Finding Bird Safe Wood

We have a palapas place close to our house that I like to visit. A palapas is like a hut or patio cover you would find at a Caribbean or Mexican themed outdoor bar and they have thatched roofs. This place does all kinds of wood and metal art, like carved Pelicans, Woden parrots on swings, signs, wind chimes, patio furniture, totems, etc. last week I went through their scraps and found five nice cedar logs around 2 feet long and 1 - 2 inches wide and I paid $5 for them. I got home and checked online to see if cedar is a parrot safe wood and it is not, boo hiss. I went back to the palapas place and talked to them, told them that I'm working to make a play perch and asked if they have other woods they use and they don't. I've looked online for manzanita and found where you can order wood but I would really like to see what I'm getting so I wanted to see how others have obtained wood.

I'm not sure what you have in mind. If you need wood for natural perches, here's a list of safe and toxic woods.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/449-toxic-list-our-birds.html

I'm also in Texas. I've made a lot of perches from pecan wood. You have to use discretion when harvesting pecan wood, it can be brittle and crack easily but if you're choosy, you can find the good stuff, my parrots love it. If I'm going to use hardware or drill holes, my favorite native tree for perches is crepe myrtle, it's beautiful wood, great to work with and it lasts and lasts. I just finished two hanging play gyms, I used pecan for the big one and crepe myrtle and pecan on the smaller one. There's photos in this thread.

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/52875-harry-s-hanging-garden-playstand.html

Good luck with your perches.

Thanks! This weekend we are going to the country so I may be looking at what is available out there. Crepe myrtle sounds awesome! My mother has two crepe myrtle trees I gave her 15 years ago. I may need to visit her house with a saw, lol!

Enjoy your weekend! Your poor unsuspecting mom, I hope she's a birdlover and takes it well when you go after her tree with a saw! I'll slink off and hide in the corner this weekend.

I'd love to be creative with wood for my FIDS. Question : after the wood is harvested is any treatment needed, to rid or prevent bugs?

Allee said:

I'm not sure what you have in mind. If you need wood for natural perches, here's a list of safe and toxic woods.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/449-toxic-list-our-birds.html

I'm also in Texas. I've made a lot of perches from pecan wood. You have to use discretion when harvesting pecan wood, it can be brittle and crack easily but if you're choosy, you can find the good stuff, my parrots love it. If I'm going to use hardware or drill holes, my favorite native tree for perches is crepe myrtle, it's beautiful wood, great to work with and it lasts and lasts. I just finished two hanging play gyms, I used pecan for the big one and crepe myrtle and pecan on the smaller one. There's photos in this thread.

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/52875-harry-s-hanging-garden-playstand.html

Good luck with your perches.

Click to expand...

great perch ideas. I just returned with a car load of pecan wood from the local farmer. Do you scrape the bark off or just wash it really well.

Allee said:

I'm not sure what you have in mind. If you need wood for natural perches, here's a list of safe and toxic woods.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/449-toxic-list-our-birds.html

I'm also in Texas. I've made a lot of perches from pecan wood. You have to use discretion when harvesting pecan wood, it can be brittle and crack easily but if you're choosy, you can find the good stuff, my parrots love it. If I'm going to use hardware or drill holes, my favorite native tree for perches is crepe myrtle, it's beautiful wood, great to work with and it lasts and lasts. I just finished two hanging play gyms, I used pecan for the big one and crepe myrtle and pecan on the smaller one. There's photos in this thread.

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/52875-harry-s-hanging-garden-playstand.html

Good luck with your perches.

Click to expand...

do you have to let the pecan wood dry out? I just got some fresh cuttings from the local farmer. Thanks for your info. l like your perches. Great ideas for me