The Start of a DIY Play Area

[TikkiTembo]

So, I've been wanting to take Tootie's cage out of the living room since we stay up late. I thought it would be nice to have a play gym in the living room instead, but money is tight and blah blah blah...So I checked out the basement today to see what I had to work with. I found this plastic shower organizer, and figured maybe I could spruce it up! I gave it a good scrub, and wrapped the pole for better grip. I'd like to upgrade that to vet tape soon, since this twine could fray over time. I hung some toys to make it more fun, and hung the boing for climbing up or down. I would like to add a ladder or another boing as well. I mounted the basket for shredding/perching/foraging, plus the box on the floor is open to fill with foot toys/foraging/water bowl.
Once my CABirdNerd order arrives, I'll mount some net mat things as well. A carpet protector will be needed as well, plus maybe some mounted perches and a flat shelf...?
I'm hoping they enjoy it and I can continue to better it!

 

[Khizz]

Oh wow, I LOVE this! Such a nice creative idea! I love those types of crafts, ie. "I looked around and found this"

I've been thinking about play gyms lately, since mine are starting to venture out, and this is such a neat solution! What's nice is you can always alter it, add things, change things and so on. Like an ongoing project Maybe something on the other wall, not really "perches" but a kind of wall ladder? Like strips of wood attached to the wall?

 

[TikkiTembo]

Yes, great idea! A wall ladder! I really want Tootie to feel confident getting up and down since he's clipped...Though today he flew from the kitchen to the living room...Double the length I've ever seen him do! I love the not so permanent aspect of it since I change my mind so much!

 

[Dona]

so clever!

 

[Khizz]

The less permanent aspect means it would be great for those of us living in rented apartments My husband's brother is a carpenter and used to make some amazing wall play areas for his cats. One was a kind of stair-book case, which was brilliant. The bookcase was shaped like stairs, and the cats could then climb up it and sit at the top. Another time he installed a bunch of wooden platforms in a corner, not unlike the shower caddy, with holes for the cats to climb to the next level. There was then a wooden rope ladder at the top to a bigger platform. I might have to ask nicely for my next birthday...

Perhaps you could also make a hole in the middle of a shelf with some kind of ladder going through it?

 

[TikkiTembo]

The play area was a hit! Tootie climbed right up the boing rope to the basket and stayed there. He even chewed a toy, which is still a new thing for him! Tikki climbed all over and played with almost every toy. I'm hoping that as Tootie realizes he can fly better, he will have the confidence to explore more. I definitely need another basket since it was such a hit, and probably a flat shelf for a water bowl. Off to Salvation Army tomorrow I think!

 

[Hawk12237]

Very creative!!! Love it.
I might try something like that. I love the thrift stores, never know what you'll find.

 

[Nobirby]

Don't forget that natural braches, wth the bark still on them, are great inexpensive perches.

 

[Zara]

Great thread! I love your play corner. So DIY, and changeable that you can switch it up every month or so to keep it interesting.
It just goes to show you don´t need to spend a fortune to have a fun space for our birds and even us in countries where bird items are hard to find, we can create fun play areas like this

Be careful purchasing at the charity shop, be sure to sterilize everything you bring home

I personally don´t like snuggle huts, never had one never will, too many horror stories so I won´t risk it. You are so creative, I´m sure you could create something that is much more bird safe using seagrass or another bird safe material.

 

[TikkiTembo]

Thank you @Zara ! I originally bought it to see if Tootie would sleep in it instead of clung to the side of his cage, but took it out of his cage after reading about them! They actually don't seem too interested in it anyways, and it's in a prime spot to collect poop right now haha So maybe it needs to go in the bin!

 

[Leih]

Tikki looks so much bigger than Tootie in that pic! Isn't Tootie much larger?

 

[Zara]

Tikki looks so much bigger than Tootie in that pic! Isn't Tootie much larger?

Tikki is closer to the camera, giving the illusion of being larger than he actually is. It´s the same when you take a pic of a group of friends, don´t be the friend closest to the camera or you´ll look larger

 

[TikkiTembo]

Yep! Tootie is probably almost double Tikki's size, but Tikki is a camera hog and Tootie doesn't really want to be that close to me

 

[Gribouille]

Perhaps you could also make a hole in the middle of a shelf with some kind of ladder going through it?

Or if you move the pole to the other side of the box at the bottom (so not in the corner anymore) and "open" the shelves so that one is to the right, one to the left, one to the right etc.. then it is easy to have ladders going from one to the other

So maybe it needs to go in the bin!

I'm sure you can transform it into something useful! For ex. you could hang it vertically on the wall, and use it as a "vase" to hold branches to form a little tree-like area . Or use it as a climbing tunnel from one floor to the other.

 

[TikkiTembo]

Great ideas, @Gribouille!