A Bird A Day - safe toys for birds.

21/07/2024

Following on from yesterday's introduction - Ricky was the other bird mentioned in Beans post.
Ricky was also part of the "rescue", and another Indian Ringneck. Ricky was the bird the other volunteer was concerned about, and seeing him in person, it was immediately obvious that something was wrong with one of his wings. One of his wings was abnormally positioned, with the feathers also growing at odd angles.
I booked both birds into the vet for a check over, given the conditions they were in - and concern for his wing. On initial examination, the vet surmised that he had experienced a break at some point, and it was likely that break was not treated. He was booked in a week later for x-rays to determine the extent of the damage......
Unfortunately Ricky didn't recover from the anaesthesia well, and he developed what is known as 'Bradycardia' - and the vets couldn't revive him. Despite him having only been here a week at that point, the devastation at receiving that phone call was huge.
The x-rays confirmed that Ricky had been living with not one, but three breaks in his wing area and he was in pain - and should he have survived, it would have likely resulted in that wing being amputated, and ongoing pain management and assessing his quality of life.

Ricky was a beautiful bird - I only wished he had of entered my life that much sooner to have experienced so many more nice things - and to experience more of the love that was poured upon him here.
Ricky is buried here at my home - it would have ended up being his home, so seemed right that he got to rest here.
Miss you sweet Ricky 💛

Every purchase of toys, helps me to support my flock of rescued and rehomed birds as the funds go towards their care 💙

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

19/07/2024

I thought I'd start sharing more general posts of my flock here, as well as over on their instagram account - so you can meet them, get to know them a little and be part of their ongoing journey (alongside the toys!).

This is Bean, and is my most recent rescue, arriving late April - and completely by "accident".
I do some volunteer fostering with an organisation here in Adelaide, and had been asked to go and check on a couple of what I was told were canaries. Another volunteer had been stopping by to feed them, and they were worried about the health of one of them. I went to the residence (the owner was in hospital at that stage), and discovered 2 Indian Ringnecks - definitely not canaries!
Ricky, the other ringneck had an obvious wing injury, and with the state of the home I got permission to take the birds with me that same day.
I'll share more of Ricky's story at some point - the owner unfortunately ended up in a palliative care situation, and their family surrendered the birds, so I adopted them. Bean was formerly called Jelly Bean, I didn't want to change her name completely, but shortened it to Bean for a "fresh" start here in her new home.
Despite only being here a few months, she is firmly attached to me - and super smart so we started some basic training. Almonds are her most favourite thing in the world, so great to use as a treat in training. Here she is learning to "spin" - it is usually a bit more coordinated, but I was trying to record at the same time so a bit wonky.
Say hello to beautiful Bean! 💛

Every purchase of toys, helps me to support my flock of rescued and rehomed birds as the funds go towards their care 💙

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

15/07/2024

Go give this emerging rescue a follow - great things ahead!
We are proud to call them friends 💚

💙

14/07/2024

Now that's a lot of toys - 155 to be exact! 😮

For our followers from the UK and surrounding areas - keep an eye out as this is headed to your side of the world via Budgie Rescue - Wirral 🐦
Go give their page a follow, plus there is a small side group they have for further updates about how to get your hands on these once they arrive in the UK.
All funds from the sale of the toys go back into the rescue, so it's a win win! Handmade, safe toys for your feathered friends PLUS you get to support a small rescue that does amazing work 💙

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

13/07/2024

Some recent reviews, passed on by some lovely parronts 😉

If your feathered friend has enjoyed their toys, please pop back into Etsy to leave a quick review.
It helps keep the store visible, and helps me in supporting my flock of rescue and rehomed birds - and is always very much appreciated!

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

11/07/2024

Look at all of that colour! 🎉
I've been keeping busy - great weather lately to hibernate with the heater on as I work 😉

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

11/07/2024

We hope our friends in Melbourne are safe!

Heads up to clients with birds in the Western suburbs. There is a major factory fire in Derrimut that is sending toxic smoke over Melbourne. 56 fire trucks are currently trying to get the fire under control. This is a chemical fire, so the smoke is unusually toxic. Please take steps to protect your birds as they won't tolerate smoke well. If you can't bring them inside, consider throwing wet sheets/blankets over aviaries to help prevent smoke reaching your birds.

03/07/2024

July new release number 2 - The "Festive Forager"!
This one is a fun mix of bright crinkle shred that pops with its colour, and paired with eco- friendly cups made from sugarcane and bamboo pulp to hold dry foods such as seeds, pellets, or a foraging mix.
Hiding your birds food or treats helps to keep them busy in their cage or play area, and encourages them to use their exceptional cognitive abilities to problem solve.
This one will keep your bird busy!

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

02/07/2024

Love that these cuties have all been sent off with fun toys! It's a great way to start them off the right way in their new homes, so many commercial stores sell toys that are super expensive and have questionable safety.
All of my toys are hand made and not mass produced - and if I wouldn't give them to my birds, then I wouldn't sell them for your birds 💛

01/07/2024

One of July's new releases - the Australian themed version of the "Perch and Play - Play and Perch"!
This round features chunky gumnuts and banksia pods to give a distinct Australian vibe, plus for the shredders there is a balsa round on each arm to get beaks stuck into.
The gumnuts and banksia pods are great for tucking dry treats into to encourage foraging - what more could you want out of a "toy".

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

30/06/2024

This months round up!
So many fun packages were sent out to keep your feathered friends busy and engaged - and as always we appreciate the support.

Would you believe that I'm already planning for the Christmas range this year - halfway through the year, and I'm not sure how that happened but here we are aha!

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

29/06/2024

Australia Post are raising their postage prices again - which will also affect boxed postage, which is what I primarily send.
I'll be trying to keep shipping prices as they are for the moment - but at some stage I daresay they will need to be reviewed. If/when they do I will give advance notice in the lead up to any changes I need to make.
As a small business, I unfortunately can't afford to absorb the cost of shipping as it would eat into the tiny "profit" I make (and I use that term loosely!)

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

27/06/2024

This snuck on me! 🤦‍♀️
I didn't realise how low the activity mats were in number, with a few styles sold out - also a good thing because it shows me your birds are enjoying them! 🥳

I'll be working on restocking most styles over the next few weeks, plus design a few new ones to keep it mixed up and interesting.
Follow the shop over on Etsy and you should receive updates about new stock, sales etc.

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

24/06/2024

Rio from Budgie Rescue - Wirral enjoying their "Monch and Cronch" toy - as the name suggests, lots of different textures to satisfy those curious beaks and keep them engaged.
For those in the UK and surrounds - they are restocking some of my toys in the near future! It's a win win as your bird gets to keep busy in fun and safe ways PLUS you help them out as funds raised go back into the care of their rescue flock 💚
I love being able to connect and work with like minded rescues, go give them a follow for updates 😊

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

21/06/2024

Buying from a small business like me means handmade toys - each and every single one!
If I wouldn't give it to my flock, I wouldn't supply it for yours - 'CARE' is one of the main things that is missing from a lot of big commercial toy makers that have a huge market share in the pet business.

With a number of our surrendered budgies, we're gifted their existing toys. The standard of quality for commercially produced bird toys is typically very poor. It's criminal that more pet supply stores don't utilise the talents of places like and The Natural Bird Product Company

To save more waste than necessary, we take the commercial toys apart, and remake/rehash them with bird-safe components. This means the gang always have a healthy supply of random toys 💙🫶🏻💙

Do you ever do this?

19/06/2024

Tiny little Fern showing she can take on a big toy!
The budgies have had one of the "Here Kitty Kitty" in their cages to keep them busy - and have nearly shredded it to nothing over the past week. I'm happy because I know they are keeping busy while I'm at work which means less trouble 😉
Grab one in your next order to keep your feathered friends busy 🐦

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

17/06/2024

Loved seeing this cutie enjoying his "Play & Perch - Perch & Play" swing 🤩
Currently sold out BUT making a reappearance next month with a bit of a switch up, and I'll say Australian themed 😉

I love seeing pics and videos of my feathered customers enjoying their toys - so please tag us on Instagram or here, or send them through!

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

14/06/2024

Monty, one of my green cheek conures, giving the "Here Kitty Kitty" a close inspection!
He was a bit too quick searching for the sunflower seeds - that I hadn't added yet 🫣

The cardboard used for this toy is great for holding treats like the "invisible" sunflower seeds, sprays of millet, or even stalks of herbs and foliage. This helps to encourage exploration and keeps your feathered friends busy for a bit longer - delaying inevitable trouble for Monty at least 😉

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

12/06/2024

Busy Wednesday night filling orders - is yours in the pile?! 😉
These are all good to go to the post office to head on their way and keep some lucky birds busy!

As always, every single order - big or small, is truly appreciated by myself and my flock🩵
Also don't forget to pop back to Etsy to leave a review once they arrive 😊

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

12/06/2024

We hope the little ones enjoy their toys! 💙

Apologies for the delay in announcing the giveaway winner!

Congratulations to Barbara Young, we hope you enjoy your $100 voucher to spend with A Bird A Day - safe toys for birds.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered - we managed to raise $620, which is a massive help to continuing care and vet costs.

We will be doing future regular giveaways with A Bird A Day, so keep your eye out.

Image Description: Golden Disney-type script saying ‘Congratulations’ on a teal background. At the bottom is an image of a weiro playing on a seagrass mat toy by A Bird A Day. Just above in smaller text is ‘Winner: Barbara Young’, with an image of a voucher to the left and ‘$100 voucher’ written on it.

09/06/2024

"The Bean" was inspired by a bird I was fostering - who has now become part of the flock after being surrendered last week.

Bean didn't have appropriate toys in her old home and was a bit unsure what they were all about when landing here!
By introducing small pieces of things like sola logs, she slowly got the idea that they are good for shredding etc. I then stepped it up and made a bigger toy with some, and in the approx 6 weeks Bean has been here she has worked through a few plus opened up to more new things 💛

Bean is looking a bit rough because she decided a bath was needed before getting that beak into monching mode 😉

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

06/06/2024

Shy Teddy checking out the "Parrot Party Plate" for me when I was testing it with my birds - I think he gives it a big stamp of approval!

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

05/06/2024

Look at this cutiie being brave and checking out their new swing!
Lots of fun to be had with these 🥳

04/06/2024

The "Here Kitty Kitty" is a foraging and shredding delight - all in one!
The cat scratcher board pieces lend themselves to foraging so well - simply fill the holes with dry food and treats, or use sprigs of bird safe fresh herbs or foliage!
For the feathers friends not so interested in foraging (keep trying as it's great for their cognitive abilities) this can be a fun toy to get into and shred 😉
Chips is doing "an investigate" with her beak, and looking quite cute at the same time.
If you look closely enough you can spot some of the hidden sunflower seeds - I wonder who will find them first 🤔

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

02/06/2024

Other new releases for June are the "Here Kitty Kitty" and the "Bean" - more detailed posts to come, but don't forget to favourite the Etsy shop to get updated about new additions and sales!
Across the month there will be some stock marked down to clear it out to make room for new things, so keep an eye out!

Don't forget to pop back to leave a review if your birds have enjoyed their toys - it's always appreciated and helps to keep my store a bit more "visible" on Etsy.

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

02/06/2024

Because special occasions like birdie birthdays and gotcha days should be celebrated with our treasured feathered friends - one of this months new releases is the "Parrot Party Plate" 🥳

The "cake" is food grade cardboard so safe for beaks to shred, and as they do they will discover an explosion of crinkle shred paper inside to add to the party vibe.
The plate also has 2 sola ball "cupcakes" and a small sola flower - all sitting in eco friendly cups to help catch dry foods and treats to make for a fun foraging experience to celebrate those special moments!

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

01/06/2024

Time is flying and I nearly forgot to do a round up for May - and happy June!! 🫣
Lots of fun toys were sent out to keep beaks busy across the month, it is super important for our feathered friends to remain engaged in safe activities to use up energy.
Anyone who says birds don't need "toys" probably shouldn't be in the field of birds.
While wild birds don't have toys - they also have to work far harder for food and basic survival so use up a lot more energy just existing on a daily basis than our flocks.
Captive birds that don't have proper outlets can develop destructive behaviours such as constant screeching, plucking and self-mutilation which no one wants.
Offering a variety of toys to meet different needs, such as toys that can be destroyed and toys that encourage exploration and foraging should always be included in your birds daily activities within their homes 🙂
Toys and activities can also be complimented with things like bird safe fresh foliage/browse if this is available to you. A busy bird is a happy bird 😉

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

30/05/2024

I had another tester checking out one of next month's new releases for me - Bean, here at the moment as a foster.
Bean hasn't really had toys before, but wasted no time discovering how good sola is and the logs and balls have been a fun discovery.

I think the theme of this "toy" is pretty clear - but a proper introduction in a few days time is coming 😉🥳

Check out the range to easily place your own order for your feathered friends 🐦🦜
https://abirdadayshop.etsy.com

29/05/2024

Don't forget to donate before the end of the month to be in the draw!
Only a few days left - although you can donate at any point to help out a great rescue here in Australia 🩵

Giveaway time!

While we in Australia are lucky to have access to a range of wonderful plants/foliage for the birds to enjoy, others aren't so lucky.

This is one reason we love the toys from A Bird A Day - safe toys for birds.. They offer quality, bird-safe enrichment, hours of fun and plenty of beak-made mess - the best kind of enjoyment for birds 😊

Thanks to A Bird A Day, we're giving one lucky person the chance to win a $100 voucher to their store.

Anyone who contributes any amount to Little Beaks via the gofundme: https://gofund.me/ac7f4a12
or our PayPal: paypal.me/littlebeaks
during the rest of this month (May) will automatically be entered (bank transfer is also available, please DM for details). No need to like/share the post, but you are welcome to 😊 please DM to confirm entry - important so we can contact the winner!

This giveaway is no no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Meta.

Good luck!

TCs:
1) open worldwide
2) entries close 31 May 2024
3) winner will be contacted by me (Fiona from Little Beaks) only; do not trust any links or other requests in comments or messages.
4) giveaway amount is final. Any purchases made over this value will be at the winner's expense.

Image Description: Golden Disney-type script saying 'Giveaway' on a teal background. At the bottom is an image of a weiro playing on a seagrass mat toy by A Bird A Day. Just above in smaller text is 'A Bird A Day - Safe toys for birds', with an image of a voucher to the left and '$100 voucher' written on it.