make your bird work to find a hidden treat. This engages their problem-solving mind and mimics how they would find food in the wild.
For the acrobat, look for swings, ladders, and boings that encourage physical activity, helping to strengthen their muscles and improve balance.
For the preener, birds that tend to over-preen or pluck their feathers can benefit from shreddable toys made of paper or palm leaves, which redirect this natural behaviour in a safe way.
Quality construction
Beyond the materials, look at how the toy is put together.
Ensure any clips used to attach the toy to the cage are made from bird-safe stainless steel. Avoid split-ring key chains, which can trap beaks.
Check for any small beads, bells, or other decorative items that could be easily chewed off and swallowed, causing a blockage.
If the toy has rope, ensure it is made from a safe, natural fibre. Be extremely cautious with fine fibres or cotton ropes, as these can unravel and pose a serious entanglement risk for your bird's feet and toes. Regularly trim any long, frayed strands.
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History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Tue 7 Oct 2025
Edited by Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Veterinarian
Dr. Carla graduated from the University of Queensland in 2013 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and worked for a number of years in small animal clinics across South East Queensland. While Carla enjoys most facets of clinical veterinary work, she holds a special passion for feline medicine, pocket pets, and nutrition.
