Is palm leaf safe for birds? The one they can weave and unweave

Palm leaf is the flattest thing we use, and the only one that comes pre-assembled into something a bird can take apart.

What is palm leaf?

Palm leaf is exactly that: the frond of a palm, dried until it stiffens, then split into strips. Those strips are woven into mats, balls and stars, which is a craft tradition across the tropics long predating anyone making bird toys out of it.

Dried, it is tough and slightly waxy, closer to stiff paper than to wood. It does not snap so much as tear along its length.

Is palm leaf safe for birds?

Natural, undyed, untreated palm leaf is widely considered safe for birds and is a common material in commercial enrichment toys.

Woven palm is sold heavily as decoration, and decorative stock is often dyed in bright colours or sprayed to hold its shape. Those are the versions to avoid. Natural palm leaf is a muted green-brown that fades toward straw as it ages.

What to check before you buy

• Colour. Anything vivid has been dyed. Natural palm is dull, and that is correct.
• Stiffener. Decorative weaving is sometimes sprayed to keep its shape. It will feel slightly tacky or unnaturally rigid.
• Loose ends. As with any woven material, long trailing strips are worth trimming before they can wrap a toe.

Why we use it

A woven palm ball is a puzzle before it is a chew toy. The bird has to find an end, work it loose and pull, and the whole thing gradually comes undone in their feet.

That suits birds who like using their feet as much as their beak, and it suits foragers, because things can be tucked into a weave and have to be extracted.

It is also quiet, light and completely disposable, which makes it an easy thing to add to a cage without rearranging anything.

Which of our toys use palm leaf

• Double Dangle, where it hangs alongside sola, balsa and willow
• The All-In-One Starter Kit, which is the widest spread of materials we make

If you are not sure whether your bird is a chewer or an unpicker, the starter kit answers it, because it contains both kinds of thing and you can watch which goes first.