Another DIY Cage Question: Lumber, pipe or PVC?

[forbey]

Back to the proposed enclosure ...

If I use lumber, I know to NOT use treated lumber; however, looking over the approved/disapproved wood list, what can I get at Menards that will be appropriate for birds.

Would metal pipe work? Steel or aluminum tubing? Is galvanized really that big a problem? Can galvanized toxicity be neutralized or removed without damaging the galvanization?

Any problem wiith using a 2 inch PVC piping, especially if it is constructed outside the wire mesh?\


Thanks,

Forbey

 

[Molcan2]

Steel will rust and aluminum is HIGHLY toxic! I suggest sticking with the wood. PVC over time will crack and become brittle from expose to sunlight (or at least that is what happens in Florida). Here is the perfect site for building outdoor aviaries:

NaturalBird.com Indoor and Outdoor Aviary Building FAQ:

 

[forbey]

It all has to do with what kind of bird is going to be using the aviary/enclosure

At present it is an Blue Fronted Amazon. I hope to add a(some) additional birds. Potentally African Greys or Macaws.

 

[weco]

What kind of bird(s) are we wanting to enclose?

The lumber (2x2, 2x4, 2x6), available at most lumber vendors is pine, spruce, fir or other white wood, all of which would be OK, with your caging material (screening/fencing) affixed to the inside to keep the wood chewing to a minimum.....if using metal tubing and/or PVC, you would want to attach the (screening/fencing) to the outside for strength.....

Without discussing exotic metals, the metal pipe you would have available is steel/black pipe, which has a black paint coating to protect it from rusting; aluminum, is generally OK; metal electrical conduits, RMC, IMC and EMT & RAC are galvanized steel; In the PVCs, you might want to stay with grey tubing, designed for exterior use, as it would give you longer service, and the use of PVC glues/adhesives is OK after they have cured out.....best to do the majority of your gluing outdoors if this is to be an indoor cage...at least pre-assemble the larger parts to keep glue/adhasive odors to a minimum.....

Galvanizing is a surfacant, like paint, it coats the outside of the metal and while it can be sanded off, it's not practical to do so....as far as neutralizing the zinc in the galvanizing...not really, because it will always oxidize (develop a white powder like aging paint exposed to the elements does) and while it's not practical to try removing it, washing/brushing it down with vinegar will retard the oxidation, but it is not-a-one-only-proposition, you will need to do the washing/brushing, maybe several times a year, depending on how the local atmosphere treats the galvanization.....

Because of the way hot-dipped galvanize solution is applied to fencing, the fence is pulled through a hot bath & the solution tends to dry off in little drips of the zinc galvanizing, that bird, industrious little things that they are, might find interesting to break off & possibly ingest.....causing heavy metal poisoning.....

Electroplated galvanizing (normally recognized because it is shiny) applies a thinner coat of galvanizing solution, so you have a conundrum.....lots of choices.....but in any event, I would not use zip-ties...too easily chewed off.....instead, use hose clamps (they're stainless steel) & make sure the tightening nuts are on the outside, away from ambidextrous beaks...also you will want to trim the extra length of over sized strap after you tighten the clamp...grinding would probably be easiest.....


Good luck.....



Since you're building for large birds, your 2" PVC conduit/pipe choice would be right.


**Molcan, do you have any data/link that describes the toxicity of aluminum? I'd be very interested in reading it.....thanks