Playgym: Budgie Basket
Submitted by: Claire
Author’s Note: Easter-basket style basket with a strong handle, sturdy twine, and toy/treat embellishments. If you want your budgies to hang out with you outside of their cage but you are tired of wiping up their little poopies from your furniture, then consider the “Budgie Basket”.
What You’ll Need:
- A basket (see Step 1 below for more on picking the right basket)
- A swing (see Step 2 below if you want to make your own)
- Toys (See Step 3 below for ideas)
Steps:
- Step 1: Pick a basket – There are several things to think about when picking out a basket for your budgie(s). Look at the rim to make sure that it’s not too thick or too skinny for your budgie to stand on. Also, look at the handle. It should also be not too thin or thick, and it should be sturdy enough that your budgie can climb up and down it without it moving around. Another thing to think about is the size of the basket’s base. The wider the base, the less likely it will tip over with an active budgie. If you are still worried about it, put something heavy in the bottom of the basket-like an old dish or a rock. You should also pay attention to the materials that the basket is made of. If the basket has lead paint or is made of harmful woods, then don’t use it. If the basket is really splintery, I would be afraid that it would poke my budgie.
- Step 2: Make a swing – You can just buy a swing if you want, but I think it’s fun to make one. You can do this by tying sturdy twine to either end of a stick, then tying the twine to the handle. I would suggest carving little niches into the stick for the string to go in just to make sure that the stick doesn’t just slip out of the string and drop your budgie.
- Step 3: Add the fun – Add treats or toys to the basket to entertain your budgie. I like to hang toys and treats from the handle for them to play with. My babies are happy as a clam with even a piece of string or yarn hanging from the handle…they LOVE yarn! I also like to put veggies, millet spray, or shreddable materials in the basket itself sometimes. You can also twist a soft pipe cleaner around the handle so that it sticks up. Fold the pointy ends over and twist each piece of the pipe cleaner around a pencil. My birdies love to play with these bouncy pipe cleaner toys! You can also push a stick or a pencil through the wicker spaces (or wood-glue it across the rim) for another spot for the birdies to sit on.-My silly Budgies love it when I just hang a length of clean toilet paper over the handle. They love to pick at it and pull it down. Use your imagination and think of ways to incorporate the things that your budgie really enjoys.
The Budgie Basket is a great place for budgies to hang out outside of their cage. They will love to sit along the rim of the basket, they will love to climb up the handle and sit up high, and they will love their own little swinging environment outside of their cage. YOU will love not having to scrape poopies off of your shoulders or your furniture, because everything will just fall into the basket!