I would love to know where I could get the most reasonably priced bird toys for Danny. I’ve had the same ones since 2011 but they’re so expensive.

If he likes easy to destroy stuff, you can entertain him with things like popsicle sticks and old newspapers. That's a cockatiel's favorite kind of toy, they're not really into the stuff that's more durable. I bet a conure would like them too. Most parrots like to rip and destroy.

Wiffle balls are cheap entertainment for birds who like to throw things around.

Danny is very particular about his toys. His 2 favorite materials are metal and cloth (for cuddling). He is not a shredder or a chewer unfortunately so his toys can get expensive since I usually resort to foraging toys. He’s too smart so normally I have to look at toys for greys or cockatoos which are insanely expensive. The 4 I have he can solve in under 20 seconds. He loves to tinker with things. Pulling clappers out of bells, unscrewing the wing nuts to his perches etc so I just wouldn’t mind some cheaper toys to see if anything else sparks his interest.

Have you tried looking at toys for human preschoolers? There might be something there that he would like. There might be toys for other animals (dogs, cats, rodents) that he would like.

When you said he liked to tinker with things, I immediately thought of Tinkertoys. But those are pretty expensive too, and if Jaid gets hold of them he'll turn them into splinters.

Another option is to check the hardware store for things that he might enjoy. But a lot of hardware is zinc plated, which is not good for birds. They're more sensitive to zinc than humans are, and can get zinc poisoning if they consume too much of it. Stainless steel is safe, but harder to find and pricier too.

Have you considered doing any trick training with him? That might help satisfy his urge to manipulate things. Trick training props aren't cheap either, but you're creative so you can probably improvise some activities that use less expensive materials. Like doing something specific with a wiffle golf ball, or doing something that doesn't require any props at all (like roll over and play dead).

Yes I have taught him some tricks. He knows how to step up (still not his favorite haha), targeting, spin, come here and he loves car rides and going on walks in his carrier. He just doesn’t play with toys too much. Do you know the best places to buy toys? I’m mostly looking for some general toys to see if anything will catch his interest.

Oh wait I actually forgot I did this last night. I just ordered some pieces from MSBS so I can just make my own for cheaper. Sorry my bad that was pretty late at night when I did that. I figure I know him better so I might as well use things I’ll know he’ll play with. Sorry this post contradicts what I just posted hahaha.

Knowing what your own bird likes is always the best guide!