Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Share ideas for making your own parrot toys. What are the best things for parrots to play with? Show pictures of parrots with toys.

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby Wolf » Sun Jun 12, 2016 10:09 pm

One of the interesting things that I have learned is that some trees produce leaves or fruits or even flowers that birds feed on but sometimes while it produces a flower or fruit that is safe for the bird to feed on other parts are toxic to them. This is important to consider when the bird is bred and raised in captivity because its parents don't get to teach them about this and they don't know it on an instinctual basis. So a bird raised in captivity my still chew on parts of a tree or plant that is poisonous to it. It is up to us to be aware of these things which is one of the reasons that the list of poisonous and non poisonous items in the diet and nutrition section is so helpful for me. It lists safe and unsafe trees and stuff and sometimes it tells me that while the tree and its wood and bark are safe the fruits and leaves are not, or even the other way around. Believe me when I say that I was surprised to learn this type of thing, I thought that if the bird ate the fruit then the whole tree was safe, but then I learned that this was not always true.

With birds you have to be very careful about UV or full spectrum lights. The ones for reptiles or plant may blind your bird or seriously burn the bird. There was a posting on a different forum complete with pictures of a bird that nearly died from exposure to a reptile UV light from the burns that it received. For a bird you need to make sure that the light is 94+ CRI and has a K Temp of 5000 to 5500 degrees with a UV rating of 2 or less. Any thing stronger is dangerous for the bird. I have one that I use on overcast days, you know the days, where it is all gray outside like it is going to pour down heavy rain at any second but doesn't. But I never allow my birds to get any closer than 3 feet to it.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby InsanityShard » Mon Jun 13, 2016 6:13 pm

The UV thing was the same with my turtle. Couldn't get too close or it could get very very sick. I was gonna put it in a big box with mesh over the bottom and keep the tree pruned. I didn't know about other parts of the tree being poisonous, but it does make sense. I'll be careful. If I can't find a suitable option I'll just have to make one, then. XD
User avatar
InsanityShard
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 121
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby InsanityShard » Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:12 pm

Okay, I'm gonna have things like ladders all over my desk and I am going to convert a small unused cat scratching post. Will I need to remove the fluffy fabric from it or can I just cover it with something else? I'll be making the small tunnel things into feeding areas to dissuade it nesting, unless it's going to lay eggs in a bird bath or seeds. The big hole I will put the bird bath in, instead of at the base of a tree, and the smaller open tunnel above I want to put food in and hang toys from. Would that be enough to dissuade nesting? I'll only have 1 or 2 princess parrots, and if I get more than 1 (probably 2, possibly 3) they'll all be the same gender.
If anyone else wants to use this idea, it might be that the fabric is too dangerous but it's easy to take it off and it's just plain wood underneath, easy to work with. Only $20 from Aldi, it's a small cheap scratching post too small for an adult cat to play in the hole/tunnel, but the hole is much bigger than a bird nest, but pretty much perfect to use for a nice bird bath. I might even turn it into a bathing station if my bird decides it's a chicken while I'm out in the park with it and gives itself a dust bath.
User avatar
InsanityShard
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 121
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby Wolf » Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:33 am

Please don't use any UV light made for reptiles around your birds, it is far too dangerous. If you want to use a UV light make sure that it is 94+ CRI and between 5000 and 5500 K Temp and nothing else. The only reason that I use one at all is that parrots see into the UV light spectrum which is invisible to us. To obtain any other of the possible benefits of UV in regards to my birds I just load them into a small travel cage and take them outside in the shade for about 20 to 30 minutes on a daily basis if possible.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby Pajarita » Thu Jun 16, 2016 11:36 am

The light that Wolf is referring to would be called a 'full spectrum' and not an UV light (nothing but UV in a light is not good for parrots).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18697
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby InsanityShard » Thu Jun 16, 2016 4:47 pm

You know, I was saying the old cat scratching post idea as one to use in place on the native tree so I wouldn't have that problem... Sorry if that wasn't clear. <_<
I had said I was going to put it in a big box, using the past tense to mean I'm not doing that now. And by making one, I didn't mean making a solution, I meant making a tree...
User avatar
InsanityShard
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 121
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby seagoatdeb » Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:39 pm

InsanityShard wrote:Okay, I'm gonna have things like ladders all over my desk and I am going to convert a small unused cat scratching post. Will I need to remove the fluffy fabric from it or can I just cover it with something else? I'll be making the small tunnel things into feeding areas to dissuade it nesting, unless it's going to lay eggs in a bird bath or seeds. The big hole I will put the bird bath in, instead of at the base of a tree, and the smaller open tunnel above I want to put food in and hang toys from. Would that be enough to dissuade nesting? I'll only have 1 or 2 princess parrots, and if I get more than 1 (probably 2, possibly 3) they'll all be the same gender.
If anyone else wants to use this idea, it might be that the fabric is too dangerous but it's easy to take it off and it's just plain wood underneath, easy to work with. Only $20 from Aldi, it's a small cheap scratching post too small for an adult cat to play in the hole/tunnel, but the hole is much bigger than a bird nest, but pretty much perfect to use for a nice bird bath. I might even turn it into a bathing station if my bird decides it's a chicken while I'm out in the park with it and gives itself a dust bath.


It sounds like an idea, but just make sure the wood is a parrot safe wood.
User avatar
seagoatdeb
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1257
Location: Kelowna, BC Canada
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Red Belly Poicephalus and a Meyers Poicephalus
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby InsanityShard » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:32 am

If it's not I just have to put a thin layer of safe wood over the non safe wood. No hassle for me, I'm more than willing to keep my parrots safe!
User avatar
InsanityShard
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 121
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby InsanityShard » Fri Jun 17, 2016 3:26 am

You know, I have to do that with my desk anyway and my computer. XD I'm taking all precautions except leaving out some of my crushed velvet plush teddies among other safe ones they can't get fur off or any kind of button eyes or ribbons or anything. =P
User avatar
InsanityShard
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 121
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Any cheap parrot stand/ play stand ideas

Postby Pajarita » Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:24 am

Putting a thin 'safe' layer of anything over something that is not doesn't work with parrots because they chew chunks out of everything and don't stop with just one bite, either. Also, you might want to reconsider having stuffed toys laying around or you might have to end up washing them all the time (parrots poop A LOT and EVERYWHERE).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18697
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

PreviousNext

Return to Toys, Accessories, and DIY

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store