Dogs love to retrieve, but sticks can splinter or impale the roof of the mouth. Old socks and stockings are great for playing tug of war, but if left lying around and the dog swallows them they may result in the dog requiring surgery to retrieve them. Cats like to leap and attack curtain cords and care should be taken to make sure that they cannot become caught and hang themselves. Budgerigars enjoy toys in their cages and will climb ladders, ring bells and admire themselves in a mirror for hours on end. Make sure that the toys do not have sharp edges.
Budgies also invent their own games and learn to open the door of the cage.
A household peg secures the door and stops these Houdinis. Birds should not be left to fly free when something is cooking on the stove and should not be kept in the kitchen as fumes given off by some products used when cooking are toxic to birds. Puppies and kittens, and sometimes older playful pets, may chew electrical leads or pull appliances on to themselves. Insect sprays are hazardous to fish and incense may also leave a film on the surface of the water which kills the fish. Many puppies drown each year in backyard swimming pools or fish ponds.