what woods are ok to use and what woods are not ok

[TheNzJessie]

i have been thinking about different type of wood with birds, what are safe woods and what are unsafe woods? certain types to watch out for and what are some that are available in most urban areas that could be used to make home made perches..etc... anything to watch out for? post your replies here

[HyperD]

http://www.newlifeparrotrescue.org.uk/w ... &width=300

I am not sure what types of tree's you have in NZ... I know when I first checked these lists that I didn't recognise 70% of the tree names!

Luckily I have a weeping willow tree that is safe so I get her chewing wood from that one

[Kim S]

I was wondering about nettle. A lot of lists have it as a dangerous or even toxic plant for parrots. But to my knowledge it is a medcinal plant. Used for humans as well as animals to lower bloodpressure, purify blood and as a stimulus for the digestive system.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Also be careful if purchasing from a hardware store or lumberyard not to buy treated wood to use for toys.

[lzver]

http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml

This is the site I used when I was researching the material to make the playstand. Seems to be a pretty comprehensive list.

[Brittanyv326]

I'm confused by all of the lists online. I wish they had more details about subspecies. It says pine and palm are safe, which in southwest Florida both are abundant. But there are no specifications to the subspecies. There are hundreds of different types of palm and several different types of pine. Many come from different parts of the world. We have the native species of slash pine, then we have the invasive Australian pine, and they're not very similar, so how can we say just "pine" is safe? Or have ALL been checked and deemed safe? We also have date palms, royal palms, travelers palms, queens palms, coconut palms, ponytail palms, sago palms, oil palms, bottleneck palms... The list is endless and these trees come from everywhere! I'm a bit of a palm tree lover, we have about 7 types in our own yard, so I realize these trees differ greatly. I've also taken quite a few classes about the SWFL environment, it really interests me and I'm confident that I can easily identify the tree if only I had a more specific reference of safe vs unsafe... Can they all really be safe? I know the feral populations of Quaker Parrots have been spotted eating dates of the date palms, so I might just go with those... I don't know though. What are your thoughts on this?

[Brittanyv326]

Also, I read that site before when I was researching and it goes into a little more detail about pine, but says to make sure it's aged a year or two? So I have to keep a stick for a year before it's safe? Not sure I have the room just to keep sticks hanging around for a couple years... Can't I treat it by cleaning it and baking it?

[TheNzJessie]

im also confused wiht all the lists online thats why i created this thread so people can list form there knowledge what to use out of experience rather than science

[HyperD]

make sure it's aged a year or two?

I would assume it means it was growing and attached to the tree for that period rather than from picking?

Baking it is perfectly fine for removing any nasties in the wood.

If you clean using any products, obviously make sure that it is thoroughly rinsed

[TheNzJessie]

does anyone know if bamboo is safe?