Perches on drywall?

[BlueLove]

So these perches are made for cages, but have you ever tried screwing them into the drywall instead? I have a bay window and I am thinking about possible ways to put some perches on the wall around the window. I thought I'd ask here first before poking holes in my wall.

Another idea would be making a stand and put the perches on the stand and not directly on drywall. Is 2x4 safe for parrots? If it's made of pine, then Google says pine is "reasonably" safe for parrots, not sure what does reasonably mean though.

This is how the perch screws look like:

 

[flyzipper]

What species are you designing/building for?

For a large chewer (or small, of course), you could get a sheet of stainless steel cut to size that protects the drywall and corners (same material you'd use for backsplashes in the kitchen). That can either be affixed to the drywall with appropriate adhesive, or with stainless steel screws (which would be my preference, since it's easy to remove and patch a few holes rather than having an adhesive rip up the drywall).

Pine 2x4's are fine as long as they're just kiln dried lumber, without any pressure treating.

 

[Nichole615]

I would prefer a stand myself, that way it is mobile. If you do end up putting in the wall, definitely either put into a stud or use an anchor.

2x4 untreated pine is fine to use. A lot of lumber is treated with chemicals.

You may also consider using PVC piping, it's much cheaper than wood right now too! I've seen some very nice stands made from PVC and you can wrap them with sisal rope for grip (or vet wrap).

Something like this could be built for $40. It's lightweight, mobile. Easy clean up if you put paper underneath.

3/4 PVC Parrot Play Gym. Table Top Portable Bird Perch - Etsy

This Bird Toys item by PerchPerfect has 95 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Indianapolis, IN. Listed on Mar 20, 2023

www.etsy.com

 

[BlueLove]

What species are you designing/building for?

For a large chewer (or small, of course), you could get a sheet of stainless steel cut to size that protects the drywall and corners (same material you'd use for backsplashes in the kitchen). That can either be affixed to the drywall with appropriate adhesive, or with stainless steel screws (which would be my preference, since it's easy to remove and patch a few holes rather than having an adhesive rip up the drywall).

Pine 2x4's are fine as long as they're just kiln dried lumber, without any pressure treating.

Thank you, this is helpful. I am browsing home depot to see what I can find. These perches come with double headed screws, I was thinking screwing them into drywall directly and then, like you said, patching them up wouldn't be a big deal.

This is for my lovebird, btw.

 

[BlueLove]

I would prefer a stand myself, that way it is mobile. If you do end up putting in the wall, definitely either put into a stud or use an anchor.

2x4 untreated pine is fine to use. A lot of lumber is treated with chemicals.

You may also consider using PVC piping, it's much cheaper than wood right now too! I've seen some very nice stands made from PVC and you can wrap them with sisal rope for grip (or vet wrap).

Something like this could be built for $40. It's lightweight, mobile. Easy clean up if you put paper underneath.

3/4 PVC Parrot Play Gym. Table Top Portable Bird Perch - Etsy

This Bird Toys item by PerchPerfect has 95 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Indianapolis, IN. Listed on Mar 20, 2023

www.etsy.com

The PVC idea is pretty neat, and something mobile sounds good too. I think if I end up making a stand, I'd still want perches on the wall everywhere in the house lol. Screwing into a stud for a Lovebird might be overkill but anchors are always great.

 

[Fergus Mom]

I am curious as to how you would get them to stay in the drywall since you couldn't add the wing nut thingie...?

 

[flyzipper]

I am curious as to how you would get them to stay in the drywall since you couldn't add the wing nut thingie...?

I'd use threaded inserts (into a stud) -- you just need to match the thread pattern to the perch bolt.

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E-Z LOK is a name brand example...

Threaded Inserts | Buy E-Z LOK Thread Inserts for Metal, Plastic & Wood Online at ezlok.com

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[BlueLove]

I am curious as to how you would get them to stay in the drywall since you couldn't add the wing nut thingie...?

One of these should work:

Search Results for drywall anchor at The Home Depot

Search Results for drywall anchor at The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

 

[flyzipper]

A challenge you might have with most drywall anchors is they're designed to accept screws rather than bolts, and often smaller diameters too.

The common diameter and thread count of the hanger bolts used for those perches is usually 1/4"-20 or 5/16"-18.

Toggle bolt/wings would definitely work, but they need sufficient length in the perch's bolt to allow them to plunge fully through the drywall so the wings can deploy...

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[BlueLove]

Toggle bolt/wings would definitely work, but they need sufficient length in the perch's bolt to allow them to plunge fully through the drywall so the wings can deploy...

These are all valid points. The two headed hanger bolts I am seeing on home depot are any size but 1/4". I'll keep looking but I think building a stand for the perches would make a lot more sense and it's less complicated.