In the pet parrot world, a "foot toy" is a toy that a bird picks up and plays with — it balances on one foot while holding the toy in the other foot. Usually, "playing" entails destroying. Although Harley is generally considered a medium-sized parrot, he seems to prefer smaller foot toys, and he doesn't seem to like to work very hard. No hard pine for him (although I want to try making some very thin slices); he prefers softer material like balsa or vines. He is also pretty fickle; he'll play with a toy once, and then won't be interested in it again. This means I have to get to test out all different kinds of toys and toy-making parts.

This woven wicker spiral started out life three times this size. Harley liked a dainty third of it much better as a foot toy. He chewed off a few bits, and then threw it in the garbage, which is conveniently located right near this perch. That's okay, though, because I can pull out another piece in a few weeks, and he might be interested in it again. I got this Super Rattle Bird Toy from Drs. Foster and Smith.

The toy below is one of a series in the category of Toy On A Stick: Get your standard lollipop stick from a kitchen-supply or craft store, string toy parts on it, put a pony bead on either end, and crimp the end of each stick with a pair of pliers so that the bead can't slide off. It takes a certain amount of finesse to ensure the pony beads can't come off too easily — or, in Harley's case, that it doesn't take too much work to get them off. The basic toy is simply a stick filled with pony beads (mmmmm, pony beads!), but you can string lots of different things on a stick. In addition, the lollipop sticks are available in different sizes.

Although you can't tell very well, this stick started out life with the two green pony beads holding a mini munch ball on it. Munch balls are made of wicker or some sort of vine material, that is shaped into a sphere. They come in different sizes, are often strung up to make larger toys, and sometimes have things stuffed inside (like paper strips and other fun things to pull out). In terms of foot toys, though, Harley prefers the smallest ones, on a stick. I got the mini munch balls from The Bird Safe Store (and the sticks from a local craft store, and I don't remember where I got the pony beads — lots of places have pony beads, just be sure to give birds plastic, not glass).

Foot toys can be strung up in many different ways. The toy below is made of two pieces of balsa wood (dyed with bird-safe dyes), a small "birdie bagel" in the middle, and a strip of a vegetable-tanned leather to tie it all together.

Harley really likes to tear up balsa, although he much preferred the easier, sharper angles of the triangle! He's also a fan of leather, and likes to chew on the knots to untie them. So far, birdie bagels haven't appealed to him much. These bird-safe paper concoctions come in many different colors and sizes, but so far Harley just drops them, and watches them land on the ground. In all, though, this balsa bagel, which I got from ParroToys (where Harley is famous!), is a real hit. Was a real hit, I should say. Although the size was almost too big for his dainty foot, the balsa made it light enough to hold and destroy.

The toy below is a fire cracker from Chopper's Toys (scroll down on this page to find it):

Not many bird stores seem to use cellophane. The truth is, ANY material a bird swallows can be dangerous, and I'd expect plastic to be more dangerous than the bird-safe type of cellophane that Chopper's uses. But I guess most people figure they'd rather be safe than sorry. The thing is, Harley loves the cellophane! It's just the type of easy-to-destroy material that appeals to him the most! Since he doesn't seem to swallow things (and don't worry, I watch), I figure a fire cracker every now and then is a nice treat. While the cellophane is the best part of this toy, Harley also likes the paper tag. Of course. I find the squares of woven cane (like the seat of a chair) to be much more interesting than Harley does.

So far, the caterpillar has been Harley's favorite toy:

This brightly-colored plastic toy can be torn completely apart: all six legs come off, the body pieces can be ripped apart, and the face snaps off in two pieces! Harley grabbed it right out of my hand, tore all the pieces off, climbed down from his perch to get to the bits, watched me put it together again, said "Here Harley" while he waited impatiently for me (something he usually only says when he wants food), got back up on the perch and tore it all apart again! What a great toy! It kept his attention for about two days, but now he's back to ignoring it. I'll hide it for awhile, and try it again.

The only "bad" thing about this toy are the antennae — which Harley can chew off. He's already done that in this photo. I watched carefully; he didn't swallow the bits. But once he taught me how to rip the face off, I trimmed the antennae down to the nub, so I wouldn't have to worry about him playing with it. I got the caterpillar from ParroToys.

Of course, almost anything can be a foot toy, if Harley is in the mood. A regular is a small piece of paper, like the paper wrappers from some tea bags, twisted up a bit. Food also works — remember the piece of sweet potato (picture pops up)? And here's Harley from a little while ago, eating a snap pea:

Of course, he really prefers food if a human holds it for him, but that's a different story.

You'll notice that in all these photos, Harley is standing on his right foot, and holding the toy with his left foot. Does this means he's left-footed, or right-footed?