Playstand ideas? Buy or make?

[alohaimee]

Hey there!

Would you all suggest I buy one of the metal playstand/bird playgyms or should I make one?

Are there any pros/cons to either option? What have you all done? Do you have photos of your homemade playstands you would be willing to share? What about those of you with the store bought ones? Any photos?

I am trying to figure out what would be most ideal for us. We have limited counter space so i'd prefer a tall one that stands on the floor rather than a countertop model. I have a great spot for it in the living room corner near two big windows and i'd love for it to be "pretty" so I can leave it out when we have company over.

Anyone have advice for this newbie?

 

[KimKimWilliamson]

Well, my bird hasnt arrived yet so I cant give you experienced knowledge, but I can give you my opinion! LOL
I prefer natural wood tree stands with toys attached as apposed to the metal ones, and I too preffer the floor standing ones.
(We are actually converting a very tall wooden Cat Scratcher into the coolest playstand ever! I will post pics soon.)

 

[sugarbeth]

I prefer the trees too. Keep checking craigslist - last time I was on it today, the Seattle one had a tree stand for $100 I think.

 

[sugarbeth]

Ooops, never mind, it was actually pretty far south from you, but keep checking, I've got tree stands twice for cheap on there.
Parrot Tree-Stand

 

[tammie]

I have a few of the tree stands and also a stand that has the seed skirt and is made of metal. Different birds seem to like different stand. My larger birds prefer the metal stand and smaller ones love the tree stands.

 

[jinh]

i really want one of those large manzanita play gyms... but they are usually like 300+. I found one on craigslist for 250 used. So then I started researching and found a place on the internet that sales manzanita branches (and this company will also make you a custom bird perch so the wood is untreated). So if you just buy the branches from them its like $8 a foot for wood that is atleast 2.5 in diameter. Cheaper the smaller you go. So to buy the wood I would need for a large stand would be like $80 which is ALOT better than 300$. I'm not good at all with tools but I figure I can go to Home Depot and get someone to help me figure what tools I need and how I could put it together or even get someone from the company to give me tips.

 

[hotfoot jackson]

I've made a few in my time, from big chunks of tree as I feel this is more natural and makes my bird happiest as she can not only climb but chew the heck out of her stand.
Chunks of tree are cheeper, organic, easier to get and once boring easier to get rid of.
You can add branches if it doesn't have the right arrangement of branches, and the smell is also pleasant in the home.

 

[evsrin]

I look forward to making my own out of natural wood. I haven't done any planning, but it will definately be made out of wood and a DIY project.

 

[hotfoot jackson]

A couple of ideas...have you thought of using one of those Xmas tree stand things? I have one that is made of wrought iron, weighs a ton and you just screw bolt things into the branch base and you're ready to go. The other thing I've used is the base of a fan..the cheap sort, if you take the top, fan bit off the base is very stable and can be used to hold a branch, you do have to shape the end of the branch with a knife to get it to fit the fan base but its easy.



Here's one simple one I made.

 

[alohaimee]

Thanks for all the great ideas folks! Heath and I are looking into making one and perhaps buying one also to mix it up a bit. This bird is already sooooo spoiled! Haha!

 

[nearthelake]

I just finished a playstand made from 1 inch PVC pipe, after seeing a gym at
Lucy is studying to become a Sun Conure! on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

It's the exact same one I made and the instructions are in *Parrot - Toys and Play Areas* by Carol S. D'Arezzo and Lauren Shannon-Nunn, which you can buy from Amazon.com. The playstand on flickr are two put together, because this lady has 4 parrots.
The gym is easy to make and much cheaper than the commercial ones.

Hope this helps.

 

[LuvMyBirds]

I went and found a ss clothes rack and made mine. You can see it here:
http://forums.avianavenue.com/toys-cages-bypass/10126-just-finished-carter-crew-gym.html

 

[jaytee]

I built 2 stands for SMOOCHES, 1 for my place, 1 for "K's". You can get most of the stuff from your local DIY Depot, or any Department store with a garden section. Just be sure to use Stainless Steel. Zinc, Lead, and Galvanized are toxic to fids.





The rest, I bought at the local pet shop. The branches, I got from a tree that I see the local QPs, and Conures in.

 

[Anne & Gang]

WE made one for Samantha , our diva queen tiel, from an apple tree..cut one down from the front yard...a whole small tree, stripped all leaves and buds off...soaked it in bathtub full of hot water and 1/2 cup bleach overnight..rinsed a gazillion times, let dry..hubby built a base for it et voila...ugly tree in front room ..but the tiels love it!!