Design play gym

[JackD]

Hello,
I am doing my Bachelor in Fine Arts and Design (BFA)at university specialising in ceramics. In a months time i start a new set of classes and planning on designing and building a large parrot play gym for one of my classes. Mostly because i want to make something nice for my eclectus parrot Bohboh.haha
I know to keep perches not smooth and uneven. It will be mostly woodwork construction but i was planning the perches to have a ceramic cover. Mostly i am worried or concerned if ceramic or stone like material would make a parrot sick, if chewed on would if affect digestion system, or harmful to breathing? I have seen in pet shops cement perches. But still... i thought i might ask about this issue regarding safety of materials to use from you experienced and knowledgable folk.

[Pajarita]

I do not use anything made out of ceramic with my birds. It shatters into sharp shards. I would use natural branches and untreated rope (braids, knots, ladders, etc) for the play stand.

[Wolf]

One of the properties of ceramics that make it so useful is its hardness, but this quality also causes it to be brittle and that is an issue as it then breaks into glass like flakes and shards which are very dangerous for a bird. Do you have any way of overcoming this issue?