Hemp rope?

[GreenCheek]

I pretty much already know the answer to this, but I figured I'd ask. I got some Hemp rope yesterday from the dollar store to tie the large branches we got for Cody to the roof of our car. There is a lot of it leftover, and I was wondering if this is safe to use for birds? It says it's made in China, and it's not oily or anything. I read that a lot of hemp is polished, so I'm just not sure. This is pretty much what it looks like: https://www.btoucan.com/images/catalog/category55.jpg

Thanks!

 

[Bobby34231]

When in doubt, do without, I have come to believe there is nothing made in China that I can trust, especially anything that can be mouthed or eaten by pets or people, just my opinion for what its worth

 

[GreenCheek]

Thanks, that's what I figured! I actually went and smelled the rope after I made this thread and it has a strong, strange smell. I'm def. not using it. What would be safe to wrap around the branches of his new play stand then? I'd prefer it to be something I could get at the store, as I rarely order online.

 

[Bobby34231]

I really don't like using rope around birds, as they chew it and the ends become frayed it becomes a hazard, a bird can easily get its feet stuck or worse hang itself, I prefer to use metal fasteners such as screws or dowel bolts, same as when making hanging chew toys, I use chain and not rope....

 

[GreenCheek]

Well, this would also only be used for out of cage, supervised play times. I am not looking to hang toys with it, I need to wrap the vertical parts of the branch with something so that the birds can climb up it. Kind of like what's on cat trees. Cody can fly to the other branches, but the cockatiel can't and I'd like them to be able to "climb" up the vertical sections. Is there something other than rope I could use for this? This is just my first time doing anything like this.

 

[Aussie Ben]

You can use sisal, it is a natural fibre rope, used for camping and all that. It's not as neat as hemp or cotton rope, but it is very strong. It is also biodegradable and not very expensive. Here, you can buy it from hardware stores, I assume camping stores would have some too. For my tiels gym I used 'sisal lashing' which is really thin and strong. 68meter role cost me about $12.

Like Bobby said, if your birds are big chewers then I would recommend using countersunk metal fasteners and then using the sisal to wrap around the joint and hide it. If you only use rope to tie everything together, then you need to check it every now and then to make sure nothing is going to fall.

 

[Mel]

I use sisal rope as well as stainless steel metal fasteners depending on what it is. I do check the rope daily for frayed bits

 

[GreenCheek]

Thanks everyone! So, if I got sisal at the hardware store, can I find it untreated? I mean, I'm not even sure if they treat sisal, but I know you have to be careful with that with other fibers. How would I know for sure?

 

[Aussie Ben]

Thanks everyone! So, if I got sisal at the hardware store, can I find it untreated? I mean, I'm not even sure if they treat sisal, but I know you have to be careful with that with other fibers. How would I know for sure?

The stuff I bought doesn't say 'untreated' it says 'Resists Sunlight & Weather, Biodegradable, Natural fibre' Which by todays standards is just about as untreated as it gets. I'm sure there is some sort of processing it goes through for cleaning and weaving, but many people use it for birds and it is the most natural rope you can get short of going out and weaving it yourself. I think you can feel pretty safe with it, it is always recommended for birds and I have never heard of any illness resulting from it As far as I know 'natural' is the only type available.

 

[brookysmom]

I have a friend that makes wonderful Hemp boings they are so soft. That said I do not trust anything for kids or birds that is gotten at a dollar store anymore after the whole lead scare.
If you find a natural resource though it really is a great material
and I know many friends who have her boings that swear by them