Help with perch’s

[itslizze91]

My Conure, as of right now has a dowel perch and a natural wood perch. I want to replace the dowel with a good perch, but I need some options and I can’t figure out what to get.

 

[hiriki]

Personally I just peruse the bird section of pet stores like petsmart/petco for natural perches. Only two perches seems like not enough so you'll want to buy several.

If you need to buy perches online because of a lack of stores nearby, here's some options.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

I don't like shopping online because it's really hard to tell the size until they show up at your door... there's some options tho. I like the rope perches a lot, each of my cages has at least one, but you have to be careful that your bird doesn't pull the rope apart because loose string can be dangerous.

 

[LoveMyFids]

My Conure, as of right now has a dowel perch and a natural wood perch. I want to replace the dowel with a good perch, but I need some options and I can’t figure out what to get.

There's nothing wrong with dowel perches, as long as it's the right size for the bird's feet, however you want at least 3 perches in the cage. There are various applewood & manzanita wood perches at places like Chewy online, or Bonka Bird Toys. Bonka has various rope ones as well. As another person mentioned, rope can be very dangerous if the bird chews it. I would only put 1 rope perch in & as soon as you see any fraying, take it out. I actually didn't switch any of my birds to rope until they got older, to give their feet some comfort. With young birds, it's not needed unless they are major back & forth pacers that could be rough on their skin. I liked to do a dowel, a natural wood or two & 1 rope perch for variety. DON'T get the sand perches of any brand. Even the best quality "Sand Walk" perches aren't a great idea because they are all abrasive to the skin & if the bird chews on it, they can ingest the sand coating. Once the sand coating gets chipped, the perch will chip more & more from cleaning, etc. (this happened to me & I had to toss them out & they aren't cheap!). It's best to not even go there I found. No matter what perches you buy, I would recommend to get 2 or 3 of each so that you always have a spare for switching them out. That way you won't run out if one breaks, or when they need to be laid out for a couple days to dry after cleaning. The rope perches are a pain to clean-as food gets in between the threads & those need a few days to dry out.

 

[itslizze91]

Personally I just peruse the bird section of pet stores like petsmart/petco for natural perches. Only two perches seems like not enough so you'll want to buy several.

If you need to buy perches online because of a lack of stores nearby, here's some options.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

I don't like shopping online because it's really hard to tell the size until they show up at your door... there's some options tho. I like the rope perches a lot, each of my cages has at least one, but you have to be careful that your bird doesn't pull the rope apart because loose string can be dangerous.

Thank you so much for replying!!

 

[itslizze91]

There's nothing wrong with dowel perches, as long as it's the right size for the bird's feet, however you want at least 3 perches in the cage. There are various applewood & manzanita wood perches at places like Chewy online, or Bonka Bird Toys. Bonka has various rope ones as well. As another person mentioned, rope can be very dangerous if the bird chews it. I would only put 1 rope perch in & as soon as you see any fraying, take it out. I actually didn't switch any of my birds to rope until they got older, to give their feet some comfort. With young birds, it's not needed unless they are major back & forth pacers that could be rough on their skin. I liked to do a dowel, a natural wood or two & 1 rope perch for variety. DON'T get the sand perches of any brand. Even the best quality "Sand Walk" perches aren't a great idea because they are all abrasive to the skin & if the bird chews on it, they can ingest the sand coating. Once the sand coating gets chipped, the perch will chip more & more from cleaning, etc. (this happened to me & I had to toss them out & they aren't cheap!). It's best to not even go there I found. No matter what perches you buy, I would recommend to get 2 or 3 of each so that you always have a spare for switching them out. That way you won't run out if one breaks, or when they need to be laid out for a couple days to dry after cleaning. The rope perches are a pain to clean-as food gets in between the threads & those need a few days to dry out.

Thank you so much for the help!!

 

[Free as a bird]

I go outside and pick some natural perches

 

[Rosy71]

There's nothing wrong with dowel perches, as long as it's the right size for the bird's feet, however you want at least 3 perches in the cage. There are various applewood & manzanita wood perches at places like Chewy online, or Bonka Bird Toys. Bonka has various rope ones as well. As another person mentioned, rope can be very dangerous if the bird chews it. I would only put 1 rope perch in & as soon as you see any fraying, take it out. I actually didn't switch any of my birds to rope until they got older, to give their feet some comfort. With young birds, it's not needed unless they are major back & forth pacers that could be rough on their skin. I liked to do a dowel, a natural wood or two & 1 rope perch for variety. DON'T get the sand perches of any brand. Even the best quality "Sand Walk" perches aren't a great idea because they are all abrasive to the skin & if the bird chews on it, they can ingest the sand coating. Once the sand coating gets chipped, the perch will chip more & more from cleaning, etc. (this happened to me & I had to toss them out & they aren't cheap!). It's best to not even go there I found. No matter what perches you buy, I would recommend to get 2 or 3 of each so that you always have a spare for switching them out. That way you won't run out if one breaks, or when they need to be laid out for a couple days to dry after cleaning. The rope perches are a pain to clean-as food gets in between the threads & those need a few days to dry out.

Hello ..
Just a question if you know . The wood perched like the manzanita .. is there any way a piece of that wood Can actually hurt the birds feet ? U know like humans wood can get a tiny piece that chips or we touch it and get a little splint on our hands or fingers i mean. My baby Quaker Cosmo he’s 3 months we have a long standing A& E cage that rolls and it did come with a dowel perch .. I have added a rope one and also one that tries nails but my daughter wants to change the original perch and scared she brakes it off as it doesn’t come out well .. but he does like it .. he is always on it .. don’t know if we change and then he doesn’t like it plus the cage one original goes completely from one end to the other so he can go to both sides ..
the other problem I have with him is he won’t eat the pellets .. he’s stuck on canary food the Tiny ones .. I put some pellets on top and won’t eat it . The ZuPreem Fruit blend .. he won’t eat it .. I feel he needs that more than canary food .. isn’t it more nutritious ?
And thanks

 

[hiriki]

Hello ..
Just a question if you know . The wood perched like the manzanita .. is there any way a piece of that wood Can actually hurt the birds feet ? U know like humans wood can get a tiny piece that chips or we touch it and get a little splint on our hands or fingers i mean. My baby Quaker Cosmo he’s 3 months we have a long standing A& E cage that rolls and it did come with a dowel perch .. I have added a rope one and also one that tries nails but my daughter wants to change the original perch and scared she brakes it off as it doesn’t come out well .. but he does like it .. he is always on it .. don’t know if we change and then he doesn’t like it plus the cage one original goes completely from one end to the other so he can go to both sides ..
the other problem I have with him is he won’t eat the pellets .. he’s stuck on canary food the Tiny ones .. I put some pellets on top and won’t eat it . The ZuPreem Fruit blend .. he won’t eat it .. I feel he needs that more than canary food .. isn’t it more nutritious ?
And thanks

I doubt the dowel that came with the cage is big enough for his feet honestly. I have never purchased a cage, including A&E cages, that came with a dowel big enough for any bird larger than a cockatiel. I'm sure it happens but personally I just chuck the dowels right away, if they're too small they're not good for the birds feet.

When buying perches I'm rarely concerned about splinters. Manzanita in particular is usually super smooth, it's just natural branches from the tree rather than being a piece of sanded and formed wood so splinters seem unlikely. I'm usually more on the lookout for dangerous mounting methods. You want to avoid perches that have wood screws that have the potential to come bare and scratch your bird.

I saw that cage in another thread and it does not have enough perches. For a cage that size I would aim for six or seven perches of different sizes and shapes, and I would throw away the perch that files nails. Those can cause irritation of the skin and if your quaker chews it, the sandy bits of plastic or sand can get stuck in his crop. They shouldn't even sell those honestly.

I would suggest adding way more perch variety and plenty of toys BEFORE removing the dowel. But I would personally remove the dowel.

As for food, is the canary mix seeds...? Why is he on canary mix? Is that what the store you got him from weaned him to? Regardless, there's plenty of options to make pellets more appealing, including baking birdie bread with pellets and mixing pellets into fresh food blends. I would browse the food section of the forums for some ideas.

 

[Rosy71]

Thanks for responding .
The dowel that came with the cage is pretty wide or thick like for Cosmo he’s 3 months old .. he loves to be there . I also have a rope one but he doesn’t stand on it much . And then the one you said to remove the nail filing one . His nails are long I need to take him to have them cut . I don’t want him getting hurt or breaking them because of it.

 

[hiriki]

Some birds need their nails trimmed occasionally, you can certainly work on training him to let you do that or you can have the vet or a pet shop do it, but perches that are advertised to help with that don't do much to help. Think about it--most of his weight is on the skin and muscles of his feet, he's not standing on his nails, it may file them slightly but it's probably just going to be uncomfortable or even cause sores, and worst case if he decides to chew on it the sandy particles could lacerate his crop.

I've never heard a vet or experienced parrot owner recommend those perches.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I go outside and pick some natural perches

Don't use branches from outdoors as perches unless you are 100% certain they aren't contaminated by pesticides, vehicle fume resides, other chemicals, and pests (insects, mites, etc.) Peel all loose bark off and clean thoroughly with hot soapy water and a scrub brush and let dry for several days before using. Better yet, purchase a few good perches.

 

[Rosy71]

Some birds need their nails trimmed occasionally, you can certainly work on training him to let you do that or you can have the vet or a pet shop do it, but perches that are advertised to help with that don't do much to help. Think about it--most of his weight is on the skin and muscles of his feet, he's not standing on his nails, it may file them slightly but it's probably just going to be uncomfortable or even cause sores, and worst case if he decides to chew on it the sandy particles could lacerate his crop.

I've never heard a vet or experienced parrot owner recommend those perches.

Thank you so much ! I am taking him to get them trimmed in a pet shop. And I will be removing that one and replacing with another perch . I appreciate your help. Thanks !

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thanks for responding .
The dowel that came with the cage is pretty wide or thick like for Cosmo he’s 3 months old .. he loves to be there . I also have a rope one but he doesn’t stand on it much . And then the one you said to remove the nail filing one . His nails are long I need to take him to have them cut . I don’t want him getting hurt or breaking them because of it.

It seems odd that at only three months old he already needs his nails trimmed. Normal nails are pretty long and sharp to allow the bird to cling strongly to tree trunks and branches. Parrots frequebrl6 climb like woodpeckers- in fact, their toes are arranged two pointing back and two pointing front just like all woodpeckers' toes are! Perching birds have thre pointing front and only one pointing back. It takes long sharp claws to cling to and climb tree trunks to nest in tree hollows. That said, I doubt his nails are too long. They may feel too long and sharp when he walks on your arm but that doesn't mean they need trimming.
Ask your vet before letting a pet store employee cut his nails.

 

[Rosy71]

It seems odd that at only three months old he already needs his nails trimmed. Normal nails are pretty long and sharp to allow the bird to cling strongly to tree trunks and branches. Parrots frequebrl6 climb like woodpeckers- in fact, their toes are arranged two pointing back and two pointing front just like all woodpeckers' toes are! Perching birds have thre pointing front and only one pointing back. It takes long sharp claws to cling to and climb tree trunks to nest in tree hollows. That said, I doubt his nails are too long. They may feel too long and sharp when he walks on your arm but that doesn't mean they need trimming.
Ask your vet before letting a pet store employee cut his nails.

Donna good morning ..
I am attaching pictures of close up of pics of his feet .. to see what you think . Thanks ..
I just don’t want him breaking a nail because it’s too long .. idk I read that guy that posted something about a nail falling off here so I got scared . But let me know they do seem long and I did have birds when I was a kid, well my mom did but yea at home but I don’t rem that I do rem my mom at times cutting wings but there were other times when she wouldn’t . And my daughter mentioned about my mom putting a fabric yes she put a fabric tied around I think was the food he was in an open cage not a closed one .. always .. and he would get his beak and grab and wrap around like a little old man and just go to sleep he never broke it or anything he would just use it for covering himself like a sweater . He was a red head conure Paco… and nothing ever happened to him with that .. my mom would change it to a new one after a couple of months .. she loved birds .. later we had another one Cookie .. she always wanted a Macaw but she had ringing in the ears and was afraid since they are very loud .. so we never got one . She had lupus we don’t know why she had ringing in ears my dad would say was the birds but no we always said no .. coulda been a vitamin deficiency. Wish she was alive today so I could consult with her and she would love Cosmo .. but life sadly is what it is .. I’m next .. I am also attaching a picture of the toy that he has next to him it’s not a blanket like my daughter says it’s just a plush and he always stays next to it to sleep .. our upstairs is very cold at night !
I do cover with a real blanket most of the cage at night .. but inside it’s not a blanket I bought it at the pet store .. so I would never think it would be bad or why sell it ? Idk
thanks Donna ! Appreciate it .

 

[wrench13]

Wow a lot of opinions on this thread. I will give you mine.

Nail length -the way to tell if they are too long, put your parrot on a flat surface and look at the front of each toe next to the claw. If that section is not in contact with the flat surface, the claw is too long. Take care in trimming them, just a tiny bit at a time, so you dont make it bleed.

Perches - chuck the dowel perches and get natural ones that have a variety of diameters on them. Even a right sized dowel perch does not give the foot a change in position.

Food - be very careful changing his food. Parrots are quite capable of starving themselves to death if only new food is available. Change foods over a period of weeks and even months. Pellets - it can take a long time for a parrot to accept pellets. There are so many out there too. Some are considered better then others, like Harrisons or Tops, but really the best pellet is the one your parrot will actually eat! FYI it took my Amazon, Salty, many months before he saw pellets as food and even now he uses them as an all day snack type food rather then his main course!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Donna good morning ..
I am attaching pictures of close up of pics of his feet .. to see what you think . Thanks ..
I just don’t want him breaking a nail because it’s too long .. idk I read that guy that posted something about a nail falling off here so I got scared . But let me know they do seem long and I did have birds when I was a kid, well my mom did but yea at home but I don’t rem that I do rem my mom at times cutting wings but there were other times when she wouldn’t . And my daughter mentioned about my mom putting a fabric yes she put a fabric tied around I think was the food he was in an open cage not a closed one .. always .. and he would get his beak and grab and wrap around like a little old man and just go to sleep he never broke it or anything he would just use it for covering himself like a sweater . He was a red head conure Paco… and nothing ever happened to him with that .. my mom would change it to a new one after a couple of months .. she loved birds .. later we had another one Cookie .. she always wanted a Macaw but she had ringing in the ears and was afraid since they are very loud .. so we never got one . She had lupus we don’t know why she had ringing in ears my dad would say was the birds but no we always said no .. coulda been a vitamin deficiency. Wish she was alive today so I could consult with her and she would love Cosmo .. but life sadly is what it is .. I’m next .. I am also attaching a picture of the toy that he has next to him it’s not a blanket like my daughter says it’s just a plush and he always stays next to it to sleep .. our upstairs is very cold at night !
I do cover with a real blanket most of the cage at night .. but inside it’s not a blanket I bought it at the pet store .. so I would never think it would be bad or why sell it ? Idk
thanks Donna ! Appreciate it .

The nails look perfectly normal. Just because they prick our bare skin doesnt mean they are too long. If the nails get caught in your clothing causing him to struggle to get loose the vet can carefully round the tips. Don't trim them!

Pet stores sell a lot of things that are "potentially unsafe" all it takes is one bird to chew the fabric and either choke or get trapped or strangled in a loose thread for most experienced bird people to never take a chance.
Birds tend to love cozy huts, especially very young birds but most people "in the know" won't risk using them. I let my baby budgie use one when she was less than six weeks old only. They don't need them in the wild. If you want him to have a sheltered sleeping place, get some hanging climbing toys and create a walled "room" around his sleeping perch for him to hide it. Always inspect any toys regularly for loose fibers and parts.

If you want supplemental heat in the winter you can purchase a "snuggle up" perchside heater that plugs into the wall and attaches to the bars. About $35 on Amazon. He can get closer or move away for comfort.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The nails look perfectly normal. Just because they prick our bare skin doesnt mean they are too long. If the nails get caught in your clothing causing him to struggle to get loose the vet can carefully round the tips. Don't trim them!

Pet stores sell a lot of things that are "potentially unsafe" all it takes is one bird to chew the fabric and either choke or get trapped or strangled in a loose thread for most experienced bird people to never take a chance.
Birds tend to love cozy huts, especially very young birds but most people "in the know" won't risk using them. I let my baby budgie use one when she was less than six weeks old only. They don't need them in the wild. If you want him to have a sheltered sleeping place, get some hanging climbing toys and create a walled "room" around his sleeping perch for him to hide it. Always inspect any toys regularly for loose fibers and parts.

If you want supplemental heat in the winter you can purchase a "snuggle up" perchside heater that plugs into the wall and attaches to the bars. About $35 on Amazon. He can get closer or move away for comfort.

Cosmo has really cute feetz!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My Conure, as of right now has a dowel perch and a natural wood perch. I want to replace the dowel with a good perch, but I need some options and I can’t figure out what to get.

Perches, perches, perches! We all want our birdies to have the best orthopedic perches, for good reasons. We'll, my budgie Rocky has every proper perch millet money could buy b

But her favorite sleeping perch is- a ZIP TIE LOOP! Yup. A stupid zip loop that suspends her swing perch. Here's a (somewhat blurry) shot.
Her cage is a 24x30x24 plexiglass fully fan ventilated bird "cage" (less mess for Mama). She loves her cage without bars but with plenty of great shredding toys, climbing toys and REAL PERCHES, but she chooses to sleep in a darn zip tie loop! Her feet are very healthy. Vet says Okay. Go figure. She's Rocky and she does want she wants!

 

[Rosy71]

Wow a lot of opinions on this thread. I will give you mine.

Nail length -the way to tell if they are too long, put your parrot on a flat surface and look at the front of each toe next to the claw. If that section is not in contact with the flat surface, the claw is too long. Take care in trimming them, just a tiny bit at a time, so you dont make it bleed.

Perches - chuck the dowel perches and get natural ones that have a variety of diameters on them. Even a right sized dowel perch does not give the foot a change in position.

Food - be very careful changing his food. Parrots are quite capable of starving themselves to death if only new food is available. Change foods over a period of weeks and even months. Pellets - it can take a long time for a parrot to accept pellets. There are so many out there too. Some are considered better then others, like Harrisons or Tops, but really the best pellet is the one your parrot will actually eat! FYI it took my Amazon, Salty, many months before he saw pellets as food and even now he uses them as an all day snack type food rather then his main course!

hello thanks for responding .. good morning .
That great your tip for the nails I will do that in a bit and let you know . Gosh no I don’t want him to bleed .. there is a pet store here called Beverly’s they do it but I know it all depends how good the person is that’s actually cutting the nails I imagine .. they charge $10 .. and the new vet I’m going to on Dec 1st charges $48 but idk mayb better to let the vets office do it .. if it’s needed
As to the perch .. is there any specific one brand you recommend ? We have the
A & E Floor rolling cage it’s longer than it is wider ..

The nails look perfectly normal. Just because they prick our bare skin doesnt mean they are too long. If the nails get caught in your clothing causing him to struggle to get loose the vet can carefully round the tips. Don't trim them!

Pet stores sell a lot of things that are "potentially unsafe" all it takes is one bird to chew the fabric and either choke or get trapped or strangled in a loose thread for most experienced bird people to never take a chance.
Birds tend to love cozy huts, especially very young birds but most people "in the know" won't risk using them. I let my baby budgie use one when she was less than six weeks old only. They don't need them in the wild. If you want him to have a sheltered sleeping place, get some hanging climbing toys and create a walled "room" around his sleeping perch for him to hide it. Always inspect any toys regularly for loose fibers and parts.

If you want supplemental heat in the winter you can purchase a "snuggle up" perchside heater that plugs into the wall and attaches to the bars. About $35 on Amazon. He can get closer or move away for comfort.

Donna thanks .. ok I will ask the vet to round them .. as to the plush

The nails look perfectly normal. Just because they prick our bare skin doesnt mean they are too long. If the nails get caught in your clothing causing him to struggle to get loose the vet can carefully round the tips. Don't trim them!

Pet stores sell a lot of things that are "potentially unsafe" all it takes is one bird to chew the fabric and either choke or get trapped or strangled in a loose thread for most experienced bird people to never take a chance.
Birds tend to love cozy huts, especially very young birds but most people "in the know" won't risk using them. I let my baby budgie use one when she was less than six weeks old only. They don't need them in the wild. If you want him to have a sheltered sleeping place, get some hanging climbing toys and create a walled "room" around his sleeping perch for him to hide it. Always inspect any toys regularly for loose fibers and parts.

If you want supplemental heat in the winter you can purchase a "snuggle up" perchside heater that plugs into the wall and attaches to the bars. About $35 on Amazon. He can get closer or move away for comfort.

donna good morning
I want gonna cut them myself .. ha no way I would not dare .. but I think I will just wait for vet appt which is now dec 1st ..
the pet store I’m not gonna risk it .. better in a doctors office. Assuming he needs it .
You know pet store charges $10 and vet charges $ 48 . I asked .. but if it’s better then that’s great. The girl in front said doctor may suggest a food he has but I don’t wanna get something that Cosmo won’t eat .. let’s see ..
also I feel bad for Cosmo as he just sleeps next to that yellow fabric .. our house is very cold upstairs and my daughter room more as her only window faces the neighbors side house so her room is the coldest of all . I do cover the cage with a blanket not too thick but not a regular thin one either I hope he’s ok with the coldness . The strings on it I tightened both in back so he Cna touch them anymore but you think he will bite the fabric off? I haven’t seen him do it as of yet .. but I guess if dangerous then mayb I should take off .. which there was another thing similar I could put for him there to be next to that’s soft .. for sleep time .. it’s actually where he goes to most of the time like his safe place .. when he is scared like if a noise or tv he just goes around cage and well doesn’t fluff up .. then later goes back to that spot and fluffs up and just chills there ..
he’s very cute .. the perch side heaters .. isn’t that dangerous maybe him burning himself ? Last question is too many perches bad?
Don’t birds need a little flying space? He has 3 but I’m gonna remove the filing nail one that cute and he likes to another one I ordered thats wood .. I will send pic when it arrives .. thanks Donna !
Hope your birdies are all doing good

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I didn't read all the responses, so I dunno if this has been mentioned. If you can get perches with bark on them, birds LOVE to shred the bark! Hours of entertainment! MY cockatiels and conure love their perches where they can shred the covering to nothing, LOL!