Using branches from outside?

[Zumaria]

When making gyms, perches etc. a lot of the DIY sites say just go outside and grab branches and get drilling!

Have you done this? I'm worried about bugs, pesticides, droppings from other birds etc. - how do you make sure the branches are safe?

 

[Birdman666]

I have, and the easiest thing I've found to do is take the branches down to your local self serve car wash, and wash them real good with a high pressure soap and water treatment, and then, rinse them really well...

Be prepared to have people look at you funny, while you're doing it...

The things we do for our fids, eh?!

 

[SilverSage]

I have, but I wash with vinegar and inspect for bugs. I also choose where I get my branches carefully, like from my own yard where I know we have not treated for years and years. I know the trees look healthy and have never had problems, etc. I have some friends that I have known for a long time with an apple tree, and I asked them if I could use some branches, and about if they had treated it ever, etc. You just have to be careful and do your research about each tree. Now I live in a new place and am worried about bringing in branches, I might actually find myself paying for natural perches from the pet store! Ugh!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I only use fresh branches from my backyard, I rinse and rinse and rinse with a high preassure hose. I also never use fallen branches, or from trees with bird nest(mites love those!).

 

[Agapornis]

I got some manzanita branches from way out in the country, far away from mankind or any kinds of pesticides...then I scrubbed each one really good with hydrogen peroxide, THEN i put them in the oven at 200 degrees for a few hours. :52: whew, im exhausted thinking about all that, but it was worth it! Hubby made the cutest play stand out of them.

So true, the things we do for these birds!

 

[Birdman666]

I was lucky when I lived in California. Manzanita grew wild there, and was considered a fire hazard. Once a year the Fire Dept. would ask for volunteers to help cut it down and haul it away. Most of it ended up at the rescue, but quite a bit of it ended up in my bird room!

 

[Zumaria]

I know! I was reading about Manzanita growing wild - I live in Chicago so the parks are few and far between, but I happen to have one right out my front door!

I'll see if there are any decent branches out there still attached and naked...

 

[MonicaMc]

Trees and leaves are fun to chew!!!

 

[strudel]

I've used the branches from my own trees. I don't use sprays anywhere so I know they don't have pesticides. Bugs I don't care about, they are all over my backyard, bird poo I'd never thought about. The odds of a bird having pooed on one of the zillion branches may not be that high, I don't know. I've recently had my trees lopped and branches to be used are lying about getting rained on, baked in the sun. I don't worry about it - maybe I should???

 

[crimson]

biggest concern for me would be critters, you may not see them but they are there.

great idea to take your branches to a car wash, the other thing you can do is put them in they dryer on high for 20 minutes(if they are small enough)

 

[Zumaria]

It's not so much that I worry about the POOP as the diseases in the poop...

I think I'm going to go branch trimming this weekend