15 Life Hacks for Parrot Owners - cheap and easy pet bird tips 🦜 | BirdNerdSophie

Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this video on life hacks for bird owners! If you have any other life hacks for parrot owners, leave them in the comments below!
DIY toys 1: • Cheap and Easy DIY Par...
DIY toys 2: • Easy DIY Parrot Toys |...
DIY seed mix: • Parrot DIY Healthy See...
Safe and toxic things: freerangeparrots.org/2020/10/...
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[@archiesflock7517]

I love these ideas! I used to say “bye bye” just before turning the light off, so Archie has started saying “bye bye” whenever he’s tired! 😂 ❤️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you like them! 😀

[@BirdNerdSophie]

And that’s absorbable that he says bye bye 😂

[@dorkusamericanus]

So cute!

[@87.l9]

I wish my birds would talk ;-; All I have is a budgie that makes cockatiel noises 😂

[@dorkusamericanus]

@@87.l9 you need to talk to your bird more. Obviously the cockatiels are communicating with it more

[@14Raine14]

I have two littles and a chronic illness, I make my chop in big batches and freeze it in baggies. If you get soggy chop when it's thawed, add some chia seeds, flax seeds, dry oatmeal, quinoa, or even herbs/flowers like lavender or chamomile :) any of these things will soak up the extra moisture and they are all healthy items

[@incanusolorin2607]

Conditioning them to get calmer/sleepy when they hear rain sounds is brilliant! Thanks for the tips.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I'm glad you liked it! 😁

[@TheParrotTeacher]

So many good tips in here! Was great brainstorming them!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Love me a life hack! 😬

[@Bingewatchingmediacontent]

These are awesome! I did the ice cube one with my chop and it worked great. I also made my own toys and a few others. Thanks for posting this video, very helpful I have another one I just discovered that works (at least with my birds) - A very affordable alternative to bird kabobs is RICE CAKES! You can poke a hole in rice cakes and put a string through them and hang them from bird trees or inside their cages, and my birds go crazy chewing on them, tearing them apart, and destroying them. And the best part is that a packet of rice cakes is only a couple of dollars at the grocery store Hopefully your birds will enjoy them also

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@Bingewatchingmediacontent hey! Thanks for the tip and for watching! I'll see if I can find some rice cakes where rice is the only ingredient :)

[@cozymatcha11]

I love how your entire video library is a treasure trove for all things birds ^^ I particularly love the substrate idea (the pickle joke with Pickles was so cute 💚)

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you are enjoying my videos 🥰

[@thefamilywith9people]

Just got my first cockatiel and you have been fantastic with advice and tips xx

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you find my content useful 💙😊

[@katiehetherington9485]

With the keeping it clean, we have a cheapish robot vacuum from amazon that runs on a timer. It goes off in the bird room at lunchtime with the HEPA air filter running and it really helps with the cockatiel dust and and seed husks down.

[@katiehetherington9485]

And clear acrylic sheets on the outside of the cage helps contain a lot of the mess!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Great ideas 😀

[@STOPTRUMPPROJECT2025]

HI Sophie, another great video! Your cockatiels remind me of mine. They get louder as I talk. LOL The sound of the shower is another good bird calmer. I haven't done it yet, but I keep saying I'm going to record the sound.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching! Yes the shower is a good idea too!

[@happyfurhammies6539]

I dont even have birds yet but already make those diy air fresheners😂 you shared some good hacks also

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha that's awesome! It smells great! And thank you! 💙

[@ornithologydude8649]

Awesome video! I've been waiting for this

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I'm glad you liked it! 😀

[@ginatruiolo]

Thank you!!! I love this video. Squirt says "Hi birdie, thank you" to all your flock and to you both as well. Have an awesome day

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you like it! Hi Squirt 🥰💙🦜

[@dohamachannel5269]

Thank you for these tips

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching! 💙

[@bearbearjay]

Thanks for your great tips

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you liked them! 😊💙🦜

[@MariaCruz-fp2wi]

Thanks for doing this.🤗

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you liked it 😊

[@ellisw5312]

Great tips! I use some variant of a lot of theses and they are super useful. For my chop I make it into batches and then freeze it in these little deli cups that I buy online. They’re super easy to use, I just get a couple out the freezer the night before and they made a great portion size. I don’t go through much food as I only have 1 bird so it’s cost effective and lasts a while. The office mat tip was also great, I use these black plastic sheets from Wicks. They’re very large and super super cheap. They’re so easy to clean and are great over carpet, an alternative for hoovering all the time. Finally I use a large unpainted wooden tray I got on amazon for foraging. It sits on my desk and has substrate and toys in it for my conure to play with . It really reduces mess and he loves sitting in it next to me. Great video as always! I’m defiantly gonna try out some more of these tricks : )

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That's awesome - I have seen those big black sheets before and I know a few people who use them! Foraging trays are great - keeps them so busy! Glad you liked the video!

[@panalakia]

Hi, what’s the name of the mst from Wickes? Thanks

[@KiwisFlock]

These are awesome!! Thanks for the video 😄😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you liked it 😊

[@Datbirb0]

didnt think of the tray prop up hack was about to try buy some new trays thanks

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you found it useful!

[@mitzirino]

I have a tip for taking branches from the wild. I'm an isopod keeper, and it saves me a lot of money to just take dried leaves and cork bark outside rather than buying. What I do is I either boil, bake, or microwave them to kill all the pathogens, unwanted insect eggs, mites, and the liking. Usually 30 minutes will be okay but an hour would be great. I personally use the microwave, and I pop the leaves and cork bark in there for about 30-40 minutes. Keep in mind there will be a smell when you heat them up, but it's nothing bad. Just the smell of dried wood and leaves. Something to keep in mind. If you have a yard you can also just literally bake the branches under the sun for a day or two to kill everything in there that's bad.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s awesome, hoping one day we will have a garden so we can use branches from outside!

[@hannahs.481]

This is such a great video! Lots of good tips and ideas. I love your channel so much ☺️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much for watching! 😊💙🦜

[@Linda-qq5mg]

I have seen the toy necklace before, but forgot about it! Thanks for the reminder and giving the site where you got it from! That’s kind of you! Your video is wonderful! Thank you.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much for watching! 😊💙

[@oldperson6482]

These ideas are great and really helpful!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you found them useful!

[@EnjoyThisMomentDIY]

Love this help about healthy herbs! I’m not successfully growing them so far though, lol

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha you can always just buy them instead 😅

[@KB-zp7ds]

Great ideas, Thanks for sharing 😀

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you like them! 😀

[@Hello-xm6wi]

Your videos are always so informational 😁

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you! I’m glad you like them 😊

[@jessirarara]

I have a similar cage to yours I think. I got my cage second hand (had to repaint it) and it came with some mystery grates that I had no idea what they were used for. I put one under the tray and the other I zip tied to the back of the cage because there was still a gap. Doubles as giving a back to the shelf so nothing falls off be shelf.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s an awesome idea 🥰

[@RCBirds]

Really cool ideas, thanks👍💪👏

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you liked it 😊

[@zonabrown9241]

❤just to let u know pawpaw is different to papya live in Australia and i dont like pawpaw so my boy will get some gr8 tip❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching :)

[@aliciaallen5237]

Love this video! I will for sure be trying some wood or cardboard around the bottom of my cage (there is a big gap between the bars and the tray) so I can try using bedding at the bottom of the cage 💕

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you liked the video! 😊💙🦜

[@yamunadevi68]

Fantastic bird life hacks, because of you and David my birds have loads more foraging toys in their cages ( they had some before), a foraging tray for out the cage time and substrate in both their cages which my Budgie is loving. Love your channel. Oh and I’m gonna try the rain sounds for calming them down 👍🏽

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That is awesome! I'm so happy you are enjoying our content and your birds are thriving! 😊💙🦜

[@yamunadevi68]

@@BirdNerdSophie you guys are brilliant so happy I've found both your channels #wargamingparrot

[@thebirdmaster7]

We actually have a mint plant that likes to take over our garden I might actually be able to use something that for my birds

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s awesome 🥰

[@R0zuky]

i needed this so much

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad you liked it 😊💙🦜

[@kyleeciseau5673]

Great video I think the toy necklace is a really great idea

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks Kylee! I’m glad you like it 😊

[@meandmyanimalfriends3707]

That was a great video- thank you. We make most of our toys, 1- they are cheaper, 2- my budgies prefer homemade toys- especially foraging toys in a small plant pot, or hanging paper filled with something yummy and 3- my kiddies get involved too. But if I am wanting to buy something soft and small I look in the small animal section for suitable toys.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It’s so fun grating your own toys! 😊 there are some great toys in the small animal section but I always avoid anything with hay in it!

[@candicet5973]

Those tips will really come in handy! But the coriander here is actually quite expensive. But it is ok because I still have some extra. Enjoyed the vid!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad you liked it! 😊💙🦜

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

Another awesome video, love it! I use a clean cocoa scoop for my frozen chop (I think its 2 or 3 tablespoons in size), 2 scoops covers all my birds breakfast after I add sprouts :D I tried individual cubes before, they just crumbled apart in a bag. So now I just freeze 1 gallon bags, and scoop what I need for the day. I like to bake bread every 5-7 days, makes the house smell amazing. Cannot wait to it to stop snowing here (almost 3 days of snow here now), so I can open up windows again. All left over veggies go to the Guinea pigs. They are pigs -_- They sell denture tooth brushes at the dollar store in my area, its a huge brush, with a smaller one on the back. Love using that for cleaning my cages. The bristles are crazy strong compared to soft normal toothbrushes. Bulk is always best, but good luck finding space for it all. I swear my room is turning more and more into just parrot supplies area lol. Talk to your neighbors, everyone prunes their trees (you have to at some point), even more so if it is a fruit bearing tree, just ask they aren't treated with chemicals, everyone just tosses them out or burns them as it is. best way to get natural perches. DUDE I DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THAT!!! I am getting office mats, wholly hell batman, how did I never think of that. I was just using left over pizza boxes (the insides) as poo catching mats. I don't eat pizza much as I used to, so the reusable plastic mat is genius! Love my seed mix, going to keep doing that. The more I look online to find a good pre made product the more disappointed I get the in parrot industry. I got this $20 giant coconut toy from mysafebirdstore, it was insanely larger than I thought it would be. It also has all the fiber still attached. In 3 giant pieces. I have seen Holly perch on top of it so far, I think its to big by itself, so going to break it down into 3 smaller, well medium sized toys lol. I also got my Harrison's pellets, and more tops from mysafebirdstore. Awesome store, they even sent me some human treats (toffees). Loved it. I also picked up sea grass mats for $10 cheaper than I got off Chewy, almost double the size as well. Definitely going to shop through them again. To bad most of their items seem to be out of stock. OH I also got Bael Pods off their site, Buddy loves it. I didn't think he would stick his head into 1, but millet won in the end lol. They just destroy egg cartons to fast, so these bael pods are an awesome natural hard to destroy alternative foraging toy. I bet your birds would love them as well. Hope everyone is doing well :)

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Ooh the smell of freshly baked bread would be awesome! Glad you like the plastic mat idea - so much easier to manage the mess! It's an awesome store, I wish we had one like it over here - there's so many things on there that we can't get here like mahogany and bael pods! We are all good and hope you are too! :)

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

@@BirdNerdSophie I think they ship internationally, but it might not be cheap O.o All good here, minus Bandit, she's underweight so I have her quarantined off (glad I kept all of their original cages) with her own food, water, treats, toys and foraging area, so I can keep an eye on what she is or isn't eating. Glad I was able to pick up a few pounds of Harrison's high protein to add to her new regimen. Also adding cooled off hardboiled egg. Aside from weight she's healthy. Nice poo, preening, active. She is my runt of the litter. Guessing my 2 newer older rescue budgies are being food hogs. She looks so depressed in a cage alone. She makes her little baby chirps and crawls all over my arm when I replace her bowls.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yes I’ve already checked and it would cost £100+ to ship anything over! Annoying! I hope Bandit is back up to her normal weight soon!

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

@@BirdNerdSophie Ouch, yea that's a lot to ship. She is doing better, bit funny to see 5 other budgies roaming around on her cage trying to get an eyeball in their to see what she's eating lol

[@badif957]

Hi Sophie, do you keep all three conures in the same cage or does each one have its own? Thank you very much, have a nice werk-end. 🦜🦜🦜

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! They are currently in separate cages as they are not fully bonded yet! I’d like at least two of them to share a cage in the future! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@aminahhanima8710]

Wow this was a really helpful video! Also where did you get the toys you showed at the end of the video from? I find it quite difficult to find good bird toys in the UK

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching! The ones I showed in the video are from Scarletts Parrot Essentials!

[@aminahhanima8710]

@@BirdNerdSophie Thankyou!

[@kemelalexander5]

Do you think if you put the air freshener water in a spray bottle once cooled down that would also be ok to spray around the room some great tips here i will definitely take away too 😊😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It would be safe but I haven’t tested it myself to see if the scent would stay! Glad you enjoyed the video 😊

[@candicet5973]

Wew! My mom said that *maaaaaaybe* I can get instagram when I'm 13 (google said it's for 13 years old and above) so *if* I get it I'll definitely follow u and David and Best Behaved Birds and I'll try to get a consultation (only if it's allowed to save the debt of the money until I am 16 or 17 so I can get a job lol) but for now I'll just try to share u and David's channel and best behaved birds! 😃😃

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That would be good! You could set your account to private, and make sure that you know anyone who asks to follow you! Then you can see even more photos and videos of the birds!

[@WanderingSou1]

Could u make a video of each food container you have? 🫶🏼🫠pls

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I have a few videos called ‘what’s in my bird food cupboard!’ 😁

[@WanderingSou1]

@@BirdNerdSophie ill look for them i saw a few videos yesterday but i didint see details ill look for the video you mentioned thank you!

[@tomtheplummer7322]

Oh my McCaw

[@BirdNerdSophie]

😂

[@melissarueb9326]

Oh Sophie great vid. So my l would like to make chop but all my birds got is lettuce and spinach could you tell me what they can eat of vegetables that are safe oh and a resapy would be great too

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Here’s a list of safe veggies: parrotfunhouse.com/blogs/parronting-essentials-blog/list-of-safe-vegetables-for-parrots? I have a recipes on a video called fun and easy recipes and some on my community tab! Generally I go for 3 green veggies, and three other coloured veggies! 😊

[@melissarueb9326]

Thank you so much

[@Sara-qw7lc]

Sophie my new conure bird flew away and then we caught her after looking for her. Should I be doing something to make her feel comfortable? She doesn’t come to my hand much and idk how to train her properly. My other conure bird is hand trained and she was easier to train.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey Sara! Is your conure okay? Having a spook like that can be quite stressful. Is he behaving normally? I have a video on my channel on gaining your parrot's trust which you might find useful!

[@Sara-qw7lc]

@@BirdNerdSophie we only had her for 5 days and then she flew away! 😂 But we were lucky cause we found her and she looked clean and healthy! She seems to be behaving normally. she likes sitting on a tree branch we have above her cage

[@tomtheplummer7322]

😅dear🎅🏻🙏🏻 cockatiels and budgies

[@BirdNerdSophie]

😊🦜

[@nothingness390]

Hey Sophie i was wondering since i am getting myself a little cockatiel soon i was wondering on how i should bathe the bird? the owner says she does not like spray bottles so i dont know how I would bathe the bird, Sorry if you are to busy!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! You can try misting from a distance and see her reaction, you can even pair a non reaction or bathing response with a treat to train her to like it! You could offer wet fresh herbs and leafy greens and some birds like to rub themselves over them to stimulate bathing. You can also offer a shallow dish of water with or without lettuce in to encourage bathing 🙂

[@nothingness390]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you for the help!

[@missy4cdts]

I’m getting a cocktail next week where did you get the rope that’s in your cages I can’t find any? It’s the rope that the birds can walk around on

[@BirdNerdSophie]

The rope is made of sisal and I got ours from northern parrots 😊

[@missy4cdts]

@@BirdNerdSophie Do you know if they have one in the United States? I’m also looking for that stuff the chocolate in the bottom of your cage I can’t find it

[@dorkusamericanus]

Great tips! I’m definitely gonna try the rain noises one tomorrow when my boys start screaming. Might try it on my birds also :) I bought some jute online to make my own toys and unfortunately it was toxic because it had oil on it, smelled really bad. Is there a way to clean it, or should I just give it to a friend who doesn’t have pets and buy something else?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching! If the jute is ok coated, there’s no way of getting it off sadly! It’s hard to find untreated rope that doesn’t have attachments on the ends!

[@dorkusamericanus]

@@BirdNerdSophie do you think the jute is toxic or ok for the birds to chew on? It has a distinctive odor, but maybe that’s how all jute smells. Like rubber tires

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@dorkusamericanus If it smells like that then it likely has the oil coating which would be unsafe for them to chew on. Jute does have a scent to it, but it should be more natural smelling.

[@dorkusamericanus]

@@BirdNerdSophie I bought some bird safe string online instead and am giving the oil coated jute to my father in law for his wood shop. Thanks again for the helpful hints! Love your channel!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@dorkusamericanus awesome! 💙

[@mansishah6579]

For the air freshener, are you using ceylon cinnamon or cassia/Saigon cinnamon? Does it matter? I’ve heard that the only safe cinnamon is Ceylon cinnamon, but I’m not sure if that’s true for an air freshener or if that’s only if they are consuming it.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I only have the safe edible cinnamon (Ceylon/true) in the house anyway so yes that's what I used. Chinese cinnamon would be okay for the air freshener though as it's only through consuming the cinnamon that there would be a problem!

[@user-bm1hi8dy2e]

L'm subscribed to you

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you!

[@user-bm1hi8dy2e]

Hi

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hello!

[@WanderingSou1]

How many times a day should the birds eat?😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

We feed two set meals a day 😀

[@WanderingSou1]

@@BirdNerdSophie wow thank you for replying!!!! Ive been way over feeding him and not giving him the best stuff.. im going to buy the sprout mix and try sprouting it! I just need to find a good seed mix now ive been buying random seeds from a store that lets you buy seeds individually but i have a hard time knowing if the seeds there are all safe to eat…

[@vanessafarber3043]

How old are fish n chip xxx

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They will be 3 in December 😊

[@vanessafarber3043]

@@BirdNerdSophie Awww,my baby is 6mnths, just going through her first moult, poor baby.

[@imk402]

Hi

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hello!