The Cube

[cornettocockatiel]

Thats actually an incredibly good toy! Thanks! I'll try this!!!

[Shelby]

That's really great! Also, the plastic is more slippery the wood, so the wood has better grip and that's always better

There is something you can buy at horse supply shops and feed stores that often goes by the name of "vet wrap". It is basically a throw-away ace bandage type thing that sticks to itself and comes in big rolls. You can get it in all colors and I've heard of lots of people wrapping it around the pvc on their playstands to help the birds grip better. Plus, when it gets dirty, you can just unwrap it, throw it away, and put on clean wrap so you don't have to dismantle the playstand to clean it. It's also pretty cheap!

[aisell]

That is great think for playing, where exactly you bought it?

[Julianajara]

wooow thats the most amazing idea!!, and it seems really easy to make, despite of the knots in the middle im gonna to improvise on those hehe.
im gonna make one too!! yey

[Julianajara]

Yeeah...it turns out its impossible for me to make an awesome cube like that.
When I got on their site, zoo-max.com, they have a lot of toys and stands os this material, and they write there that its a special pvc with no bla bla bla that its totally safe for the bird, and I cant find it here in brazil. Do tou guys know if normal pvc, like pipes, are safe for birds?? I thought about making istead of pvc, use aluminium, i would be light and safe not colorful but good, what you guys think?

[Polarn]

I dont know i went for wood, since i got plenty of trees growing outside, but no idea what pvc would be safe to use etc. aluminium soundsl ike a plan though becouse the woodswing i got is quite heavy.

[allirho]

If you're going to go with aluminum, though, I would be wary about it being too light.
When your bird lands on it from flight it could swing uncontrollably because there is no weight to hold it down.
You could always add a heavier wooden piece to the bottom as a swing like Polarn did and this may give it some weight to keep it steadier for your bird.
Of course it's all up to the bird's preference- this is only a concern for me because my budgie goes insane when he lands on anything that moves too much or too erratically.
Good luck!

[Julianajara]

yeah, you are both right. And the wood is much easier for me to cut ^^
What kind of woods are safe for birds??
or...i could just buy those simple perches, and use them ^^
but how to tight the tips, since there is no piece like that orange one on the pvc cube on the photo.
maybe tight it with cotton rope?

[Polarn]

As for woods safe in your area I have no clue (I am generally quite clueless about the names of different trees so I won't even attempt to answer that) however, you should find out what trees in your area that are safe (assuming you have access to pick branches etc) it is better for the birds to have natural perches rather than the regular smooth ones, it is a good way to make different swings/playstands etc. I chop slices every now and then drill holes in them and press treats into the holes "forcing" the bird to chew up the wood from the edges in to get to the treats/food. Anyways if you got access to fresh branches you can find a lot of use for them.

As for getting the corners together, personally I drilled a hole about halfway throught and then used a stainless steel screw and screwed them together, the reason for drilling a hole half way through was mostly to make it more interesting to chew the wood to peices than fiddling with the screws...

[allirho]

yeah, you are both right. And the wood is much easier for me to cut ^^
What kind of woods are safe for birds??
or...i could just buy those simple perches, and use them ^^
but how to tight the tips, since there is no piece like that orange one on the pvc cube on the photo.
maybe tight it with cotton rope?

You could tie the corners with cotton rope, though it depends on your bird and how good it is at shredding/ripping rope. If it will get through the rope sooner rather than later than you might want to look at a different method just for the sake of the longevity of the toy.
My budgie takes forever to chew through hemp, so I would go the cotton rope method.

You could use plain dowel perches if you wanted, but again, those are relatively light compared to other heavier woods. If you wanted to use plain dowel, I always wrap some kind of rope around the dowel along the length of it to create a texture to exercise the feet more.