None of our toys are purchased from someone else, they are all hand made by me. I buy all the parts, usually in bulk, from trusted vendors, and I'm constantly researching safety issues to make sure what I make is okay for my birdies.

I spend several hours a day, most days, working on toys, and my birds always get the 'firsts' to see how they are accepted and how much the birds enjoy them. I love to watch the birds checking out a new toy, see who's first to try it out, and how long it lasts. And the birds enjoy a never ending supply of new toys to play with, so it works well for all of us. :)

I *don't* use ANY metal in my toys - no bells, no metal clips, no wire or metal chain. I just don't see that small bird toys need to have metal parts, and there are so many unsafe metal parts out there, I just don't want to take those chances. Paper cups, palm shredders, paper lace, cotton rope and string, fleece and cotton fabric, thin wood pieces, and tons of plastic beads of various types and sizes are the main staples of my toy making arsenal. Anything that's been colored has been done with regular USDA approved food coloring, and is heat-set to avoid washing out (though some bleeding will occur over time).

I also do NOT include hangers of any sort with my toys. So many people have different preferences for how they will hang their toys, I decided to skip that all together. I generally attach my toys to the cages with small zip ties, since Gromit can disconnect just about anything else in no time. But some folks prefer to use metal pear or 'C' links, or plastic 'counting' links. Everyone is different, so to save a little money for both you and I, I leave that up to you. :)

Any new toy I add will be play tested first by my birds, and then by my 'test birdies' - friends in various places who I send new toys to for suggestions and play testing, before they are ever offered for sale here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!