Introduction: Coconut Bird Toy

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This is a coconut bird toy.

We recycled old wood blocks, a coconut shell, and jute twine to make a non-toxic, bird-safe toy for our parrot.

It is very important to use non-toxic materials and ropes that will not accidentally tangle a bird's feet. For that, short fiber jute twine is usually a good choice. Sometimes jute twine can be treated with chemicals, so be very careful about what kind of jute twine you choose.

Supplies

  1. coconut
  2. popsicle sticks
  3. nontoxic wood blocks
  4. (ash, apple, poplar, maple or birch are good choices. NEVER USE cedar, red cherry, plywood , oak)
  5. food coloring

Step 1: Open the Coconut.

  1. If you purchase a whole coconut from the market, use the back of a knife in the softest coconut to crack a hole.
  2. Drain the coconut juice.
  3. Continue to crack other holes along the circumference of the coconut.
  4. Open the coconut.
  5. Keep both the top part and the body.
  6. Use a spoon to clean the coconut flesh
  7. Use soapy water and a small brush to clean the inside of the coconut

Step 2: Drill Holes on the Coconut

  1. Use power tools to drill holes in the coconut.
  2. You can drill as many as you want. I drilled one on the top of each piece of the coconut

Step 3: Paint the Materials

You can now use the food coloring to paint the small blocks or toys that you plan to put on the coconut.

Parrots love colorful toys

Step 4: Tie the Toys to the Coconut.

Use the jute twine to thread through the holes we just drilled.

You can use tape to wrap around the loose ends of the rope, to make it easier to slip through the hole. After that, use the rope to tie the toys to the coconut, as shown above. After you are done, make sure to remove the tape, as tape is toxic to birds.

Repeat the process for any other toys you want to attach to the coconut. To attach a toy to the coconut, drilling a hole through the middle of the toy for the rope to pass through can help fasten it to the coconut.

After you have attached all the toys to the coconut, pass the rope through the hole in the top half of the coconut, and tie a knot on the other side.

Step 5: Finished Toy

All done!

You have now completed the toy. If your bird is not familiar with the new toy, it may take them a few days to get used to it and start to play with it.

In the picture, you can see my bird playing with the toy. She loves it, and immediately went over to check it out and play with it.

For the Birds Speed Challenge

Participated in the
For the Birds Speed Challenge