72" hardwood dowel needed

[Melissa2010B]

Hi flock!

We have Oz, our adorable umbrella cockatoo , in a big aviary and need a 72" hardwood perch for him that's about 1-1/4 to 1-3/8" diameter.

But it needs to be of a bird-safe wood:

Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages.

We're thinking maple?

I've asked and called around and everything seems to be for the furniture
maker, and isnt long enough for this.

I found this:
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Hardwood-Curtain-Closet-CAPITOL-LUMBER/dp/B001ACO3Q4]Amazon.com: 1-1/4" X 6' Hardwood Curtain / Closet Dowel Rods 3/pack [CAPITOL CITY LUMBER]: Home Improvement[/ame]

but they talk about "maple colored" so I suppose they cant guarantee maple.

No one locally in the Denver area seems to have it, and I've asked several
online sites and struck out with that too.

Does anyone know who might have it for a reasonable price. ( not like
hundreds of dollars for a rod? )

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Should be just a few bucks at your local hardware store.

If you'd consider anything near hundreds of dollars you're not just getting a rod, you're getting the shaft!

 

[Melissa2010B]

Should be just a few bucks at your local hardware store.

If you'd consider anything near hundreds of dollars you're not just getting a rod, you're getting the shaft!

Like I said, I've been calling around and went to Home Depot. Nada.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Really? EVERY hardware store around here has large dowels.

Ace, Home Depot, Lowes... Where are you located?

 

[Spiritbird]

Here is an idea for you. Recently at a Phoenix Landing class on perches the speaker brought lots of large an small tree branches in that were parrot safe. She goes to construction sites when the trees are being cut down and gets them for free. You have to know your trees. I took a large branch from a sycamore tree and washed it in the bathtub with water to cover and 10 - 15 drops of GSE.

 

[Melissa2010B]

Really? EVERY hardware store around here has large dowels.

Ace, Home Depot, Lowes... Where are you located?

The Denver area, and they all tell me that they carry different things in different parts of the country.

When you say "large", do you mean what I'm looking for?

72" x 1-1/4 D and maple?

 

[Spiritbird]

When I say large it is a large tree branch that was cut to the generic size of a cage for a perch. It is not a dowel. The more natural you have your aviary (and cage) the better for the birds. I am suggesting a tree branch that has been cut from a parrot safe tree. No stores are involved. You just go to construction sites where the trees are being cut or where trees are being pruned.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Not maple no. But bird safe ... Fir is the most common and easily accessible.

1-1/4 In. x 1-1/4 In. x Random Length White Fur Full Round Molding - 0L233-200RLC at The Home Depot

 

[HRH Di]

SB - I like your idea! I always thought that branches would be easier for the birds to hang on to as well.

 

[Spiritbird]

Except for the rope perches I have only natural tree perches in and out of the cage. I think Rosie likes them better too. The more curves in the branch the better. In the Phoenix Landing class on making perches we were also educated on the importance of having a platform inside the cage so the birds can stand with their feet flat for a while instead of always grasping a perch. When you find that large bird safe branch you cut a slice out for a platform. If anyone wants the directions for this just ask. Not too complicated. They even gave us directions for making the PVC pipe shower perch and orbit perch wich is really something. I am not that tallented.