I cut them into small pieces that they could manage. Wouldn't it be fun to spot a nest next fall that had strips of pink and blue? A nest fell out of our lilac bush late one fall and it had something soft in it that looked like a cigarette filter. Horse hair, probably from our neighbor's horse, and other bits of natural stuff. I've read they will take threads and narrow strips of selvedge, so I'm hoping she took some with her.