Hello Parrot Lovers, welcome to our May newsletter. Yes, we're still alive! It’s been a while we know, but things have been pretty hectic here in Coburg, Victoria. Who would have thought babies and toddlers would take up so much time... Anyway, we have quite a bit to get through - in this newsletter we're thrilled to have a bunch of new playstands to show you, awesome new toys from Just Naturals and Starbird, and (finally!) we're starting to collate information from the Parrot Toy Survey we did back in September - the first Parrot Profile is on Lorikeets :)
New Playstands!
Very exciting - we’ve added nine new playstands to our website for this newsletter! They’re all great quality and there’s something for every parrot.
From Just Naturals we have the new Out n About range. Building on the success of the original 'Adventure Playground', this entertaining playstand comes in 4 sizes! Your parrot will love the rotating parts, natural wood and seed pods to chew, a swing to play on and a jungle gym of perches and hoops. Can you spot Annie the Blue Fronted Amazon on the Large Out n About pictured left?
From Bird Life we're introducing good quality 'T-perch style' Parrot Playstands (pictured right) in 3 sizes. Perfect for training or for an impromptu play-area anywhere around your house. They come with 2 stainless steel bowls, a stainless steel tray for catching food and other debris and a hardwood perch (and legs). Easy to add your own fresh branch with lots of foliage for your bird to destroy if you want to too.
Also from Just Naturals come the new Toraja Bonewood Stands and Branch Stands. Both are ideal for bigger parrots like Macaws and Cockatoos, but can be used for any sized bird. The Toraja is solidly constructed (and balanced) out of the awesomely knobbly Toraja Bone wood widely used in Indonesia and America. A great perching option for larger birds this wood provides lots of lovely bumps and indents to exercise and provide comfort for your bird’s feet. Great for training or just for somewhere to hang.
Some of the Large Playstands from Just Naturals exceed the 25kg cubic weight limit of our usual Australia Post and Fastway Couriers. If you are ordering any of these - Large Out n About, Branch Stand or Toroga Bonewood Stand - we will need to arrange a special delivery (which is invoiced separately). This can be organised either before or after ordering. Give us a call or email if you're unsure of anything.
Alternatively we are able to accept appointments for pick up of these large items from our Stockroom Premises in Melbourne. Please understand that this option is not available for other goods, just the large playstands.
Maintaining good stock levels is very important to us, and we're just in the process of implementing a new stock control system which will make things even better. Please note however that we stock a limited number of playstands (in particular the larger ones), and at times we may sell out. In this case there maybe wait times of up to two weeks, so please feel free to contact us if you wish to know about stock levels prior to purchase. Also please note the Large Parrot Playstand by Bird Life will not be in stock until mid-June.
New from Just Naturals
Our friends at Just Naturals have been busy, and in addition to the Playstands above, we have bunch of other new Parrot Toys from them! The Just Naturals bird products are all about bringing nature into your parrot’s living room.
Of particular interest are Native Seeds & Pods (pictured left) which will make excellent foraging treats. These are available in the Forage Basket and Forage Basket Refills. Freshly selected and stored hygienically in a breathable paper bag this Native Australian ambrosia will fill your parrot's foraging toy till it's overflowing and then some. The treats selected will vary according to what is in season at the time and may include banksia, pine cones, lemanii, brush box, grevillia or gum nuts to name a few.
Another great new product are the Trinkets (pictured right) which come in Small and Large sizes. Trinkets are a selection of beak and foot friendly entertainment made from delectably chewy natural woods. These foot toys are brilliant for the hard-core chompers but with all the nifty shapes and holes they’re easily grasped and toted around for hours of fun.
Also from Just Naturals, we're introducing a bunch of exciting new Hanging and Foot Toys, including the Spoke n Bell, Sputnik, Banksia Barbell, and Bead, Biscuit and Bell.
In late 2009 we conducted a survey of our customers in order to find out things like - what toys are popular with your parrot? does your parrot have a particular playing style? does your bird who interest in a particular material? These questions, and more, are being collated together into 'parrot profiles'. Starting with Lorikeets, we will eventually include Cockatiels, Cockatoos, Conures, Corellas, Eclectus, Galahs, Lovebirds, Macaws, Quakers, Ringnecks and more!
A superb new foraging toy from Starbird, the Whoop De Do is a coconut with a twist, a spiral cut through the skin and husk. It can be slid over a perch, branch or boing or hung on a rope. The spiral cut is ideal for hiding treats, wedging things into it, and will make it more tantilising for your bird to get chomping on the nut. This parrot product is a foraging toy, shredding toy and chew toy all rolled into one twisty cococut!
The Starbird CocoCuts are wonderful slices of natural coconuts with the outer skin, the inner choir fiber and then the shell of the coconut itself. You can stuff small treats into the choir fiber to create a foraging game, or hang them singly or in multiples for climbing fun. Small birds can use them for swings. Chew and swing at the same time... funky! A great toy part or foot toy for the big boys. There are a range of things the cococuts can be used for but no-one can deny the awesome shredding therapy they provide our chewing parrot partners.
We’ve recently signed up to the Aus Post eParcel scheme which brings about a few welcome changes to the way we ship our goods.
1) They pick up from us rather than us hauling the parcels down to the local post office – YAY!
2) Every parcel we send now has a tracking number and needs to be signed for.
It costs us a little more but from now on we’re able to track everybodys' shipment. So if you’re wondering where your parcel is – just pop us an email and we’ll find out for you!
Just so you know: During checkout you can request for your parcel to be left at the door if you are not home, but please understand that if you choose this option we cannot take responsibility for it going missing. Consider having the parcel delivered to your work address (if possible). Be sure to include the business name and floor level (if there is one) otherwise it might be returned to us labelled ‘insufficient address’.
Welcome Guest
We’ve recently signed up to the Aus Post eParcel scheme which brings about a few welcome changes to the way we ship our goods.
