what are the hardest natural wood perches?

[DallyTsuka]

just wondering what people's experience was with wood perches, what kinds do you have (even for macaws and toos) that have withstood any chewing?


(wondering so i can have some shopping options for my female lovebird. she gets too nesty with any wood perch she can destroy, so far she cant chew manzanita, but looking for other options too. just so i can branch out--no pun intended)


thanks

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Manzanita and java wood are both very hard

 

[DallyTsuka]

looks like those two will be added to my shopping list! i have a spare manzanita perch in the tiel's cage i plan on giving to munch as they prefer their java perch. but i only got one java perch and the tiels like it too much to share it with munch lol

 

[Jtbirds]

Javelin, manzinata, dragon wood, oak, maple are manly what all my natural wood perches are

 

[DallyTsuka]

well, she chews through maple! so i need harder than that lol

i am going to pick up either another manzanita for her or maybe a java wood perch.


side note, isnt oak toxic?

 

[Jtbirds]

Some oak is non toxic if you de bark it. So you must de bark it then bake it, it's a true pain.... But it is very hard for the birds to chew and makes Great perches and geez little one chewing map,e.

 

[DallyTsuka]

i'll have to show you the damage she has done

Perch Damage | Facebook

hope a facebook link to the album is allowed, if it's not i will not be offended if staff removes it


problem with the natural branches, she shreds them and it makes her nesty, so i need perch variety that doesnt give her the nesting opportunity. she shreds rope perches into nest material too, so rope isnt a good perch option either. doesnt leave me much options lol

 

[Jtbirds]

Well java and manzanita and dragon wood are all great and hard Alittle more pricey but amazing perches so ether way it will be great.

 

[DallyTsuka]

Munch is an expensive little bird!!! lol she's been a specialty pampered brat this whole time it's worth the money to keep her feet healthy and keep the hormones lower. so i will pay for the better perches for her

 

[blackhawk007]

When you narrow your search you can google the hardness to compare them all.

http://tinytimbers.com/pdf/chart_janka.pdf

http://www.hoskinghardwood.com/Department/Hardwood-Floors/Wood-Hardness-Chart.aspx?dId=7&pageId=12

 

[henpecked]

For the average bird, dragonwood perches seem to work great. My zons don't hurt them, people say they last forever with macaws. Grows wild here with no pesticides or fertilizer . I dry lots of it for perches. Big is hard to find but "lovebird" size stuff is very cheap. You should search for "natural perches" and read though some of the older threads , People use different woods depending on what is close to them.

 

[DallyTsuka]

yeah i'm not looking for monster macaw sized luckily, just something she cant shred and splinter into nest material lol thanks everyone

 

[Greenwing]

Bottle Brush trees are a hard wood... There all over the place here in the south..

 

[DallyTsuka]

I'm up in Canada, so unfortunately, none of the nice exotic stuff many places get. I so wish! I can get natural grape vine, but I have no way to sandblast all the bark off.

 

[azdesertrhino]

Pecan wood is very hard but not sure if it grows in Canada.

What diameters & lengths of wood do your need?

 

[DallyTsuka]

it's for a peach faced lovebird, ideally looking for a perch 1/2"-1" in diameter (no wider than 1") and 6"-18" long. her cage is 18" deep, so i would not mind a perch going the whole depth of it. her cage is roughly 48" long. but no branches in store are likely going to be that long i so wish though, that would be amazing!!

for now she's nesting so perches aren't used at the moment, but once she gives up on these eggs, we are redoing her whole cage and i will be introducing the new perch then.


as for bird safe branches we can get here....


sycamore (i might try again, she has been able to debark it. i might debark a piece first and try it, i have a few perches kicking around i just have to get the hardware)

willow (too soft, she would eat it for breakfast)

birch (too soft)

silver maple (she splinters and debarks it)

cottonwood (too soft)

grapevine (dont have access to a sandblaster or wide enough branches! so, thin vines are too small and the bark spells "instant nest" lol)



the above trees are tress i use frequently in my flock.

Norway maple (the bark gets chewed off, possibly could debark it if i get a thick enough branch)


other trees that do grow in my area that are safe (but don't have easy access to or able to ID easily):

aspen (her ledge in her cage is aspen, she chews it, so we covered it in fleece)
pine
spruce
mulberry
lilac

 

[azdesertrhino]

I've got a bunch of pecan wood and thought a flat rate box loaded wouldn't be too bad but even shipping on that is costly.

 

[DallyTsuka]

the offer is very kind and i appreciate it, but i will be able to get some manzanita here locally at the petstores for a price that's cheaper on both of our wallets

 

[Jtbirds]

On the topic of java I just bought a huge!! Perch for a macaw or cockatoo I'm not sure who is getting it yet. It is a foot round and about 3 feet long, it has a bend in it but if you put it in straight is would be about 3 foot good thing it curves or it take up a lot of spaces, I think I'm gonna give it to my m2 , it was only $20.

 

[DallyTsuka]

what cage even supports a perch that heavy??? wow!