JW Insight Sand Perch Swing Bird Toy

Loved this swing. It is wide enough that all 4 birds can sit on it. Swings easily.

First, let’s talk about the controversy about sand swings. This particular swing is made with some sort of hard material with the “sand” embedded into the swing. There is a lot about “bumble foot” This is NOT CAUSED by sand swings or perches. It is caused by bacteria, so a bird can still get bumble feet if you don’t keep the cage clean. A overly rough perch may cause a scratch or cut to the foot and that can introduce the bacteria to your bird. People buy sand perches and sandpaper for their birdcages because it is supposed to help keep the birds nails trimmed. It does not. Anything rough enough to file nails will likely be rough on the rest of the bird’s feet.

It is also important that you don’t cover the entire cage with sand toys and floors. The swings are the ONLY things in the cage made of this material. There are platforms and wood perches, branch type perches–all with differing widths or circumferences. The floor of the cage was originally had a barred grate that let waste fall into a tray below that, but it seemed a bit awkward for the budgies to walk about, so I put down newspaper or plain cardstock which is changed daily. Everything else gets wiped down daily, but gets a good scrubbing once a week with soap and hot water. I’ve had different birds over the years, and I have never even HEARD of bumblefoot until I started to read reviews on sand swings! There is a lot of disagreement on whether you should have these kind of toys for your birds–even among vets. I’m not a vet or medical expert, but neither are the well-meaning (but misinformed) people claiming you’re gonna kill your bird if you get them a sand swing.

(I wonder why they didn’t notice something wrong with the bird’s feet before they fell off)

However, if you don’t feel comfortable with the thought of these sanded swings–please buy a different kind of swing. There are many, many different styles and materials you can choose from. To be honest, even I though the new swing was a bit too rough and took a piece of coarse sandpaper and sanded down the extra sharp and rough bits, while leaving enough texture for the birds to get a good grip. their old swing was very old from when my late mother had birds, so it was not as gritty. The swing also has a tapered perch which is supposed to be good for the feet since they can alter their grip as they wish.
I got this swing because MY birds were literally fighting–screaming and pecking each other– over it as their favorite toy and sleeping perch

DO NOT wrap tape around it–especially duct or electrical tape. Birds chew on stuff. Plastic, vinyl, and toxic glues are not good for your bird. Just buy another kind of swing, keep the cage clean, and know that eventually you or your vet are going to have to manually trim those tiny talons.
That’s basically my take on the swing. As sand swings go, this is really the best I’ve seen. The sand is embedded into the material–it’s not just sandpaper placed on another surface. Buy it as a fun toy for your bird. I don’t think it really is an effective nail trimmer. The small size is perfect for parakeets and small birds around that size. Two of them CAN fit, if they WANT to fit.

This is already a LONG review, but below are the reasons I really felt I HAD to order this swing as opposed to other swings on the market. Also answers why I say budgies are tiny, feathered, ill-mannered toddlers.

First of all, I was disappointed that I did not get a PINK swing as shown in the advertisement. I should have known, having ordered other bird toys online that colors can vary from the picture, and you rarely get a choice in what color you’ll get. The reason I needed a pink swing is because I already had a pink swing–the same model and brand as this one. Like I mentioned earlier, my two budgies FOUGHT over this swing–pecking ,chak-chaking, even pushing one another off the swing with their bodies. They used to be happy to share it when I first got the two birds (they were young, unbonded birds). This was the swing they cowered on when I first brought them home and they were frightened by the new surroundings and the loss of the company of their other cage mates. Later they became happy and comfortable with their new home, but the swing remained their favorite plaything, and the place they would go to roost at night.

As they got older, they got more territorial (especially Nina). They started to fight over the swing, even when I bought another swing (a wood perched one with beads). The loser, usually Lucie, but sometimes Nina, would sit forlornly as if they had been banished from Paradise. I couldn’t find another swing at the pet store, so I ordered this one from Amazon. It was green, I put the new swing in the cage. They ignored it the first day, continued to bicker over the pink swing. The next day, I saw them (singly) swinging on the new swing–sometimes jumping or flying from swing to swing or branch to swing, etc. At night, though, they did not use the green swing. Lucie, the one who had eventually given up the pink swing to Nina, went to the beaded swing to settle for the night. But, Nina, instead of going to her pink swing, decided that the beaded swing must be the BEST swing, so she must have it, and chased Lucie off the beaded swing. Lucie spent the night on the pink swing. Now they bicker over the beaded swing. Toddlers.” If you have it, I want it, but if you don’t want it, I don’t want it either.” They use the new swing as an actual swing, or rest on it during the day, so I haven’t wasted my money.

Both our budgies love this swing they just needed a week or so to get used to it in there cage…great way to keep claws down.

My 2 budgies love it and use it constantly. They didn’t like the previous one. This is light so it swings very easily, which they definitely like a lot better than the last, plastic, one I had. It came off the first time one of them used it so I attached it loosely to the cage with 2 bag ties and trimmed of the ends. It works great now. They can swing like crazy and it won’t every come loose.

I generally stay away from any product that is rough because birds have sensitive feet, but I did want one thing in the cage that they can chose to be on that would help with their little toenails, and this item fits the bill. It is large enough for both of my Fischer Lovebirds, Mariposa and Papillon, to get on and swing together, and they often do, but small enough that just one bird is happy on it as well. I have 2 other swings in the cage besides this one and both of the birds by far prefer this swing. I also like that the swing is not all one size, but varied, which is better for their feet. All in all, I’m very happy with this swing, the birds love it, it is safe, and therefore I am giving it a 5 star review. Highly recommended.

I wanted to include here a recipe for a fresh diet that a breeder I highly respect gave me (Thank you Angela) just to offer some advice to keep our pet birds healthier – it is not at all related this the product I have reviewed here but it could very well give you some great ideas to get fresh fruits and vegetables into your bird.

All domestic birds, especially parrots, lovebirds, parrotlets, parakeets, canaries, finches, conures, etc, should have fresh fruit and vegetables and they can present a challenge to get them to eat them. Gives this recipe a try Here’s a recipe that I make and it took some time for them to get used to it, but now my lovebirds and my parrotlets both eat this when provided. I give it in the morning and remove uneaten food in the evening.

1 apple cored and chopped
1/2 Cup chopped raw broccoli
1 Chopped bell pepper seed included
2 shredded carrots
1/2 Cup chopped greens (bok choy, mustard greens, kale and/or chard)
1/4 Cup frozen corn (can be eliminated if you put slices of raw corn on the cob in treat holders/clips in your cage – all my birds LOVE it and I have had 100% success getting them to eat this)
1/4 Cup frozen peas
1/2 Cup cooked rice (brown or GABA brown rice)
1/2 Cup cooked dried beans (they will need to be soaked overnight for 8 hours)
A handful of blueberries, chopped cherries and chopped seedless grapes

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Place ingredients in an ice cube tray and freeze. Remove frozen cubes and place in plastic bags to store in freezer. Then you can take out the perfect portion on a daily basis . They say 1 cube per bird but you may find that 1 cube will work well for a pair of birds of if smaller birds, even more. Instead of an ice cube tray I use slider freezer bags and press them flat after I fill them with enough of the mixture and this way I can easily break off appropriate sized pieces. This recipe is variable and you can switch out or add/delete ingredients that you have on hand or what you know your birds already like.

This recipe is in ADDITION to their regular diet of pellets and seeds and not a substitute.