Keeping little fid toes intact

[mrstweet]

So, my plan was to take a sheet of acrylic and drill holes in it, bend it to the top of Cuppy's cage, zip tie it to it and lay or hang a rope net on it so if somebirdy lands they don't just slide off.

Well, I don't want to attempt to do this and wreck a sheet of $25 acrylic trying to drill holes....which is apparently very hard. G2 has a dome top style cage, so I feel like my options are small.

Does anyone here have creative ideas? I don't want to have to jump up and freak out every time someone lads over there so I need to have a solution. My bird room isn't big enough to hang a divider.

 

[birdlady]

I drill holes in plexi all the time with a regular drill bit. And you just gave me a great idea for the top of b & c s dome top as they always poop on toys.
Thanks.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G using Tapatalk

 

[mrstweet]

Really? So my idea might be viable? The guys at home depot said it was really hard to do without cracking the plexi.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Instead of bowing the plexi across the dome, use individual peices which butt up against one another and attach them with wire 'joints' (like a toy train hooked together). Have the peices cut to your specification, drill holes in each corner and wire together. It works really well. I have a handicapped bird who I keep from other birds' beaks inside her cage by attaching plexi guards on three sides of her cage and the top. My top is flat, but I drape a sheet over it to give her hiding space and to provide traction for toes on the back part of the cage top; have a small towel on the front part.

Oh, yeah, you may have to put the nuts of the screws you attach the plexi with sticking up on the outside of the cage to keep the bird inside from removing them. I actually hollowed out some manu mineral block and covered the nuts where they stood up on the outside of the cage to keep the outside visitors from loosening the nuts. Parrots are smart and inquisitive birds!

For a temporary top cage guard, I use an old, cheap comforter on the top of cages to protect toes.

 

[birdlady]

As long as you keep the plexi firm as you drill and the hole is not too close to the edge, you should be fine I have made two false bottoms in two cages recently with plexi...no cracks. Just go slowly with firm pressure and support the plexi so it doesn't bend while you drill.

 

[Billie Faye]

What about screen wire placed over the top?
Stainless Steel Wire Mesh, Wire Cloth, and Screen

 

[JLcribber]

Really? So my idea might be viable? The guys at home depot said it was really hard to do without cracking the plexi.

The trick to drilling holes in Plexiglas is to use a sharp bit and drill at a "very slow" speed. That requires a variable speed drill so you can slow it down.

Don't try to drill too large of holes at a time. If you need to drill 2 times in the same hole. The first hole with a smaller bit to create a pilot hole and the second time with the size of bit you want.

You can also just burn a hole. Use a pointed "scratch awl" and heat the end of it with a plumbers torch and just poke a hole.

If it is real Plexiglas it holds up pretty well to drilling. If it's a cheap copy cat plexi that is not made of the same stuff it tends to crack easier.

 

[Angelicarboreals]

Some of my cages (like Chico's) are dome shaped so I can't use the plexiglass. However, I do have old hospital blankets that are thick that I just fold over several times and lay on top of the cages while the little ones are out. (The sides of course stay uncovered, and my bigger guys like to chew holes in the blankets while they are having to wait their turn, lol.)

 

[Coco's Momma]

My DH, the master Bird Fort Maker around the house and 30 years in the glass business, agrees with John's advice. He did want to add, though, that if you are using a product that will easily bend around the top of the cage, then anywhere you put the holes you run the risk of cracks being created over time where the holes create a natural weakness. Using 1/16" will be easier to bend, but also easier for the hole to crack over time at the weak point. Using something over 1/16" is easier to get a hole in, less likely to crack, but also a bit more difficult to bend. I think it should be doable using the right product. Do keep in mind that you will inevitably have to clean both the plexi and the rope from droppings, and plexi will cloud and scratch over time no matter what you use to clean it. Or, at least it will cloud. And it scratches VERY easy. The rope will tend to hide some of that cosmetic stuff, and I like the rope idea a lot. The only other concern would be that the plexi edges can be sharp, and may be able to be accessed by the G2 and cracked (depending on her beak strength). And if she can access any of the holes with her beak, then those weak spots are very vulnerable to being cracked. At those points, if necessary you can make a wooden 'cover' that the bird(s) can chew on but that would prevent access to the drilled hole locations. That leaves just the concern about the sharp edges if they were to be able to be accessed by the G2 when she crawled up the side of the cage.

Another idea to try is one of my favorite... streamers. I find hanging streamers disuades a bird from flying through an area because their wing flap creates air movement, thus streamer movement, and they usually go the opposite direction. I have used well placed streamers as part of training to avoid landing in certain areas.

 

[jaytee]

I think the plexi is a great idea. You might be able to bend it around the cage, by heating it with a hair dryer. Set the dryer on high heat, low air speed. ( plan on spending some time on this ) Thinner plexi will bend more quickly, than thicker.

As for the holes, plexi is very easy to drill through, but ........... doesn't that negate the over all plan? Toes will still be exposed at the holes.

If you still want holes, drill after bending, to avoid cracking, while bending.

Coco's Momma made a good point about sharp edges.

You can sand plexi, just like wood. Take a piece of sand paper to any sharp edges.

 

[mrstweet]

Awsome suggestions, I'll reply to all:

1. Blanket idea - thought of this, would like something that allows light through.
2. Screen idea - wasn't sure if birds chewed on this if it would be safe.
3. Plexi - holes wouldn't be big (I'm talking small enough to get a zip tie through and not much larger. Good suggestion in regards to cockatoo biting it and cracking it - I bet she could for the thin stuff. In regards to cloudiness, I'm not worried, even if I have to replace it 1x a year for damage or whatever, that's only about $25-30 I would be "out". Good suggestion on the sanding--I was thinking about lining the sides with vet wrap to discourage chewing on the corners (I use it on perches and stuff too, so does my vet). I would drill the holes while the plexi is laid flat and then bend, and if neccessary to use the thicker stuff using two piecies and wiring or zipping them together wouldn't be hard.

Has anyone used screens successfully? I thought about putting a perch and maybe an atom above it in hopes they would avoid landing in the spot, so I like the streamers idea. What do you use for streamers?

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My protective screens have one-half inch squares as openings and are rigid; more like cage fabric used for finches or small mammals. Work very well keeping big beaks off toes. Plexi is better, however.