1. Some birds like the little tents, some don't....Personally go ahead and get one if you lie, but keep in mind they will get poop all over it and I have to wash mine about every 3 days. If they eat their poop(yes one of my birds did one time that was on their tent) They can get Giardia and get really sick! I would get one, if they don't use it within 2 weeks...they're probably never going to, or at least mine didn't and I took mine back to the store!
2. They don't use flavor on all the toys for the wood. I know most of my toys are made with manzanita wood. If you're going to make your own toys, you have to wash them thouroughly, and then you have to bake them so that all the critters are out, its a pretty lengthy process...Although I get my handmade toys from a friend, but this is the process she has described to me! Parrots cost a lot of money just like any other pet, this should have been something you took into consideration before getting a bird!
3. Stainless Steel is the best type of metal for them. Anything that contains zinc will kill them, one of my friends parrotlets, just died from biting on galvanized wire, which had been dipped in zinc.
4. My birds don't really go near their cuttle bones, and yes I buy flavored ones for them, its not a gimick.
5. Depending on what type of parrot you have, is different, if there were more details I could be more specific. I have a Sun Conure and I have to clip his about every 3 months or so. Versus my lovebirds I have to clip them every other month!
6. No you don't have to make their seeds soft. HOWEVER you shouldn't be feeding ANY PARROT SEEDS. It is a misconception by a lot of bird owners that you just give them seed, and call it good. Seed is to birds as twinkies are to humans. They may taste good, but they are EXTREMELY fattening, and offer little to no nutritional value, and almost all birds will die much earlier than their average lifespan due to fatty liver disease! You need to cut up fresh fruits and veggies, bread is also good to give them. To give you an idea birds should eat 25% of their body weight a day. So lets say you have a 100 gram bird....he should eat 25 grams of food a day. Of that only 10% of his food should be seed, and thats being very generous..so that would mean that your bird should only have about 2 grams of seed per day. I only offer seed as a treat to my birds. You can give birds almost anything, but avocado, and chocolate, and anything else with a big pit such as peaches. If you do give them peaches, try to give them the fruit that is closer to the skin, rather than closer to the center near the pit. 40% of their diet should be veggies, broccoli being an excellent choice, roughly 20% breads etc, and about 30% fruits. They also need fresh water daily, sometimes a couple times a day depending on your birds' habits!
Hope this advice helps!