Bird toys okay for hamsters?

[huri ur]

Hello everyone,
Sorry I haven't been on lately, I was very busy


Anyways
The other day I went to Petsmart to get my Syrian hamster peanut aspen and some toys,
I got the toys and aspen
With in the toys was one with a mirror that was a bird toy.
I have read bird toys are ok for Hams
And I also read mirror toys are ok for hamsters

Ok so I got the the check out and the chashier asks me what pet I have and we talk.
I tell her I have a Syrian Hamster
Then she sees the bird toy
She says : um is this for your hamster?
I answer yes
She says it's not good for them cause they can't tell the difference in a mirror and it's also not good because it's a bird toy
So I don't get the bird toy.

Anyways my point is is mirror toys good for hams
And are bird toys good for hams?

Please reply !!!
Thanks in advance

[cypher]

I don't really see the point of a mirror toy for a ham tbh, some bird toys are fine but you have to think about it the same way you would any toy for your ham & many have small bits of plastic or metal or chains that could be chewed or be dangerous for a ham.
If you can find bird toys that would be safe & may actually be of interest to a ham then it's fine.

[JLPrairie]

Mirror toys I think would be mostly useless. Hamsters don't have very good eyesight and rely on their noses to see.
Some bird toys are safe, though! I have a little slice of loofah from the bird section at my local pet store for Titania as a chew toy, and she loves it! Looks like the attachment.
I go to the bird section a lot, since my local pet store is just a short walk away from my home and doesn't have any small animal toys. Some bird toys I think would be safe for hamsters would be:

-Loofah
-Bird baths that hang on bars-perfect for a sand bath
-Rattan balls
-Wooden perch that attaches to bars
-Safe ladder with no spaces a hamster's legs could fall through
-A little bell-not the ball kind that has those little spaces
Usually when I visit the shop I search up the parts of the toy online to see if it's included in some hamster toys before buying it. For example, loofah as well as rattan balls are a common feature in a lot of hamster toys as well as bird toys.

[InkyPen]

Heaven knows what the cashier would think of people on HC giving dog chews (whimzees and greenies)

It depends on the bird toy - Inky has had a rope ladder bridge (slung very low so no risk from falling) that she eventually chewed to pieces, for instance, and currently has a series of small (rattan?) balls tied together that she's gradually chewing off and playing with.

Many of these willow and rattan toys would be suitable Parrot Toys | Buy Online, Huge Range Of Safe Fun Bird Toys

There are also plenty of bird toys that would be highly inappropriate as hamster toys - for instance, anything designed to encourage the sort of climbing that usually results in a fall...

The same website also does some rather interesting parrot toy making components, some of which could definitely be used for hamsters! Parrot Toys | Buy Online, Huge Range Of Safe Fun Bird Toys

As ever, assess each toy on its merits - not even all hamster toys are hamster safe