Preparing natural perches

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

I am preparing perches for Juliette, who comes home tomorrow. I having black maple branches, which were baked in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. I have been stripping the bark, and plan on disinfecting with vinegar. I was wondering if the bark stripping was necessary or is it going overboard? They are still green. Do they have to be completely dried before using? I also have a branch from a lemon tree. Does this need to be stripped?

 

[jacattack]

Removing the bark is only neccesary when the bark isn't safe. It looks like maple bark isn't safe to keep on, and must be stripped, but lemon bark is okay. When I make perches, I boil them, then let them soak in a water and vinegar solution for a couple hours. It makes the bark really easy to just peel off, so I don't have to actually carve it with a knife. I personally like to do a mix of some de-barked and some with it still on, the birds like to chew on it It's good practice to google if specifically the bark is safe or not, as sometimes the wood is okay but the bark isn't (birch, maple, ect)
If you're planning on drilling hardwear into them, it has to be completely dry. (I dry them in the sun). If your new bird is coming home tomorrow, it should be okay if you're just planning to put them between the bars in the cage.

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Thank you I will try the boiling method. It took me most of today to do one perch the hard way but it should tide her over until I can do the others. It has a variety of diameters and a few lovely knots to peck at.