Parakeets need plenty of attention — they’re energetic, highly intelligent birds! But you can’t be their play partner 24/7. When you are at work or need to tackle tasks around the house, you’ll need some of the top-rated parakeet toys to prevent your avian friend from tearing up the couch or other objects around the house!
Parakeet toys can include:
- Destructible toys that are designed to draw your parakeet’s attention and be shredded to pieces
- Food-related toys, which can be used to feed your parakeet
- Puzzle toys, which your parakeet will use to exercise their brain and solve puzzles
- Climbing or resting toys, which are great for giving your parakeet places to climb up and flutter to while in their cage
All of these toys could be great, and odds are your parakeet will need a handful of toy types in their cage to be entertained and stimulated throughout the day.
Not sure where to start? Let’s break down 10 of the best parakeet toys you can buy.
Best for Durability: Bonka Bird Toys 1969 Spoon Delight Medium Large Parrot Bird Toy
Key specs: Five hanging spoons
Parakeets love to play, but they also love to destroy! That’s why you might need a durable, resilient toy like the Bonka Bird Toys 1969 Spoon Delight set.
Pros
In a nutshell, it’s a handful of durable, metallic spoons that hang from your bird’s cage. While it seems simple to you, your parakeet will be thrilled to get the chance to knock these around, make interesting sounds, and even rub their beak across the surface. If your parakeet is particularly destructive, this could be just the toy for you (or rather, them).
Cons
On the downside, your parakeet might also get bored of these toys quickly since what you see is what you get. This might be a better toy for a young parakeet with plenty of excess energy.
Best for Multi-Bird Habitats: BWOGUE Bird Swing Toys
Key specs: Five different hanging toys
Maybe you have several parakeets. If your birds share a cage, they need several toys and swings they can enjoy simultaneously.
Pros
The BWOGUE Bird Swing Toy can do just that. This provides all of your pet birds with fun, elevated places to swing, play, and chew, and they come with a variety of bells, colored beads, and other curiosities to keep your parakeets’ attention. Everything is made with pet-safe materials as well.
Cons
This multifunction toy isn’t the most durable on the market, and you might find that some of the toys break sooner rather than later. Still, you can’t beat this pack of toys for its affordable price!
Best for Chewers: Super Bird Creations SB301 Chewable Paper Party Bird Toy with Colorful Lollipop Sticks
Key specs: One block of lollipop sticks
Many parakeets love to chew things all day, which is where this chewable toy comes in handy.
Pros
This block of lollipop sticks will draw your parakeet’s attention to gnaw on. It’s a particularly good choice if you want to prevent your parakeet from feeling bored or anxious while you are away. Since it’s a bolt-on toy, it’s easy to attach anywhere on your parakeet’s cage.
Cons
However, you’ll also need to pick up the bits and pieces of the lollipop toy left behind when your parakeet is done. Furthermore, this toy is not meant to last forever, so consider picking up a few replacements for when your parakeet is done with each one.
Best for Bird Hygiene: Penn Plax Clip-On Bird Bath
Key specs: 1.5-inch deep tub
The Penn Plax Clip-On Bird Bath is a solid choice, and for good reason: parakeets need a space to bathe themselves!
Pros
If your parakeet needs a place to bathe their feathers, this is the perfect cage addition. It’s made of durable, non-toxic plastic, and can be easily cleaned with warm water. There’s plenty of room for your parakeet inside. You won’t need to take responsibility for your parakeet’s hygiene or feather appearance. Your bird will do it for you!
Cons
Keep in mind that this bird bath is only good for a single parakeet. There isn’t enough room for multiple birds. Parakeets can also be somewhat territorial. If you have multiple parakeets in the same cage, you may need to purchase more baths to ensure everyone has a space to get clean.
Best for Aggressive Urges: Planet Pleasures Large 14” Spiked Pinata Toy
Key specs: Recyclable materials
Parakeets love to chew and tear things to pieces! So why not give them a toy that’s a perfect target?
Pros
The Planet Pleasures Spiked Piñata Toy is the perfect choice for young birds with plenty of energy. It’s handmade in the Philippines with natural, recycled materials, like all-natural palm leaves. These are all woven into a piñata your parakeet will shred with abandon. It’s perfect for preventing your parakeet from becoming bored if they stay in their cage for extended periods.
Cons
Naturally, the stuffed piñata won’t last forever, so you’ll eventually need to clean it up. Furthermore, your parakeet might accidentally swallow some pieces if they are very big. It might be wise to monitor your parakeet the first time they encounter this toy to make sure they use it properly and know how to chew without swallowing.
Best for Older Birds: Bird Bird Swing, Parrot Cage Toys
Key specs: 3.5 inches long, 3.5 inches wide, 3.7 inches high
Older parakeets still have energy but might want to spend more time just hanging around. This bird swing is perfect for your older parakeet if they’re less interested in destroying as they age.
Pros
This bird swing is made of all-natural wood and can be placed in any birdcage. It’s very easy to attach and provides good exercise. The mirror will provide your parakeet with mental stimulation and enjoyment. Aside from that, it can be a good retreat for an older bird wanting to stay up and away from others in the same cage.
Cons
However, this parakeet toy may not keep your parakeet’s attention for very long if they are younger and more energetic. On top of that, you’ll need to make sure the toy can fit into your bird’s cage. Be sure to pay attention to the dimensions before buying.
Best for Beak Trimming: Unibene Parrot Chewing Toy, Bird Beak Grinding Stone with Bell
Key specs: Two hanging toys
Unibene’s Parrot Chewing Toy is perhaps the best parakeet toy overall if your bird needs to trim their beak from time to time.
Pros
Every parakeet’s beak needs to be trimmed and ground down so it isn’t dangerous. This chewing toy has grinding stones and bells for your parakeet to take care of this grooming task.
Due to the star-shaped designs of each stone, it’s easy for a parakeet to grab on and trim and clean their beaks. The toy is made of porous mineral stone with plenty of calcium, which is also healthy for parakeet beaks.
Cons
This is best for parakeets under one year of age, as it requires a good amount of energy to use. Also, even though this is a two-pack, it’s not the most affordable parakeet toy on the market.
Still, it could be a great choice for all kinds of smart birds, including parakeets and cockatiels. It could also work well if you have several parakeets sharing the same habitat.
Best for Mind Games: Busy Bird Spinner Bird Toy with Traveling Spinner
Key specs: Stainless steel construction
This parakeet toy is made of pure stainless steel, and it’s a great choice if your parakeet needs a little mental stimulation in addition to physical activity.
Pros
This brainteaser and mind game for medium to extra-large birds promotes play and puzzle-solving. A spinning rod travels along a threaded rod, which your bird will push back and forth as they attempt to figure out just what makes everything tick. Even better, it’s dishwasher safe, so it’s easy to clean. It also comes with all the wing nuts and hex nuts you need to securely mount it to your parakeet’s cage.
Cons
Only one bird can use this toy at a time, however. Your parakeet might solve the toy and figure out how it works, then quickly become bored. This may not be the longest-lasting or forever toy for your parakeet, though it depends on their personality.
Best for Exercise: Aigou Spiral Rope Perch
Key specs: Three sizes
The Aigou Spiral Rope Perch toy is a great choice for exercising your pet parakeet, and it’s available in three sizes for different birds or cages.
Pros
This swinging rope toy is made of durable, safe cotton rope and can be attached to the top of your bird’s cage. It has a stretchy, bungee texture, so it will help promote the coordination and balance skills of young parakeets or grey parrots. It even comes with a bell at the bottom, offering even more entertainment and enjoyment for your pet.
Cons
More destructive parakeets may be able to chew through the rope and ruin the toy, so keep an eye on your birds while they play.
Best for Foraging/Feeding: Planet Pleasures Pineapple Foraging Toy
Key specs: Five inches long, two inches wide, and two inches high
The Planet Pleasures Pineapple Foraging Toy is the ideal choice to ensure your parakeet eats their food.
Pros
This toy is made of tightly constructed sisal and palm, and you can stuff treats or food bits into the leaves. This simulates foraging behavior for parakeets and other smart birds, so it’s a stellar choice if your parakeet likes to eat this way. You can also hide food in the leaves so your parakeet has to expend more calories to get their meal.
Cons
On the downside, you have to hand wash this toy, which can get stinky or dirty after a little bit. Furthermore, your bird can chew through it, so you may only put it in your parakeet’s cage during feeding time, not while you’re gone for a while.
The Bottom Line
There’s a perfect parakeet toy for your avian friend, regardless of their preferences or age! The Unibene Parrot Chewing Toy is the best choice for parakeets who want to clean their beaks, for example, while the Planet Pleasures Spiked Piñata Toy is even better for birds that shred everything throughout the house. For the best results, consider picking up a few parakeet toys rather than just one!
Sources:
- Both of my birds seem to destroy everything made of wood in their cage whether it be a ladder or their perches, what is something I… | PetCoach
- Overgrown Beak in Birds – Trimming Your Bird’s Beak | PetMD
- How Long Do Parakeets Live? | PetMD
- Bathing Birds | VCA Animal Hospital
- Behavioral ecologist finds parakeet’s intelligence helps in reproduction | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | University of Colorado
