Platform Perches

hiriki · Mar 6, 2019

Hello!

I have a bird with flat feet (can't perch because of what was likely a congenital defect or possibly a developmental defect from the nest). I plan on making her a "table" platform for food and water.

I haven't made perches before, and in my experience she does chew platform perches, so I want to make sure the wood that I purchase for this project is safe. I know untreated is a good rule but are there any types of wood to avoid?

Thanks so much in advance!

Jen5200 · Mar 6, 2019

This is my go-to website when considering different woods that my birds will likely chew. Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages.

SailBoat · Mar 6, 2019

Our best source for soft safe wood is any of the big box stores or lumber yards. Unless I have a larger project, I look for the end-cut barrel commonly near the cut-off saw.

What you are looking for is 'White Pine,' which is commonly called interior trim boards. This wood product is normally soft and generally, one can depress it slightly with your finger nail. They come in different thickness and wights so you may have to dig around a bit. I have several photos on my mobile phone so I find that showing them a photo helps both in the type of wood and possibly a discount.
Enjoy!

ChristaNL · Mar 6, 2019

Traditionally (but Europe here, no idea what woodtypess are easy to get at your place, other parts of the world use teak etc.) we use beech-wood (also for childrens toys) because it is a very shortgrained and hard wood: so almost no splinters, easy to keep clean and no toxic substances.
It is used with birds a lot becaus it is a hard wood (unlike pine etc, those are long-grained soft woods and the sap is not a great plus, some say its healthy while others claim it is toxic to birds).

If you do not mind replacing your work a lot use soft wood (it is simple to work with birch- because it is SO soft)- birdy will love demolishing it

and it may actually be gentler on the feet, but not durable at all.

There are also commercially availably feeding-platforms (stainless steel) with sunken (replaceable) cups. Easier in keeping clean and you can switch out the cups whenever you want.

noodles123 · Mar 6, 2019

this site is good but read ALL of the information--- especially parts at the end about fertilizer, baking the wood etc.
https://www.harmonyanimalbehavior.com/diy-natural-wood-perches

Allee · Mar 6, 2019

You may want to look at the wide variety of ready made platform perches for sale online or in your local pet shops too. DIY is a great choice but in some cases it’s more cost effective to purchase the ready to use items.

SammyAndyAlex · Mar 6, 2019

I got a untreated pine wooden shelf, sawed it and attached it to the cage.

Platform Perches

hiriki

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Jen5200

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SailBoat

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ChristaNL

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noodles123

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Allee

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