The_Big_Sleep
New member
Hello! I have a few questions about building a "tree" for my GCC
I went for a long walk yesterday and came home with a large tree branch that I'd like to turn into a perch/tree. I'm not sure what type of wood it is; it's a New England area tree, smooth bark, dead & dried, with no fungus/rot/insects. I've stripped the small branches and the shape is good for what I have in mind. Now, I'm very familiar with cleaning natural wood for use in aquarium tanks (boiling in salt water, scrubbing & putting it in a quarantine tank for 30days), but am unsure what steps are needed to make this branch bird-safe. I've tried searching for "DIY bird stands" and so far what I've found relates to cured driftwood, PVC & store-bought wood. I'll continue my research but guidance here would be great!
On a behavioral note, I've got the branch sitting in my living room right now (approx 15 feet from Wilson's cage) and he seems very freaked out by the thing. I tried to get him to go near it last night and he was having none of it. I walked past it with him on my shoulders a few times and he'd continually hide in the collar of my shirt, and would sort of hunch down and completely ignore my "step up" commands - even across the room from the branch. He wasn't aggressive/nippy and he wasn't trembling, he'd just sit there quietly and refuse to move/ do anything. Whenever I'd leave the room he'd snap out of it and start running around on my shoulders again. I'm going to give him at least a few more days to adjust to it, but if it continues to freak him out is it a good idea to even continue building the thing? It totally defeats the purpose if all it does is scare him :09:
I went for a long walk yesterday and came home with a large tree branch that I'd like to turn into a perch/tree. I'm not sure what type of wood it is; it's a New England area tree, smooth bark, dead & dried, with no fungus/rot/insects. I've stripped the small branches and the shape is good for what I have in mind. Now, I'm very familiar with cleaning natural wood for use in aquarium tanks (boiling in salt water, scrubbing & putting it in a quarantine tank for 30days), but am unsure what steps are needed to make this branch bird-safe. I've tried searching for "DIY bird stands" and so far what I've found relates to cured driftwood, PVC & store-bought wood. I'll continue my research but guidance here would be great!
On a behavioral note, I've got the branch sitting in my living room right now (approx 15 feet from Wilson's cage) and he seems very freaked out by the thing. I tried to get him to go near it last night and he was having none of it. I walked past it with him on my shoulders a few times and he'd continually hide in the collar of my shirt, and would sort of hunch down and completely ignore my "step up" commands - even across the room from the branch. He wasn't aggressive/nippy and he wasn't trembling, he'd just sit there quietly and refuse to move/ do anything. Whenever I'd leave the room he'd snap out of it and start running around on my shoulders again. I'm going to give him at least a few more days to adjust to it, but if it continues to freak him out is it a good idea to even continue building the thing? It totally defeats the purpose if all it does is scare him :09:
