# Questions of da bird refill types



## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

The Da Bird I ordered finally arrived, and I'm pleased that my cats love it very much. However, they've already pulled off one feather during their first da bird session (they got quite hyper and even a bit violent). So I think I should start ordering some refills now. 

I saw there are 4 types of da bird attachments, the regular feathered one, a "sparkle" one that I think is made of some party paper?, one that looks like a ferret tail, and one that called "kitty fluff" or something. I wonder have anyone tried these different types? Are they as good as the regular feathered one? I'm tempted to order that tail-like one, since it _looks like_ it can last longer. But if it's not as fun as the feather, I won't waste my money then.


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## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

I haven't tried any of the other ones, I just keep buying more feather ones. Couldn't hurt to order one of the others and see how it goes.


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Mine love the cat catcher which fits as an attachment on Da Bird toy. I think it's technically for the cat catcher toy but it also can fit on Da Bird which happens to have a longer string.

It looks and feels like a little mouse and my cats go crazy for it. 

Cat Catcher Do Mouse Replacement Mouse Cat Toy


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I have to admit that I have never heard of Da Bird. What is it like?


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

We've also had the little mouse attachment, and that one worked pretty well too. The difference with the mouse attachment was that the "string" was actually wire, so Murphy can chew on it to his heart's content and it won't break. That's all he really cares about, is having the wire to chew on. (The boy is obsessed.)


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions folks~

The reason why I don't want to buy a new type of attachment just to try it out is, I live in Canada and has to order from US. The cost is a lot higher especially with shipping included and takes long time to ship. So I don't want to waste money on something my cats won't like. I will take a look at the mouse thing and see if it's cheaper or available in Canada


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Arianwen said:


> I have to admit that I have never heard of Da Bird. What is it like?


Check it out Amazon.com: Da Bird Teaser on 36 inch Rod: Pet Supplies

It's THE best rod toy for your cats! The rod is really long and entire air dynamic design is great, so the feather looks like a real bird in motion. My cats got so excited with it! I know my Meatball is a great leaper, but I never know she can jump THAT high  Also my Metoo made this kind of aggressive "Grrr" sound (like the one dogs make to protect their favorite bone) when she caught the "bird". She never did that before. Obviously she loves the toy very much :lol:


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Funny, my Little Pumpkin rarely jumps up high where her feet are no longer touching the ground except when I use the mouse attachment on Da Bird. She is kind of plump and seeing all four paws off the ground as she jumps and does back flips is hysterical. My Oreo prefers the cat charmer toy and she jumps so high because she is skinny and has long legs.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Yingying, can I ask where you got Da Bird? The cheapest I've found is something like $30 including shipping and I don't want to spend that much on it.


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## dlowan (Jul 13, 2012)

This thread finally inspired me to buy a Da Bird!

Got it online for $20.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Jacq said:


> Yingying, can I ask where you got Da Bird? The cheapest I've found is something like $30 including shipping and I don't want to spend that much on it.


I bought mine on ebay.ca. I bought from this seller ajflype | eBay
(Not sure if the link is allowed. If it got removed, please PM me). There is no communication from this guy (he didn't even email me when he shipped it), but he shipped reasonably fast (took half month to arrive though), and the item is good 

I bought only the toy with one attachment for about $7.5 + $4 shipping to ontario. But seems he does not have that now (did I get the last one?:lol, he only has toy with 4 refill combo availabe. It may not be a bad thing though. You may need quite a few refillments anyway. My original attachment is almost torn apart now...

There are other da bird seller who ship to Canada on ebay. So you don't have to stick to this guy.


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## Ragdoll_Joy (Jul 13, 2012)

Yah I'm seriously looking at it on Ebay right now!!!
I think Joy would love it considering her hyper activity.
Anyone else have issues in keeping their cat's attention on a toy for more then 10min?


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Ragdoll_Joy said:


> Anyone else have issues in keeping their cat's attention on a toy for more then 10min?


Kitties have short attention span. It's natural and she may get better when she grows older. But there is nothing stops you from switching toys in one play session  My regular routine is to play fetch with my cats (or laser pointer sometimes) to let them have some good runs first; when they get bored I switch to rod toy; after they become lazy and won't actively chase the toy, I play a bit wrestling using a catnip filled pillow-like toy (or in my Metoo's case, her favorite stuffed moose). This routine works well for my girls, but you can be creative depending on what Joy likes


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Thanks for the heads up YingYing! I'll go the ebay route the next time I convince my partner we need a new cat toy (I bought a knock-off one at Petland with the purple plastic rod and she's not a fan).



Ragdoll_Joy said:


> Anyone else have issues in keeping their cat's attention on a toy for more then 10min?


My cat either gives a toy a cursory two-minute play and then ignores it, or she utterly destroys it within a few minutes.

We go through honeysuckle mice (from KozyKat inBC, I think) like crazy. They're only $2.50, but we take them up after a few minutes or else she'll pull it to bits in one session (then puke it up).


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## Ragdoll_Joy (Jul 13, 2012)

LOL
Yah our regular play session includes the lazer pointer to get her in the mood (whe she feels like it), then the "leopard" (basic wand toy with large material ribbon thing and detacheble feather toy at the end). She also loves her precious crinckle ball and a track toy from Senses Cat-It line.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

A big kept secret is that Da Bird make feathers refills with 2 different types of feathers (see my thread on it, I forget now what the 2 varieties are made of) - one is durable and the other is ruined immediately. If you check ebay, you'll see a seller that sells the refills, both kinds, dirt cheap by the dozen. I remember now one of the types is "guinea" feathers.

Take into account that the glittery, the fluff, etc. don't have the aerodynamic effect that makes DaBird special for. It's just a common rod, probably cheaper to buy another less famous brand.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Ok, found my thread. The other kind of feather is turkey feathers and it's of lesser quality than guinea ones. Problem is, how do you know what you're getting? DaBird doesn't state on the wrap which kind it is.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

I want to order a da bird too. I will probably be ordering some stuff online for my daughter's birthday, might throw in a cat toy or two, lol. Our cats destroyed the other wand toy they had. Does Da bird have a wire to hang the toy from, or string? Which one has the wire? Ours had a felt "string" and it got chewed in two. I might also order one of those toys that hangs from the doorknob that the can can pull on... but it looks like it might be a little low to the ground since my cats don't really even have to reach to get to the doorknob on two feet. I hung their wand toy on a hook where we hang coats in the winter and they jumped up and got it down. So they might like something like this. I guess I'll have to find a better hiding place for the wand toy when we get a new one.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Straysmommy said:


> Ok, found my thread. The other kind of feather is turkey feathers and it's of lesser quality than guinea ones. Problem is, how do you know what you're getting? DaBird doesn't state on the wrap which kind it is.


Thanks for the info! I found one seller on ebay that sells both kind of feathers (he specify them in title). The guinea ones are slightly more expensive, but that makes sense if they last longer. Gonna place my order with this seller :thumb

PS: My original attachment is already broken (my cats chewed the feathers to pieces). I'm currently using feathers pulled off from a feather garland I bought at dollar store. I use rubber band to tie them and stuff in the rubber cap from the original attachment. My diy feathers don't fly as good, and definitely last even shorter. But, well, it will do for the price, and my cats so far haven't complained


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

kty78 said:


> I want to order a da bird too. I will probably be ordering some stuff online for my daughter's birthday, might throw in a cat toy or two, lol. Our cats destroyed the other wand toy they had. Does Da bird have a wire to hang the toy from, or string? Which one has the wire? Ours had a felt "string" and it got chewed in two. I might also order one of those toys that hangs from the doorknob that the can can pull on... but it looks like it might be a little low to the ground since my cats don't really even have to reach to get to the doorknob on two feet. I hung their wand toy on a hook where we hang coats in the winter and they jumped up and got it down. So they might like something like this. I guess I'll have to find a better hiding place for the wand toy when we get a new one.


The da bird has string. My cats never chew the string though, they were too busy with the feather :lol:

If your cats like to jump up and pull stuff, I strongly suggest a hydrogen balloon! I got one for my birthday and just let it flow to the ceilling. I adjust the string so that my cats have to jump to get it. It's light enough so they can pull it off, but once they loose their grip the ballon flows back. The cheapest automatic cat toy I would say. Oh my how much fun they had with it...


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

This eBay seller is so awesome they'll even tell you upfront that they're out of guinea feathers and do you mind receiving the turkey ones. Only one like that I've come across, and I've researched the web extensively for DaBird feathers. They're indeed the cheapest.

I indeed have had some DaBird feathers that lasted a lot longer than others.


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