Aluminum safety

[Kiwibird]

Hello all! I have been so crazy busy lately I haven't had time to participate on the forum much and probably won't be on here very much again until after Thanksgiving given the amount of renovations work being done to our home (and the fact quite a bit of it we will be doing ourselves to keep costs down) and my art still needing to be made. As some of you may remember, our kitchen/living room got destroyed in July and work to repair it will just be starting next week (seriously). Anyways, once the damage has been fixed, we will have water-phobic laminate flooring in the living room and one big beastie who likes to bathe in his dish and shake water everywhere. A solution to protect the flooring is necessary so I will be constructing some kind of "splash guard" to "re-route" water back into the cage so it doesn't ruin the new flooring. Yes, Kiwi will remain on on a floor protector but his splash radius extends far beyond the boundaries I can reasonably cover in such a small space as he's in. It's best if the water never leaves the cage in the first place.

If my memory serves me correctly, aluminum would be a safe material to use to construct the frames for the thin acrylic sheet I plan to use as a splash guard? I do have metal files to file down any sharp points etc... and would obviously use stainless hardware for assembly. Any foreseeable issues with using this as a material?:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-x-36-in-Aluminum-Flat-Bar-800217/204604762

 

[clark_conure]

I didn't know but came across this....
Safe Metals For Parrots

"Aluminum is also a safe metal. It doesn't rust like iron or steel, but instead corrodes into an aluminum oxide, a grayish white substance that is powdery in appearance. Unlike rust, aluminum oxide is non-toxic when ingested or handled."

 

[SailBoat]

Even as busy as you are, you mind is working well. Aluminum is, as stated above, safe.

Enjoy!

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks to you both. I was fairly certain aluminum was relatively safe for use around parrots and I doubt Kiwi will be chewing on these past possibly checking them out when brand new to see what they are. I purchased the aluminum yesterday and will be constructing those today or tomorrow then as I want them done before we have to start ripping stuff out/up this weekend in preparation for them to come haul it all away Monday.

Whenever I have time, I'll share how I made these as I've put a lot of thought into the most effective system and have come up with what I can only imagine will be an efficient design to trap and re-route water to the cage tray rather than the floor. I suspect other bird owners would like to make them too as they would also be good for messy food-flingers too.

 

[Scott]

Good luck with the renovations, April. At long last you are going to see positive results!!