pvc glue

[Owlet]

Reposting due to yesterdays wipe.

If I used PVC glue, would it be okay for the bird to chew in that area? I found some fun toy designs that use PVC and I wanted to make them secure somehow but I don't know what would be safe.

 

[EllenD]

Nope...At least I wouldn't and haven't ever when making PVC stands/gyms/toys, and I've made a tons of them over the years, like hundreds of them for myself and other people (I sold them on Craigslist for a time, I took special-orders for stands and play-gyms)...I never once used any type of glue at all on them, and never had any issues.

You have to assume that anything your bird is going to stand on, let alone a toy they are meant to play with and chew on, they are going to eventually get the glue in their mouths, and any of those types of glues are very toxic. So it's just not a risk you want to take, at least I wouldn't...But the main thing is that you shouldn't need to use any glue anyway.

I understand that making toys out of PVC piping/fittings is different than making stands and gyms, because you WANT and NEED the stands and the gyms to be able to be disassembled and then reassembled, whereas with a toy like the one above you want it to be permanently put together. But as long as you use the proper-size piping and fittings, they stay together very well, especially if you use a rubber-mallet to pound them together, it's almost impossible to get the regular pressure-fit PVC piping/fittings apart if you use a rubber mallet to hammer them together....And if you are still worried about the toys coming apart, then just use threaded PVC piping and fittings that screw together. That way you're not going to have to be worrying about your birds accidentally ingesting any of the glue (which could be toxic in very minute amounts), the toys will stay together unless you unscrew them, and you'll be able to unscrew them and actually re-use piping and fittings for other toys in the future if you want to...And Lowes sells all of the multiple sizes of PVC piping and all of the fittings in multiple sizes as both threaded and not threaded, with not much difference in price at all (Home Depot has only a fraction of the PVC piping and fittings as Lowes does, and Lowes is also a fraction of the price as Home Depot...I've even tried ordering PVC piping and fittings online, and Lowes is still much less expensive, and my Local Lowes has tons and tons and tons of different fittings and sizes in-stock at all times, like 3 entire aisles of nothing but PVC piping and fittings, both sides of the aisles, whereas Home Depot has half an aisle,, just a tip)...

So yeah, if you don't want to use the regular pressure-fit PVC piping and fittings because you want to make toys that you're sure will stay together, then just use the threaded piping and fittings that screw together and not any type of glue or epoxy. That way it will be 100% safe for your birds, you can buy any piping/fittings that are not threaded in a threaded version, and the cost is pretty much the same.

 

[SailBoat]

As Ellen stated above, its just not worth it!
I'm aware of one brand of glue that is non-toxic, but that is out of some twenty plus brands on the market, some from the same supplier. Hence the likelihood of a mix-up is just to great. In addition to Ellen's recommendation one can use stainless steel screws as an added solution.
Ellen, thanks for the tip on Lowes selection and prices over Home Depot! Lowes is a fair trip compared to Home Depot locally.

 

[EllenD]

Yeah, I have absolutely no idea why there is such a difference in both selection and price between Lowes and Home Depot, but at least in the State College, PA, Altoona, PA, and Willimasport, PA stores (the 3 sets of both stores that I've been to personally), all 3 Lowes have a massive selection of all sizes of PVC piping and fittings, and all in threaded and non-threaded, different grades of PVC, different colors of PVC, etc., where all 3 Home Depots have basically nothing in-comparison, and their prices are ridiculous compared to Lowes as well.

If you were to go to Home Depot first you'd just assume that the selection at Lowes would be the same, as well as the pricing. So it's good to know, because we're talking the difference between a 4-way cross-fitting at Home Depot costing over $3 a piece, while at Lowes they cost under $1 a piece!!! That's how big a difference there is...I built PVC stands and gyms for about 3 years off and on by advertising on Craigslist, and I did quite a business and made quite a large amount of money...If you look online anywhere that sells handmade PVC stands and gyms, like Etsy or any of the numerous online parrot stores that sell them, their prices are absolutely ridiculous, and that's what prompted me to start doing it. I would actually download the photos from the other places and offer the same stands and gyms for a good amount less, and I would still make a huge profit. For example, most places charge around $40-$50 for a basic floor T-Stand with 2 bowls on it, and that's it. The actual cost to make one of those, including the 2 stainless-steel bowls is under $20, with the 2 bowls being the bulk of the cost. But if you have a place you can buy the stainless steel bowls cheaply (not Petco or Petsmart, but a smaller, private pet shop like I have that sells them with the hardware in different sizes for around $3 a piece), then your cost for the entire stand will be around $12-$15...So I'd look at the average prices online and then sell a stand that cost me $12 to make for $35...It was great pocket money, and actually paid my car insurnce completely for 2 years!

I

 

[Owlet]

maybe I should start making and selling pvc stands