Being a pet parent, it is important to give our cockatiels an opportunities to play. Many a times, cockatiels do not play on their own; they need the right environment and materials to spark their interest. Now this might make you wonder if your birds can play with toilet paper rolls.
Cockatiels can definitely play with toilet paper rolls. Toilet paper rolls can be a great way to give them something to chew on and explore. They can also help birds stay active, which is important for their health. Also, they’re a relatively cheap toy that pet parents can use.
Sometimes care for your cockatiels can get a little pricy. Therefore, it’s important to have options to enrich and stimulate your birds without emptying your wallet.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can use toilet paper rolls as a fun, easy, and safe toy for your pet birds.
Are Toilet Paper Rolls A Great Toy For Cockatiels?
Toilet paper is the least harmful for our cockatiels compared to all other forms of paper. However, that doesn’t mean that you can serve it to the bird daily.
Instead, you must provide your birds with adequate nutritional food so that it does not show much interest in paper.
If you find your cockatiel nibbling at a corner of a toilet paper, you must not worry. These materials are easy to digest for your birds as these will ball up into much smaller pieces than any traditional paper.
Also, once you have finished with a toilet roll, do not throw the tube away. The tube also makes an excellent toy for our cockatiels.
Cockatiels can enjoy the tube by playing with it. You can even stuff some treats in the tube to engage your birds.
Do Cockatiels Like To Play With Toilet Paper Rolls?
Most cockatiels love to play with toilet paper rolls. These rolls are easy for our birds to move, explore, and chew on.
On conducting a community poll, I found out that 80% of the cockatiel owners claim that toilet paper rolls are their bird’s favorite toy.
Although most cockatiels love to play with toilet paper rolls, you still need to provide them with various toys to keep them happy and healthy.
Can Cockatiels Chew On Toilet Paper Rolls?
Cockatiels can chew on paper. However, ensuring they are not making a meal from toilet paper rolls is essential.
That said, toilet paper rolls should not become your bird’s go-to chew toy. There are other better and safe options for them to gnaw on.
But, if you are finding something to keep your birds occupied for a while, you can have some toilet paper rolls around.
Is It Ok For Cockatiels To Eat Paper?
Cockatiels love to shred paper. However, a large amount of consumption of paper can have serious consequences.
If your cockatiel swallows a tiny strand of paper while playing, it is hardly of any concern. Although it may take a while, the paper will eventually pass through your cockatiel’s track.
The problem will start if your bird swallows a large piece of paper. Consumption of large amounts of paper may even lead to intestinal blockage and our cockatiel’s life can be in danger.
If the paper gets stucked inside our bird’s throat, then it may even prevent our birds from breathing or swallowing food and water.
If your cockatiel has consumed a considerable amount of paper, then it may even display signs of health complications such as:
- Lethargy or depression
- Difficulty holding up the head
- Diarrhea and loose stools, potentially containing blood
- Bringing up food
- Sudden loss of vision
I would advise you to just monitor your cockatiel’s safety, and avoid any excessive swallowing of paper.
How Can Cockatiels Safely Play With Toilet Paper Rolls?
It is possible for our cockatiels to safely play with toilet papers only if we correctly use them.
If your bird loves to play with toilet paper rolls, then there are a few things you must keep in mind:
- Remove all the glue from the roll: Before providing your bird with a toilet paper roll, remove all the glue. If your cockatiels consume any adhesive, it might lead to severe health complications.
- Replace all the soiled toilet paper: It is crucial to remove all the dirty toilet paper and replace them with fresh ones. This will ensure that your birds do not digest any harmful bacteria.
- Cut a slit along the side of the toilet paper tube: It is essential so that our bird’s head doesn’t get stuck.
Related Queries:
Why Does My Cockatiel Keep Eating Paper?
In most cases, papers are more of an entertainment to our birds. They prefer to play with them rather than eating them.
However, once they are done playing they will surely munch on it. Make sure you provide your cockatiels with adequate food and water because they are not hungry.
Cockatiels also find alternatives to their regular diet (alternatives like paper), if their diet lacks an appropriate amount of fiber.
Paper will not meet your little one’s nutritional needs, therefore provide them with food that is rich in fiber.
Boredom can be another reason, due to which your birds might be eating bits and pieces of paper. Your cockatiel will become restless if they do not have enough sources of entertainment in their enclosure.
You might have noticed if your cockatiels are allowed to run freely in the house, they will chew on other things as well.
Cockatiels will play with whatever they find when they are in their enclosure. Some bird owners even place crumbled papers in their enclosure to let their little ones play and munch on it./
Will Cardboard Hurt Cockatiels?
Cardboard won’t hurt our birds as long as large amounts of cardboard isn’t eaten.
In most cases, birds do not go overboard with it and try to eat the entire roll. In rarer cases, some may overeat cardboard because they’re missing out on other nutrients.
Too much cardboard overtime may cause intestinal blockages.
Also, over time the cardboard will get pretty gross. Toss out dirty cardboard, so your birds aren’t gnawing on the nastiness.
You must keep in mind that cardboard rolls and toilet paper rolls aren’t an acceptable food for our birds. As a conscious bird owner, make sure that your birds are getting a balanced diet filled with nutritional content.
Why Do Cockatiels Shred Paper?
Cockatiels need adequate stimulation to keep themselves happy. Paper tearing is one such activity that our birds find extremely enjoyable.
9 out of 10 birds enjoy shredding paper. Besides this, shredding paper also provides a good beak and jaw exercise to our cockatiels.
