Supplies?

[miya]

Hi guys, so, I've begun working on a DIY project for my budgies! I'll post photos once I get further into it, as I'm just now beginning, but for now, I have a couple questions to make sure what I'm using is safe for my little guys

1) Any recommendations for where I can get some budgie safe rope/cord? I've read that sisal and hemp is some of the best to use. Anything else I could try? I did find some sisal and hemp at the store here but it had an odd smell to it and looked a bit.. oily? So I think it was treated with something and I don't want to use that sort of stuff around my birds.

2) Wood. Is it acceptable to use branches from outdoors, so long as I disinfect it properly and avoid toxic species? Remove the bark as well, I'm assuming? If I need to buy actual wood, where would I go to try to find some that's untreated? Somewhere like a lumber yard?

3) For hardware (hooks, screws, etc) - stainless steel only, correct? I noticed a TON of hardware for sale is Chinese import and is either brass coated, zinc, or nickel Also, some budgie toys I recently brought home have little bells on them. Would I need to remove these to keep my little guys safe? I figured it would be good stimulation for them, but.. One, will they somehow choke themselves on it, and two, the tag said it has copper.. I've seen some people saying copper is unsafe, others say it should be fine, but I'm not sure. Thought I'd ask here.

I think that's all for now! I can't wait to get going on this big project - I'm sure my keets are going to be excited too once it's done because they'll have so much more stuff to explore!

 

[Shezbug]

Sisal is great and is fairly cheap, I have only ever found untreated or totally natural sisal.......not to say there is not some that has been treated but I do not know about that. The sisal does have a funny scent to it as it is natural plant matter and sometimes it does have a shinny or oily look to it. Maybe ask the place if it is all natural or if it has had anything added to it.
I prefer not to use cotton with my bird as he likes the cotton fibers and I am uncomfortable with how many bits of fluff he tries to ingest, others like to use cotton.

I have purchased safe non treated wood from the hardware store to use for my bird and have had no issues, just make sure you double check that the wood has had no treatments before you buy it. My hardware store even cuts the wood to size for free.....in my case they had to make many cuts as I purchased some for perches and also some for wooden blocks.
I also use natural wood from safe trees, branches that have fallen down in storms or that I have to cut down.....just make sure it is legal for you to do this and that the tree is not only of the safe type but also has not been sprayed with pesticides. I leave the bark on the branches and bits of wood I get for my bird as he loves destroying the bark. Make sure to clean and disinfect or bake the branches and bits of wood....you do not want to give any diseases or parasites to your bird from the wood.

Hardware I use is 316 stainless steel which is food grade but there are other metals that are also considered safe for use with birds. Aluminum and nickel plated I believe are fine to use with birds.....stay away from zinc, galvanized and brass. I would not use copper for my bird and I believe it is not on the recommended list for use with birds. If you stick with stainless steel then the stuff will last you a life time and can be washed and disinfected easily and will definitely never be toxic for your bird. 316 stainless steel is fairly expensive but you can also use 304 stainless steel which is a little less expensive.

The bells could be safe but it would depend on the metal they used for the bell and also for the thing on the inside that makes the noise, sometimes the little bit on the inside is of lesser quality metal and is often not secured well. Were the bells specifically for birds?

Hope this helps, I am not an expert on any of this stuff......I have just shared with you the way I do things for my bird.

 

[miya]

Very helpful, thank you!!

As for the sisal rope I found, I was at a general type shop and found some in the craft section.. Already wound up in a single ball on the shelf and encased in some kind of stiff plastic to keep people from unwinding it. Needless to say I couldn't find much to any info about it on the package and no one at the store knew anything, so I'll probably head to an actual hardware store this weekend to try to find the rope and hardware.

I'm also assuming go the lowest temperature on my oven for when I'm baking the wood? Any ballpark range on time it needs to spend baking?

I also took the bells off this morning. There were a couple on some new bird toys I brought home last night.. And they were REALLY small bells compared to most I've seen. Not worth the risk IMO, so I just took them off (not to mention the whole 'I think this has copper in it' fiasco). They still have the rest of the toy to chew on and make noise with

 

[Shezbug]

Some say to make it as hot as possible for as long as possible and others I have seen have said to do it as low as possible. I personally would want my oven at 200 (celcius) for long enough to get the pieces of wood hot all the way through. You basically want the heat high enough to kill anything living in or on the wood, and you want to leave them in long enough to allow the wood to get hot all the way through, time will depend on amount of wood to be done I suppose.

I am pretty sure there is a thread on here somewhere that gives temperatures and times as well as various methods people prefer to use for sanitizing wood.

 

[ReNap]

@Mizzely directed me to this site when I was asking about safe things to use for toy making and it’s been awesome, what is on this site is all safe Welcome to cabirdnerds.com -

 

[expressmailtome]

There are several members who are vendors who sell ropes that you could use: List of Vendors and AA Store Profiles | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum . Where you buy from would depend on what else that you need.

 

[Mizzely]

Hi guys, so, I've begun working on a DIY project for my budgies! I'll post photos once I get further into it, as I'm just now beginning, but for now, I have a couple questions to make sure what I'm using is safe for my little guys

1) Any recommendations for where I can get some budgie safe rope/cord? I've read that sisal and hemp is some of the best to use. Anything else I could try? I did find some sisal and hemp at the store here but it had an odd smell to it and looked a bit.. oily? So I think it was treated with something and I don't want to use that sort of stuff around my birds.

2) Wood. Is it acceptable to use branches from outdoors, so long as I disinfect it properly and avoid toxic species? Remove the bark as well, I'm assuming? If I need to buy actual wood, where would I go to try to find some that's untreated? Somewhere like a lumber yard?

3) For hardware (hooks, screws, etc) - stainless steel only, correct? I noticed a TON of hardware for sale is Chinese import and is either brass coated, zinc, or nickel Also, some budgie toys I recently brought home have little bells on them. Would I need to remove these to keep my little guys safe? I figured it would be good stimulation for them, but.. One, will they somehow choke themselves on it, and two, the tag said it has copper.. I've seen some people saying copper is unsafe, others say it should be fine, but I'm not sure. Thought I'd ask here.

I think that's all for now! I can't wait to get going on this big project - I'm sure my keets are going to be excited too once it's done because they'll have so much more stuff to explore!

1 - for my toys, I primarily use superior poly rope, veggie tanned leather lace, and paper rope. You want to use ONLY unoiled hemp and sisal if you use it.

2 - Yes you can use wood from outside. I leave the bark on whenever possible! Here is a good resource: Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages. You can also use untreated white wood / pine from the lumber yard

3 - Stainless steel and Aluminum are the safest, but nickel plated is also safe for birds that aren't chewing on it heavily. Any other metal, but especially zinc, remove.

 

[ReNap]

^ and she strikes again!

 

[Mizzely]

^ and she strikes again!

 

[miya]

Thanks for the input everyone, you've all been super helpful!

For sisal rope, is there a way to tell if it's been treated or not? I did swing by the hardware store today and snagged some stainless steel hardware, so that's one less thing to worry about. They did have sisal rope for sale.. But I don't think they're bird safe. It says it's a natural material on the package but it also says it's good for using in landscaping and gardening.. Probably treated so it doesn't degrade in rough weather. Is any sisal rope truly safe, since I'm assuming they'd have to use some kind of oil in the machinery to keep the rope moving smoothly through it? Anyway, rambling aside, I haven't seen any other sisal so I'll probably just order some online like you guys suggested! Better safe than sorry