Building Gym From PVC

[chris686]

My birds have been awfully noisy recently, so I'm going to move them into another room and bring them out during the day to sit on a play gym.

I've actually designed the gym already and I'm going to use PVC pipe to put it all together, and I'm pretty excited. Especially since various gyms I've seen online are way overpriced at $200+. However, I need some suggestions as far as making it safe and more appealing.

I've got a (plus)+ shaped base that is currently 2x2 feet. The entire gym will be exactly 66" tall.

It won't be top heavy as far as I'm aware, but I'm sure there's a safe ratio of base width and depth vs height. Does anyone have any insight on that? The height is basically exactly where I want it, but I'd like to keep the footprint as small as possible while keeping it safe since my place is small.

Also, of course, the pipe is all white. I believe there's some special tape that can be used to make things a bit more colorful, but I don't remember what it's called.

The special PVC joints I've required aren't standard things you can buy at Lowe's or Home Depot, so I'm picking them up from here:
PVC Projects, Plans, Furniture Grade PVC Fittings, Pipe and accessories | FORMUFIT
Their shipping is $7 on a $10 order though, so if anyone knows a place more affordable, that'd be great. College student... ballin' on a budget.

Finally, beyond using tape I'd like to put something a little more organic on the pipes at certain spots. I'm thinking some tightly compressed rope would be nice, though I may just end up drilling branches straight into the PVC. Any suggestions on different textures to put on the pipes?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Terry57]

The only part of your questions I can help with is the tape part - we used vet wrap on our stand. I am not creative at all and I am sure that more handy folks will be able to help you with the rest Good luck, it sounds like it is going to be fantastic!

 

[RavensGryf]

I'm excited about that website link you provided... It has been in my mind for a while now to build a PVC stand as well. When life gets slightly less hectic than it's been lately, I will be able to devote a moment to thinking about designing and planning it.
I LOVE the joint shapes and colors that website offers! I'll consider them.
The shipping is pretty steep on a lot of websites unfortunately for us on the buying end. I hope you have a good experience with the company. I'm always a little weary of purchasing things online even with a secure server. People always tell me not to worry about it.

Good luck and have fun building! I can't wait to see it.

 

[chris686]

I'll definitely post. Spring break is next week for me, and I'm going to put this thing together. As for purchasing online, the safest thing is to use a credit card. I use my Chase card, and if someone were to make fraudulent purchases with the card, they're reversed easily with a phone call.

And thanks Terry. That is exactly what I was looking for. Know of any places that sell an assorted color pack for a reasonable price? I'll be looking around now since I'll have to order, but I think I have everything picked out.

Going to place the order for the parts tonight and hopefully get them before the weekend.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Check out some of these awesome playstands:

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/37154-new-diy-perches-coqui-savannah.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/36562-linnie-land-my-diy-playgym-small-birds.html

 

[Blancaej]

Thanks for finding those and sharing them Wendy. Not easy to do from my phone.

Hope they help!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Thanks for finding those and sharing them Wendy. Not easy to do from my phone.

Hope they help!

Those are some of the nicest playstands ever made, Blanca! I can't tell you how often I dig them up. I now have them in my favorite folder, LOL, for a quick find.

 

[Terry57]

Petsmart here in Canada used to carry vet wrap, but doesn't any more. We get ours from a little local shop. Looks like amazon has some in different colours

 

[riddick07]

Go to a tack shop! You can get pretty much any color vetrap from a tack shop including pink and lime green. You might have to visit a couple for different color selections. Statelinetack or dover saddlery sell online. There are sure to be others but those are the ones I order horse stuff from online most of the time.

 

[chris686]

Update:
Gym is completed, though I still have a lot I want to add to make it easier to traverse levels.

My green cheek really likes it so far, but the cockatiel is still terrified. I can get him to stand on it for a minute, but then he just flies right back to me. Both birds really like the sisal rope.

The jumbled mess of rope was my attempt at making one of these:
CPTT...lotsa knots
And the extremely poor instruction: "Cut rope to desired length."

My rope wasn't nearly long enough, and it was very difficult tying that stuff. Fortunately, it works okay as a perch.

I bought the wrap from Tractor Supply. It was cheaper than anywhere else. Something around $2.79.

A few tips for anyone looking to make one in the future:
-Get extra PVC.
-The cheap PVC cutters from Amazon rated up to 1.5" will cut 1" PVC with a lot of work.
-Try to make the entire thing climbable. My GCC continuously tries to climb the bare white PVC, and it doesn't work of course.
-Get extra vet wrap. This gym is slightly larger than 2x2 (Remember when I said extra PVC ). Three rolls were used to cover what is in the picture.

Here's a breakdown of the cost (approx):
1. 10 feet 1" PVC - $2
2. 35 feet 1/2" PVC - Around $7.
3. PVC Joints and caps - Around $30
4. Eye hooks - $3
5. 100ft Sisal Rope - $6
6. Vet wrap - $8

Tools
1. PVC cutter - $12
2. Drill - Free, borrowed from brother
3. Measuring tape.
4. Patience

Total
$68

I'm likely off by about $5, but I can't complain. I still need a way to mount a couple bowls, and I'll probably just buy a sheet of plastic to put underneath that will be easy to wipe.

 

[Birdman666]

Petsmart here in Canada used to carry vet wrap, but doesn't any more. We get ours from a little local shop. Looks like amazon has some in different colours

I got mine online. Ordered it by the case at a significant discount, I believe it was Horse.com.

 

[Girl4Jesus83]

One tip I found on Pintrest (which in checking the link brings my to this forum lol) is that instead of using the tape for the pipes you can use a special bit for a drill or dremell tool that gives texture to the pipe. So it isn't slippery and no tape to chew and constantly replace
http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/15622-pvc-bird-play-gym-stand-2.html