Making a Playstand?

[Gypsy]

I want to make a big playstand for my Baby and was wondering what the best kinds of woods, and easiest kinds of wood to find were. I live in Wisconsin. I read that wood from fruit trees could be used, and I have an apple and a pear tree in my backyard, would either of these work? If not, what should I use? I am on a really limited budget right now, but Baby really needs some place to play. Oh, and she only has a stump for a left foot, so it cant be anything slippery or she will fall!

 

[Boo]

I made a playgym for my cockatiel a couple months ago out of PVC pipe, and I wrapped the pipes in sisal because although he has two feet, he was still slipping and sliding . Don't know if you would be interested, but I can give you more information if you think your bird would be able to use it! I think PVC would last longer than wood because it could get chewed up (not sure if your bird is a chewer). But I would recommend making it out of pine if you do choose to go with the wood, as it has been suggested by other people for making bird cages, etc.

Here are pictures of my PVC playgym:

Before wrapping in sisal:

After wrapping in sisal, and knitting a net (I don't have any "finished product" pictures, but all of the pipes are wrapped in sisal except the bottom square base, because they wouldn't be climbing on it anyway):

I'll take more pictures once I get my GCC then you can see him/her play on it!

 

[Gypsy]

Sisal? Is that like a twine or hemp? Or what ever they use on cat towers?

 

[suebee]

lol boo love the play stand though not sure what my nut would make of it

apple tree is fine from what i read but you must be sure its pesticide free and treat it in a way that will remove mites etc, i have been looking into making a perches for nut, and i've been trying to sorce wood that i can use

i am sure others will have info on how to treat the wood, but i think as she has 1 working foot, an whole branch with lots of of shoots will suit her best, giving her lots of things to grab with beak as well
and you can also add other things to the playstand

 

[Boo]

Sisal? Is that like a twine or hemp? Or what ever they use on cat towers?

It's like a twine . I'm actually not really sure what it is, but it looks just like hemp (not as soft though), but I googled if it was safe for birds and I saw som bird toys made with sisal. I just bought a big humongous cylinder-roll of sisal, and I didn't even use half of it maybe lol!

lol boo love the play stand though not sure what my nut would make of it

Thanks! And lmao My cockatiel doesn't really like it much because he's not really in to playing with toys. All he wants to do is sit on my shoulder . But my little brother has budgies and they LOVE it!

 

[triordan]

Boo~ I love your "net". Do you have instructions on how to make one??

 

[Sherrie]

I bought a nice 2-foot piece of untreated scrap lumber (with a little split) from Lowe's here in Raleigh and it cost $0.25 and they cut it for me! That and some cheap untreated dowels, natural sisal twine, and toys made a great play gym for my conure. I also made one of those nets for $6 with a spool of sisal, way cheaper than buying it. I just cut a whole bunch of long strips of sisal and laid them out in a net pattern, then start tying knots down them as you go along each string. It only took an hour or so. I also incorporated some toys and rings to hook new toys on into it. Super easy and the bird loves his net. I plan to add some leather strips in spots because the sisal is pretty harsh on little bird feet (so my bird tells me).

 

[Boo]

Boo~ I love your "net". Do you have instructions on how to make one??

My mom actually made it for me . We had some extra pieces of PVC pipe, 1" thick, andd my mom took four pieces, make two "knitting needles" (two PVC pipes = 1 needle lol!) and she just basically knitted the rope! I was asked the same question on another forum, and someone asked what kind of stitch she used. I don't know what the stitch is called, I just know it's the simplest one. It's the first one I learned, and you go "through the door, around the house, and back through the door, and out the window" or something like that . I'm sure any stitch would work, just be sure to make it loose so there's gaps in it.

 

[wildheart]

I have an apple and a pear tree in my backyard, would either of these work? If not, what should I use? I am on a really limited budget right now, but Baby really needs some place to play. Oh, and she only has a stump for a left foot, so it cant be anything slippery or she will fall!

How long have you been living at this home - do you know if the people before you maybe treated the trees with pesticide?

Here are links to safe trees both apple and pear are listed under safe wood.
Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages.
Wood / Trees / Bushes Considered Safe for Birds

• Before installing them in any cage, scrub all branches with a non-toxic disinfectant, such as hydrogen peroxide, GSE. As an additional benefit, GSE also has good anti-parasitic properties. Then rinse and dry well.
• There may be insects hiding within the branches. The best way to kill little unwanted critters is to bake the perches in the oven on 250F for an hour or so. This should kill any fungi, bugs, eggs, etc. that could be in or on the wood.
• Some resources recommend using bleach to disinfect the wood / perches, but bleach is toxic and penetrates the wood, potentially posing a danger to your bird's health. If bleach is used anyhow, rinse thoroughly and soak in clear water. Allow to dry.

Two examples for you:

Bought this one:

Hubby made this one: Sorry I dont have a better picture.

The umbrella was just used cause it was hot that day.

 

[Boo]

Wildheart - That is an AWESOME play stand!! I absolutely love it! The natural wood looks great, and it's just lke having your own tree . Plus it's great for hanging toys off of! My PVC playgym is kind of hard because the pipes are 1" thick and most toys were meant for cage bars.

 

[henpecked]

I make stands and perches from old floor lamps, the bigger the base the better. There's usually a bolt in the top to attach a perch to . Plenty of sites with safe/unsafe woods.