Perches and Play Gyms

[melissa68]

hey everyone. newb here with questions.

I ordered and received furniture grade PVC to make a play gym for my upcoming bird (most likely a cockatiel). I was going to make something like this but put a drop plate of some sort and put it on wheels so it can go from room to room with me.


Then I got to thinking that it might be nice to have multiple perches/gyms in the main rooms I'm in and I found a coat rack on FB Marketplace that got me thinking...What do you guys think of these various things?? I would cover with vet wrap and add toys etc... The last pic is a towel stand and it stands 40" tall

 

[hrafn]

Those could work pretty well! @faislaq made a play stand for her mac out of a double coat rack, maybe she could offer some ideas!

 

[taxidermynerd]

Those could be fun! At walmart they have clothes racks that cost 9$, I bought 2 and use them to hang big things (boings, orbiters, etc) without putting holes in the ceiling. As long as you don't extend them too much (they tend to get wobbly) they work well!

 

[SherLar]

Those all look good as play perches, but I would shy away from anything painted, just to be on the safe side.
Also, before buying wooden apparatuses, try to find out what type of wood it is, as there are as many woods that are toxic to birds as there are safe woods.
Any of those would be fairly easy to make with PVC, or wooden dowels.
We have play perches/bird gyms in several different rooms of our house. It certainly makes it easier than moving them around, but if you have limited space, and if your bird will accept it, I recommend PVC. Unfortunately, our birds all eschew PVC, no matter what we wrap it with.
There are several very good, and easily mobile, commercial perches on the market also.

 

[melissa68]

thanks for confirming that I wasn't too nuts! I went to look at Walmart, as the wood one above is $40 made of bamboo), and the most cost-effective one they have is $16.97. Still saves a bunch though.

The PVC was super expensive, close to $120, to build just one stand so I can buy all three of the above and still save some money.

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

what about making a stand out of branches?

 

[melissa68]

Thanks for the replies! I thought about making them out of branches and might just do that someday but I was looking for something that would also please the hubs so I started looking at more "furniture" alternatives. I plan to bling them out with toys.

I returned the furniture grade PVC ($126!).

I actually found that exact coat rack in a different color on FB marketplace for $10 and it's going to work great! Each of the "hooks" can slide to one side or the other so instead of two 6" perches, I can have 1 that is 12" if needed.

I'm glad I found it on FB too because the one on Amazon is no longer available, it just disappeared from my cart. I love that it is a bit taller too because I'm assuming (and maybe my assumption is wrong) that maybe my future bird would like the option of a taller perch/gym.

 

[TikkiTembo]

I'm following this thread, I've been wanting a tall play stand for the living room and one smaller one for the dining room table near the kitchen. I've been moving his play top cage room to room, and while it works well in the sense that he's always got a place to land, it's not super convenient!

 

[melissa68]

I also found this and each bar is around 12 inches long. These might be nice to hang on the wall in various rooms. I'm just thinking the more perches the better? That is, if I want to keep the bird from pooping on my furniture lol.

 

[melissa68]

so this tray works perfectly with the clothes drying rack


and this round try works with the coat rack. I plan on rigging the tray to sit closer to the "hooks" and not on the floor.


What do you guys think of a table top type perch like this? Maybe to sit on my kitchen counter? I think it almost has it's own catch plate. It's a hand towel rack.

 

[aqualover9]

omg this is the best thread for playstand ideas. Thank you so much!!

 

[aqualover9]

What are the towel hangers called?
Also, for the wooden bamboo one, you might want to whittle it so it's not too hard on your bird's feet like a dowl perch.

 

[melissa68]

What are the towel hangers called?
Also, for the wooden bamboo one, you might want to whittle it so it's not too hard on your bird's feet like a dowl perch.

The one that hangs on the wall I found at amazon by using "swivel towel bar"

 

[aqualover9]

The one that hangs on the wall I found at amazon by using "swivel towel bar"

Thanks!

 

[aqualover9]

Another idea I saw online was to use clothing hangers and link them together. Probably the most budget-friendly, plus you can take assemble and disassemble it really easily.

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I would try to stay away from any metal type of perches or play stands. Unless I knew for sure that it was made out of stainless steel. Or even powder coated steel, like what their cages are made out of. If your bird decides to lick, chew, or eat other various metals I would be afraid it could get metal toxicity.

 

[melissa68]

I purchased the clothes rack from Target for $15, the boot tray from Walmart for $4.50, the wheels from Harbor Freight for $4, and the nuts and bolts from the hardware store for $1. Total $24.50 and it rolls! I'll keep an eye out for a little bigger boot tray and switch it out if needed.

Now I just need to vet wrap the bars and bling it out with some toys.

The stand is not attached to the base. I wanted to be able to remove the stand for easier paper and cleaning.

 

[Leih]

I love the coat hanger idea! Is that what they're called? I seem to recall another user having done something similar.

I made a floor PVC stand and while it wasn't "difficult" per se, it was kind of annoying. You have to know how many of each type of connector, how many 5' tubes, have a PVC cutter, map it all out... Oh and each color of the PVC costs different I got mine all together and found it needed additional support beams. Just frustrating. Looking back I'd rather pay someone to do it for me, which I do have one I purchased from a vendor here.

How have these worked out so far? Any suggestions?

 

[melissa68]

I love the coat hanger idea! Is that what they're called? I seem to recall another user having done something similar.

I made a floor PVC stand and while it wasn't "difficult" per se, it was kind of annoying. You have to know how many of each type of connector, how many 5' tubes, have a PVC cutter, map it all out... Oh and each color of the PVC costs different I got mine all together and found it needed additional support beams. Just frustrating. Looking back I'd rather pay someone to do it for me, which I do have one I purchased from a vendor here.

How have these worked out so far? Any suggestions?

I don't have a bird yet lol. I'm getting the "nursery" ready. I'm actually waiting for the rescue to get back to me (waiting two weeks!). I've already done the home check and all is good there. I tell you if they don't get off their butt and schedule me to see some foster birds I'm just going to go out and buy a baby from a breeder.

Here is what I rigged up for the poop tray on the coat rack. It can go up higher or lower as needed

 

[dazz]

Those all look good as play perches, but I would shy away from anything painted, just to be on the safe side.
Also, before buying wooden apparatuses, try to find out what type of wood it is, as there are as many woods that are toxic to birds as there are safe woods.
Any of those would be fairly easy to make with PVC, or wooden dowels.
We have play perches/bird gyms in several different rooms of our house. It certainly makes it easier than moving them around, but if you have limited space, and if your bird will accept it, I recommend PVC. Unfortunately, our birds all eschew PVC, no matter what we wrap it with.
There are several very good, and easily mobile, commercial perches on the market also.

im glad you said this, as i made a playgym with pvc and was wondering why my cockatoo wouldnt go on it, so its a thing, with some birds that they dont like pvc?!!!