🦜 Let’s Talk About Bird Toys & Hormones 🦜
We’ve recently seen advice circulating suggesting that removing toys will prevent hormonal behaviour in birds.
We feel it’s important to gently clarify this.
Birds are biologically designed to chew, shred, forage, climb and explore. These behaviours are not “extras” — they are core, instinctive needs. In the wild, birds spend most of their waking hours engaged in these exact activities.
Toys, when appropriately selected, simply provide a safe outlet for those natural behaviours.
Hormonal behaviour is influenced by factors such as: • Seasonal daylight changes
• Access to dark, nest-like spaces
• High-calorie or breeding-condition diets
• Environmental and bonding triggers
It is not caused by safe, supervised enrichment.
In fact, removing appropriate enrichment can lead to: • Frustration
• Increased screaming
• Feather destructive behaviours
• Anxiety
• Aggression
A bored bird is not a balanced bird.
The focus should not be on removing stimulation — it should be on providing the right kind of stimulation.
Responsible enrichment means: ✔ Choosing bird-safe materials
✔ Avoiding enclosed or nesting-style toys
✔ Supervising play
✔ Rotating toys regularly
✔ Removing damaged items promptly
When done correctly, toys support mental health, physical wellbeing and behavioural stability.
We always encourage bird owners to seek evidence-based information and to consider the natural biology of the species they care for.
Our goal is simple: healthier, happier birds through informed, responsible care 💚
— The Team at Budgie Sanctuary Rescue