Safety of perches made from foreign woods

[Cosmographer]

Hello all,

I've been searching for the toxicity of wood to birds, but have been encountering difficulty in finding anything conclusive on wood mostly commonly found in my region. Specifically:

Santol (aka Cotton Fruit tree [Sandoricum koetjape])
Dao (aka New Guinea walnut [Dracontomelon dao])
Meranti (aka Philippine mahogany [Shorea genus])
Kakawate (aka Madre de Cacao [Gliricidia sepium])
Kalachuchi (aka Temple Flower[Plumeria acuminata])

Does anyone happen to know the safety of these woods?

 

[noodles123]

I am not sure about the wood types, but here is a copy and paste from something I just wrote about this:

In terms of wooden toys (which aren't cheap), standard wood at the hardware store (like plywood) is chemically treated/unsafe and "wild" wood isn't necessarily safe if it was grown anywhere near a road where it could absorb run-off, or was treated with pesticides or fungicides at any time in it's lifetime- on top of that, the wood of certain trees is toxic, so if you find a pristine tree that is non-toxic and far away from man-kind (lol) then you have to remove the bark, scrub it and bake it to kill larvae, fungi, and bacteria/viruses (as captive birds don't have the same immune systems of wild birds, and because even if they did (which, again, they don't), 90% of the time, the diseases, insects and tree bark we could provide would be non-native to their natural habitats.

Black walnut trees and fruit= toxic for sure- so not all walnut is safe..not sure about your variety.
Madre de Cacao makes me think "mother of cocoa", and chocolate is not safe for birds, so if they is any relation, I would be wary of that (just a guess- no clue).

 

[SailBoat]

When asking about specific trees found in a specific region, its just kinder if your list the area that you are referring too. I can guess based on the home region of this of that tree, but they can be transferred (historical or currently), which can change the status of a tree based on chemicals commonly used in the new area.

 

[Cosmographer]

I'm in the Philippines, and these trees are all commonly found here. In fact it's hard to find good wood for perches that are not among those listed, unfortunately

 

[SailBoat]

Rating trees as to their safety is an involved process as it requires determining the ability of the tree to collect and store toxins. Since the vast majority of us have neither the training or time we can resort to a few tried processes of time.

Smell: Whether pleasant or odious, wood that has or develops a smell can also develop or hold a toxin. The stronger, the greater one's concern should be. Where North American Pine has a very light scent, North American Cedar has a heavier, longer lasting smell. Here, pine is actively used and cedar is avoided.

Fruit Trees: As a group, they tend to hold toxins and as a group should be avoided.

Soft wood: Soft to very soft wood tend to hold toxins within its more open fibers, but they likewise flow out during rainy seasons. The greatest concern is with chemicals used to either kill the tree or bugs that are commonly attracted to them.

Medium to Hard wood: This group tend to grow slower than the soft to very soft woods and have tighter fibers, which tend not to collect toxins as readily. This is a very larger group and contain such great diversity as North American Pine and White Oak.

Please remember to remove the bark from the branches and wash with a soap like Dawn Origin, dish washing soap. Rise well and allow to dry in bright sunlight.

We have an expert among our members here and with hope he will spot this Thread and comment on your specific list.

 

[noodles123]

Certain woods are genuinely toxic on their own -- in the same way that poison is toxic...so you can't just assume that all wood is safe based on generalizations (even if you are certain it was never touched by chemicals).
The stuff about scents etc = helpful, but I would look for further answers before taking that risk (It's true, what was said, but it's not 100%).

 

[eigenflock]

I’m from the Philippines too. You can use Guava tree/branches. They’re safe for birds. Here’s a photo of my flocks play area. The bigger standing one is a guava tree (local) and the one in the left is a Java tree (from the US). Hope this helps.

 

[Katdemsy]

I’m from the Philippines too. You can use Guava tree/branches. They’re safe for birds. Here’s a photo of my flocks play area. The bigger standing one is a guava tree (local) and the one in the left is a Java tree (from the US). Hope this helps.

Hi I’m from the Philippines as well. Where did you get your guava perch? Been looking but unfortunately all I can find is Madre de cacao perches which I’m not sure if safe.