Anyone made their own perches or toys?

Ocean

New member
Nov 27, 2014
18
0
England
Parrots
I have a pair of lovebirds,
Male; Johnny
Female ; baby
so I've read somewhere that making your own birds perch you have to clean it with non toxic chemicals and the cook it at a certain temperature to kill any bacteria? Is that correct and if so what temperature?

I'm using my neighbours tree she's cutting down. I'll upload a photo in the week :)

Something happened was meaning Perches not leprechauns lmao
 
Last edited:

Kalidasa

Active member
May 8, 2013
1,954
Media
1
2
Michigan
Parrots
1 green cheek conure (Kumar)
2 male budgies (Charlie and Diego)
225 F* for 20 minutes. What about the leprechaun part?
 
OP
Ocean

Ocean

New member
Nov 27, 2014
18
0
England
Parrots
I have a pair of lovebirds,
Male; Johnny
Female ; baby
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Lmoa, it was ment to say perch? I don't know what happened.
Thankyou!, what tree is best? Cedar not red. Pear or maple? Should I remove the bark too?
 

Kalidasa

Active member
May 8, 2013
1,954
Media
1
2
Michigan
Parrots
1 green cheek conure (Kumar)
2 male budgies (Charlie and Diego)
Cedar and maple are fine....pear came up as questionable with a quick search, so I'm not sure about that one. I tend to leave the bark on, as it's fun to peel and gives a rougher more natural purchase for birdie feet.
Now leprechaun wood...that's another matter :)
 

getwozzy

New member
Feb 26, 2013
7,218
7
Oregon
Anyone made their own leprechaun or toys?

Red Cedar is bad. Red maple is bad- other maples can be safe (Big Leaf Maple). Pear and Apple are safe. Leprechauns are bad (don't trust them).
 

Allee

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2013
16,852
Media
2
212
Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
Johnny and Baby will love their DIY perches, at least my birds prefer DIY natural perches over any of those I've bought. After you make the first half dozen or so it gets easier and you get really good at it. Of course your family may raise their eyebrows when they find the oven racks on the floor and an oven full of tree limbs. Tell them you're saving money.
 

weco

New member
Nov 24, 2010
3,342
12
USA
Parrots
Nanday, suns, parrotlet, Patagonian
The cooking of branches that you've read about is to kill any insects that burrow into the bark, so that several weeks or months after your birds have enjoyed their new perches you don't wake up to find you've been infested by some uninvited guests.....

Good luck.....
 
Last edited:
OP
Ocean

Ocean

New member
Nov 27, 2014
18
0
England
Parrots
I have a pair of lovebirds,
Male; Johnny
Female ; baby
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
Thankyou so much, wouldn't leaving the bark on hurt their feet and give them sours? On sand it down to make it less rough?
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Thankyou so much, wouldn't leaving the bark on hurt their feet and give them sours? On sand it down to make it less rough?

I would just offer one perch with the bark left on, that way they have the option to sit on a 'regular' perch if they find the bark one uncomfortable. I'm not sure, but I think lovebird feet are a tad more delicate than the feet covered with thick scales on an amazon/macaw/cockatoo ect... I wouldn't make it TOO rough if I were you until you see how they react.
 

weco

New member
Nov 24, 2010
3,342
12
USA
Parrots
Nanday, suns, parrotlet, Patagonian
Thankyou so much, wouldn't leaving the bark on hurt their feet and give them sours? On sand it down to make it less rough?

Well, I know that some birds tuck sticks, twigs, grasses and other nest making materials into their feathers in order to carry larger loads, but I've yet to see any carry sandpaper or sanding blocks around so that they can do a perch pedi before they alight for a morning chat with the girls, but the Experts tell us that those perching, climbing around on those smooth round wooden dowels and especially the grooved plastic ones many cages come affixed with, are bad for circulation and musculature of birdie's little tootsies.....but, you are welcome.....
 
OP
Ocean

Ocean

New member
Nov 27, 2014
18
0
England
Parrots
I have a pair of lovebirds,
Male; Johnny
Female ; baby
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #12
I don't allow and plastic perches or plastic swings in their cage, thankyou
 

Christinenc2000

New member
Oct 8, 2014
3,320
4
North Carolina
Parrots
Big Bird _ Blue & Gold Macaw
I bought two perches. One sand and one concrete . The others I have made from Mimosa..... Wood not the drink :)
The largest Perch I made 46 inches was to large for baking. So after suggestion from a friend I placed it in the tub with a small amount of bleach. Soaked it Rinse , scrub clean soak again another rinse and it has been in the cage for a week maybe two. This worked for me.
 
OP
Ocean

Ocean

New member
Nov 27, 2014
18
0
England
Parrots
I have a pair of lovebirds,
Male; Johnny
Female ; baby
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #14
Sounds great, thankyou so much!
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Thankyou so much, wouldn't leaving the bark on hurt their feet and give them sours? On sand it down to make it less rough?

Well, I know that some birds tuck sticks, twigs, grasses and other nest making materials into their feathers in order to carry larger loads, but I've yet to see any carry sandpaper or sanding blocks around so that they can do a perch pedi before they alight for a morning chat with the girls, but the Experts tell us that those perching, climbing around on those smooth round wooden dowels and especially the grooved plastic ones many cages come affixed with, are bad for circulation and musculature of birdie's little tootsies.....but, you are welcome.....

Kind of like how it's totally natural for humans to be barefoot and to have your feet unrestricted whilst walking. When you go barefoot a lot (which I do, sometimes even in the winter because I find shoes rather uncomfortable), your feet 'toughen up' and aren't so 'venerable' to cold and rough outdoor surfaces. Still, podiatrists will tell you that you need all kind of 'supportive' lumps and bumps in your already constricting shoes to have 'healthy feet'. And that's true for anyone who wear shoes frequently because your feet are used to being in shoes. If you try to walk outside barefoot (not just in soft grass) as a regular shoe wearer, you're going to be in a world of pain and discomfort!

Our hand-reared baby birds pampered by specialty perches their whole lives are not particularly used to certain textures with their 'delicate' footsies and (just an opinion) need to acclimate to natural surfaces if they've never sat on them before. Not trying to be argumentative, just expressing my opinion on this:) I personally have a variety of perches for Kiwi, from straight dowels, rope perches, pedi perches, natural wood perches, plastic perches, all in varying diameters from very thin to very thick. He uses all of them, and I'm sure has healthy feet because of it!
 
Last edited:

veimar

New member
Feb 5, 2014
1,150
4
Chicago, IL
Parrots
gcc Parry; lovebird Coco; 3 budgies (Tesla, Franky and Cesar); cockatiel Murzik, red rump parakeet girl Onyx
We use non-toxic trees from our garden all the time, but the perches are long and won't fit into the oven. So I just wash them with clorox and hot water really hard and let stand for a few days, then wash again to make sure there is no chemicals left. I take off all the bark too. I use poop-off to clean them afterwards. My birds love to chew on perches so we have to replace them pretty often.
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top