DIY Natural Wood Perches and info by M.D. Vaden

Thank you to horticulturist Mario D. Vaden for allowing me to share his excellent information here.

Making natural wood parrot and bird perches

Copyright 2009 – Mario D. Vaden …… This is a companion page to Safe Woods for Pet Birds

The photos below illustrate one way of making bird perches. Another option is carving or shaving the ends of sticks and branches to wedge them between cage bars and fasten with leather or material. But the hardware method does allow the perches to be anchored very firmly. For the method below, select safe non-toxic wood and use stainless steel hardware. That's stainless steel washers, and whatever metal the bird can reach - but usually the washers. A few birds don't mess with the metallic stuff, but others do.

The methods below will work for both ends of a long perch if you take your time to measure - maybe even trimming the length twice as needed in small increments. After you find your perch wood, about the only other supplies needed are the hardware pieces.

Those are:

1. Washers. These in the photo are called fender washers.

These need to be big enough to span across the cage bars without slipping off. So measure the bars first - the width of the cage between the bars.

The washers have to be stainless steel to reduce or prevent the risk of zinc toxicity; a hazard with zinc fender washers. Match the center hole size to the hanger bolt - item 2. 
2. Hanger bolts. That is the threaded piece of hardware with a screw or lag type thread at one end and a machine thread at the other.

The machine thead end stays on the outside of the perch.

3. Wing nuts. I suppose you could use hexagonal nuts, but wing nuts are more convenient for many people.

If you use hex nuts, two of them can be used together to thread the hanger bolt into the perch wood with a wrench. See one of the images below.

At least in our case, the birds could only reach the washers. We bought stainless steel washers and were not too concerned about the metal content of the wing nuts or hanger bolts since those were out of reach on the outside of the cage.

These items (washers, nuts and hanger bolts) are available at most hardware stores. Sometimes the smaller hardware stores have a better selection of special hardware, or can order the pieces.

Be sure to match diameter of the washer hole with the hanger bolt diameter. Also check to see that the nut threads on the hanger bolt before you leave the hardware store.

Many of these items are available by the box or the bag, in quanties like 50, 100, or more.

The cost per piece was a lot less for the ones we bought when all of them were ordered by the box.

Smaller perches won't need as large of hardware as larger perches. When the length of a large diameter perch exceeds 12", you might consider extending the perch completely from side to side, with a hanger bolt at each end.

Bigger birds also weigh more and can put more pressure on the hanger bolt.

The perches in the top photo are about 14" long, and were for cockatiels. I recall using 1/4" hanger bolts for those. Had those perches been for our African grey parrot, 3/8" hanger bolts would have been our choice.

Predrill a hole in the perch before threading in the hanger bolt. If you don't predrill, the perch can split, similar to how splitting wedges will divide firewood.

Make sure the hole is big enough to start threading that hanger bolt in. But not so large that the hanger bolt will loosen; causing the perch to rotate free. Keep it firm.

If you hold the hanger bolt up in front of a window or light source, you will be able to see the inside diameter of the shank along the threads. You can hold a few drill bits in front of the hanger bolt, until you find a bit that's the right size.

You don't want a drill as large as the outside diameter of the threads. That's too bif of a bit.

Hopefully its obvious, but you will be threading the "screw" resembling threads into the wood, not the "machine" threads. The threads for the nut are usually more numerous and closer together. Those stay on the outside for the nut, and the coarse threads spaced farther apart, thread into the wood. Those appear to spiral slightly.

Once you get your hanger bolts, you'll see that there is no end to use a tool for driving it in. Not unless technology changes.

It's not like a screw that has an indent for a screw driver, or a nut or bolt with a head for a wrench.

One way to thread the hanger bolt into the perch is with a nut that's closed on one end. It's an option, but those nuts are a tad bit spendy. If you will make several dozen, that may be desireable, since you can use a nut driver on the end of a drill or cordless screwdriver.

But you need to drive the hanger bolt gently if you use a closed-end nut. Otherwise the hanger bolt can punch out the end of the nut.

You can drive the hanger bolt in using a socket on a drill attachment as shown, or with a hand held nut driver, or wrench.

If you use the drill, go slow, not just to avoid damaging the nuts. You don't want to drive the hanger bolt too deeply into the hole. If it threads in too far, you may have to damage the machine theads with pliers to get it back out. Typically, these don't "back-out" of the hole well with wrenches and nuts.

You would need to clamp pliers directly onto the threads and reverse the hanger bolt out of the hole. And these hanger bolts are not inexpensive. Probably 25 cents to 50 cents apiece (2005 price).

You want to drive the hanger bolt in just enough to hide the coarse threads. And possibly the short segment without threads which is between the two types of threads.

Turn the hanger bolt and drive it in until the screw type thread dissappears into the perch and maybe and extra eighth of an inch. Hopefully the hole is the right size, and not drilled too big.

If you accidentally drilled the hole too big - making the hanger bolt loose - you have at least two options. One option is cutting one inch off the perch and drilling again with a smaller bit. The other option, is sliding a small sliver of wood into the hole, or a couple of wooden toothpicks. Sometimes that will work.

You can also thread-in the hanger bolt using two nuts and a wrench. Actually two wrenches.

You thread both nuts on slightly, one against the other, and holding one nut in place one wrench, you clamp the second nut tight against it with the second wrench.

Then, you should be able to turn the outer nut, or both nuts with the hanger bolt rotating its way into the hole. Once the hanger bolt is threaded in, use two wrenches to separate the two nuts.

If you don't have extra nuts at home, be sure to pick up one or two of the right kind from the hardware store before you go back home. The small nuts seem more susceptible to having the threads strip. Keep one, two or a few extras on hand.

Don't use any oils to lubricate the hardware or the hole in the perch before threading. At least not petroleum oils or sewing machine oil. A bit of vegetable oil or something like that might be okay, but shouldn't be essential.

Once the hanger bolt is inserted and you are readyy to mount the perch, slide on the STAINLESS STEEL washers and the wing nut.

One washer goes on first, then a second washer on the outside of the cage.

You could skip the washer on the inside of the cage, but if you don't use it, that means your birds can gnaw the end of the perch a lot easier without the metal obstacle.

In case you are concerned about your clothes getting ripped or someone getting snagged on the protruding hanger bolt: put several extra regular nuts on the hanger bolt before the wing nut is threaded on.

If you find a well stocked hardware store, they should carry small parts called "thread protectors" which slide onto the end of threads (bolts) to protect threads. These also provide safety by covering the exposed threads.

Our small birds really loved a small "chunky" or stubby kind of perch - I just called them "bird pods" - cross cut sections from small tree trunks.

VERY IMPORTANT:

If you make these and cut the wood too thin - it cracks. In fact, you can see from this photo that a tiny crack is present. Make sure that the wood for these is cut no thinner than 3 to 5 inches.

Also, the faster the wood dries, the worse it will crack. Dry the wood slowly. Don't put it in a warm laundry room. Put it in an area where the wood will dry out in 2 to 3 weeks.

Now, about the cracks. You are almost certain to get some kind of small crack. That crack can catch a bird toe or toe nail especially where the crack tapers to a wedge.

I understand that a glue like elmer's school glue is not toxic to birds. Squirt a tiny bit of that kind of glue into the crack. Then, while the glue is still wet in the crack - rub sand paper over the top of the "pod" perch and let the fine sanded wood particles push into the glue in the crack. That will fill the crack and eliminate the toe-trapping gap. The glue will need to dry overnight before installing in the cage.

Occasionally, one of these develops cracks too large to fill. In that case, toss it away. But, if you don't cut the wood too thin, odds are your pod perch will be fine. The birds may not be able to reach the washers with this kind of perch. In that case, zinc might be okay. On the other hand, if all perch washers are stainless steel, you eliminate the hazard of mixing them up during cage cleaning or cage rearrangement, or if you discard an old perch and recycle the washers. A magnet will generally pick out a zinc washer and leave stainless steel alone.

Bird perches, toys. Safe & harmful perch wood.

For, cockatoos, parrots, parakeets, cockatiels, conures, quakers, finches, budgies, African grey parrots, macaws, canaries. This page is presented as a unit, not just 2 lists to skim over. Be sure to include the paragraphs as context for the lists.

The safe & harmful woods lists are for pet birds , pertaining to trees or woody plants used for bird toys and perches in bird cages, aviary or flight cages. A page for pet birds: updated 05 / 07 / 2015.

For starters, when selecting a cage, look at the biggest you can afford, then maybe double it. It will be a home. Overcome a small cage price tag. When we doubled or tripled cage size for our birds, improved behavior was immediate. A few cubic feet separate a bird cage home from just a mere confine.

Lists below indicate wood to use for bird perches, or avoid. This perch wood list assumes perches are clean of fruit and leaves. Most (not all) info refers to wood in it's natural state with bark. I compiled information from avian vets and reliable resources, then refined that with my arborist background. The unsafe list has plants potentially dangerous to birds. No tender plants are listed, but some shrubs and vines with firm stems that could be improvised as perches are included. Pine in the safe list refers to branches, not lumber. Beware of residue on stems. Residue that may be overlooked includes moss control products that splash off roofs, sprays for holiday season foliage, decks, weeds , etc.. Avoid sides of a highway or railroad since right-of-ways can be blasted for weed control.

What you see in the lists is all we are aware of. If you know something we are not been aware of, send a note. Please, no emails about other related questions, or species not listed. We do not omit ones we know about.

FYI ... "implicated" isn't good enough. Lately, someone wrote about one species' wood being "implicated" for a condition in humans. I get a ton of emails for arboriculture, photography and redwood stuff. If a writer does not make the essential point in the first few sentences, the message may not make it to the back burner. Words that matter are "proven" ... "documented" ... etc.. Implicated is a word which News Reporters use to cover their behinds. I'm not looking for suspects, but facts. Not connoted, but rather "denoted". Please keep that in mind when preparing your note. Short, factual and affirmative.

Also, I may prefer to spend reply time on business related messages like estimate requests. I enjoy chit-chat sometimes. but if my day or work is busy, don't be surprised if my reply is brief or flat: just depends on the day, season and weather. If you have something new to add here, or a thank you, feel free to write.

Also, plants we see wild birds on should not all be considered safe for pet birds. And wood that is bad for a few birds may well be considered bad for all birds - “All for One, and One for All” Some difference of opinion was found. Apple for example. Sources like Gillian Willis, say apple is safe: others say it may be harmful. I put it in the safe list due to Gillian Willis' expertise and my opinion that insecticide was the culprit.

Elm is on safe wood list. But in many cities, elms are are treated. Maybe refrain from elm, because there is an abundance of other wood that is pesticide free. Call the urban forestry department to find out if street canopy is sprayed. If your yard is maintained by a company, ask if any products are applied.

Bad wood - left column

ALDER - red alder -see Alder Buckthorn paragraph
ANDROMEDA -Pieris, Lily of the Valley shrub
APRICOT
ARROWHEAD VINE
AUSTRALIAN FLAME TREE
AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE
AVACADO
AZALEA - Related to Rhododendron
BANEBERRY - Actaea
BEANS -castor, horse, fava, broad, glory, scarlet runner
BLACK LOCUST - Robinia
BOX ELDER
BOXWOOD - Buxus
BUCKTHORN - Cascara / Alder Buckthorn - see chapter
BRACKEN FERN
BURDOCK
CACAO
CAMEL BUSH - Trichodesma
CANARY BIRD BUSH - Crotalaria
CANNABIS
CASTOR BEAN
CEDAR - Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus
CHALICE - trumpet vine
CHERRY see comments below
CHINA BERRY TREE - Melia / Texas umbrella tree
CHINESE MAGNOLIA - uncertain for safety
CHINESE POPCORN / TALLOW
CHINESE SNAKE TREE - Laquer plant
COMMON SAGE
CORIANDER - Cilantro
DATURA
DAPHNE - it's the berries
DATURA STRAMONIUM - Brugmansia - angel's trumpet
DIEFFENBACHIA
ELDERBERRY
EUONYMUS - Includes burning bush and more
EUPHORBIA
FELT PLANT - Kalancho baharensis
FLAME TREE
FIRETHORN - Pyracantha
FLAME TREE - Brachychiton / Sterculia
FOXGLOVE - Digitalis (pharmaceutical source)
GOLDEN CHAIN TREE - Laburnum
GROUND CHERRY
CROWN OF THORNS
HEATHS
HEMLOCK - Tsuga
HOLLY - Ilex
HONEY LOCUST - Gleditsia
HORSE CHESTNUT - Aesculus
HUCKLEBERRY - leaves bad: evergreen & deciduous
HYDRANGEA
JASMINE
JUNIPER - Juniperus
KALMIA: also called Mountain Laurel
KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE
LANTANA - red sage
LAUREL - Prunus
LEUCOTHOE
LUPINE
MANGO - (fruit okay: not wood or leaves)
MEXICAN BREADFRUIT
MOCK ORANGE - Philadelphus
MONSTERA - big hunker of a house plant
MOUNTAIN LAUREL - Kalmia latifolia
MYRTLE - broadleaf evergreen, not crape myrtle
NECTARINE
NUTMEG
OAK - Quercus - all parts / tannins
MISTLETOE
OLEANDER
PEACH
PEAR - some sources lean toward safe
PENCILTREE
PITCH PINE
PLUM
PRARIE OAK - safety uncertain
PRIVET
RAIN TREE
RED MAPLE - see Maple paragraph
RED SAGE - Lantana
REDWOOD - Sequiadendron, Metasequoia, Sequoia
RHODODENDRON
RHUBARB
SAND BOX TREE - sap was used to poison fish
SKIMMIA - entire plant: stem, berry, leaves
SOLANUM - Jerusalem cherry or pepino
SOPHORA - includes Japanese pagoda tree
SUMAC - not all sumacs are bad: see paragraphs
TOBACCO
TANSY
TOMATO
UMBRELLA TREE
WALNUT
WEEPING FIG - Ficus benjamina > Ficus elastica safe
WHITE CEDAR - China
WITCH HAZEL - Hamamelis
WISTERIA
YEW - Taxus

Ailanthus altissima / Tree-of-Heaven (or "of Hell" due to invasiveness), China Sumac Also called the Ghetto Palm. The following was posted on the Perdue University website about, and seemed worth sharing the comment: Source: James A. Duke. 1983. Handbook of Energy Crops. unpublished.

"Leaves are toxic to domestic animals (Perry, 1980). Gardeners who fell the tree may suffer rashes. Mitchell and Rook's observations are more violent than my own to sniffing the leaves, "The odour of the foliage is intensely disagreeable and can cause headache and nausea...rhinitis and conjunctivitis...The pollen can cause hay fever." (Mitchell and Rook, 1979)."

This caught my attention when this species became a topic of discussion on a arboricultural forum. The article just points out leaf toxicity. And for the present, I will leave it in the wood safe column. The is a fairly lengthy Wikipedia Topic for this species. The potential for rash appears anecdotal. One Canadian government information system site wrote " However, convincing documentation ... lacking". Little seems more than "may have"

Fertilizer Someone emailed about whether fruit wood is safe after fertilizing. My 1st question was if they still had the package. Most fertilizers supply elements that are found in soil anyway, like iron or nitrogen. Whether fertilizer is sythetic or organic, it's purpose is to supply one or more of just 17 Essential elements. And if that's all that was applied, the wood should be fine for perches. But some fertilizers may have fungicides or insecticides added: systemic ones. That's why you would need to read the entire package to make sure that it was basic fertilizer for nutrition purposes only. Also, you might want to avoid branches where fertilizer was applied foliar from above: like sprayed on. But if plain fertilizer was added to soil only, the wood should be okay.

Lumber wood information Pressure injected wood: don’t use it for birds: perches, toys or structures. Also, if you find lumber, do you know what contacted it? It's like an unbroken chain of possession for evidence. If you left lumber in a shed that several people use and haven’t been there for a year, how do you know what may have spilled? What kind of dust settled? Most light pine lumber in stores is not coated with anything. But ask anyway. Pre-cut stakes, such as those used for surveying, may have been coated due to the need to remain in the ground. We can’t be certain 100% of the time, but every piece of information brings us nearer 100% accuracy. A square edge perch is not a good. You could remove square edges, and round wood is better. Natural branches are the best because the diameter differs from small to large, allowing birds feet to stretch and contract.

Aromatic Substances Refer to other bird sites for aromatic info. But I'm leaving this comment about Teflon. Switch from Teflon pans to something like stainless steel or cast iron. Teflon pans over-heating, can emit substances deadly to birds. We try to keep perfume, aromatic scents and colognes to an absolute minimum at our home.

Check Plant Names For our lists, or others, check common names to know the genus, scientific name and common name. For example, Douglas fir is not a fir. Western cedar is not a cedar.

Balsa Wood This is our birds favorite to play with. Most sources indicate that balsa is safe for birds. I contacted avian veterinarians in Oregon and California, and got the same feedback - that balsa wood is fine. You won’t want balsa for a perch. A cockatiel can chew through balsa in minutes.

Cleaning Wood One philosophy says clean bird perch wood before it’s used by soaking for an hour or two in tub of water with a cap of household bleach. Then rinse the wood in clean water. Another says Chlorine bleach may cause an occasional sickness or fatality. Maybe due to too strong of a solution. The second philosophy may use mild soap and water solution followed by rinsing with clean water. Both viewpoints agree about allowing wood to dry thoroughly, including exposed to direct sunlight. Oven drying needs to be hot enough to kill microbes, but cool enough to avoid combustion.

Alder is not Alder Buckthorn - The 2 alders One person emailed a concern about a substance Cascara sagradaacting as laxative. Its made from bark of Buckthorn with a common name Alder Buckthorn. Its not an Alder or Alnus. Buckthorn is Rhamnus purshiana. To my knowledge, Alnus has no Cascara sagrada. Red Alder On a USDA Forest Service Pacific NW lumber page, was a footnote for red alder "Toxicity: can cause dermatitis". Red alder is not the only alder we have in Oregon. There is also Alnus rhombifolia called white alder. A source about white alder for use by Ohlone Indians, said they used it for diarrhea. My conclusion: avoid Re Alder.

Note: January, 1, 2010, I read from Univ. of B.C. that Rhamnus purshiana is now called Frangula purshiana. Apparently something that has gone back and forth previously in the past couple of centuries.

Birch The following comments are a PARAPHRASE from Gillian Willis - author - with clarification:

Birch is Betula species. LEAVES & BARK contain salicylates and a few substances ... . The low concentration ... Birch should be considered safe for natural wood perches. The seeds inside the cones are a special goodie safe for birds to eat. (end of paraphrase) Think: Automobile fumes can be damaging. We don't want to be enclosed where the fumes are trapped. But walking down the street where those fumes are in the air at low concentrations, we feel safe to breath. As noted, Birch should be considered safe and the risk of leaving bark is inconsequential.

Cherry Some sources debate about cherry wood being bad to pet birds, for a lack of substantial confirmed cases - although confirmed cases of problems for a few dogs and horses is apparent. Some folks lean toward using cherry wood, but not the bark, under the premise that the chemicals are primarily in the cambium - layer under the bark. Do you know what that layer is? Do you see what I'm getting at here? When there are an abundance of sure safe woods, why use one that has bark with potential bad stuff in it? Suppose there are no confirmed cases of dead birds from cherry. If cherry turns out to be a subtle problem, would you want your bird to be the first confirmed case? I suspect there are cases not documented. There must be hundreds of birds dying each year due to real causes that we don't know about.

Driftwood Driftwood is not recommended for a few reasons: 1. There is no certainty for the average person about the tree genus. 2. The ocean water environment contains organisms not to mention every kind of animal waste in addition to residue from ships. It is an uncertain environment. 3. Driftwood can have high salt content. Imagine all the crud that embeds into that wood.

Ironwood Hop-Hornbeam called Ironwood and American Hornbeam, is added here to clarify what kind of email will make it to this page. I am after safe wood information and not so much leaf info. Someone shared a factual research link, showing that this Ostrya virginiana has cyanogenic glycosides in leaves, but nothing said about wood. (Science Direct article). Wild birds like the seeds. The hard wood is good for fence posts or tools. So people could choose it for perches. Without facts about wood, I can't say, and reduced the message to this paragraph. The note was in the ballpark of info worth sending; just shy of making the wood list above.

Larch or Dawn Redwood - Larch is in the safe wood list. In case you did not know it, Larch is a deciduous conifer. It looses it's needles in winter. The needles are attached in little clusters on pegs like little tufts. There is another tree Dawn Redwood which is also a deciduous conifer. It's needles are attached to the twigs individually and somewhat two-ranked on either side of the twig. Initially, new spring growth looks like little tufts, but these elongate into tiny mini-twigs lined with ranks of individual needles. Dawn Redwood is not on the list above. It's genus is Metasequoia (sp. glyptostroboides). Avoid using Dawn Redwood - feel free to use limbs from Larch (Larix).

Maple Originally, this page only listed two maple trees: vine maple as safe, and red maple as potentially harmful. I've included "maple" in the safe list now, but with this condition: remove the bark. It may not be absolutely neccessary, but its the only way that I'll suggest most of that tree genus. From what I've read, the bark of many maple trees, like vine maple or Japanese maple, etc., is fine. Meaning, the bark in itself is not deemed a problem. But red maple (Acer rubrum) can harbor a fungus. Inhalation of exuded residue may be harmful. Maple wood - in general - should be safe for natural wood bird perches once bark is removed. One source wrote that "red maple" is bad for horses, not really specifying why. Currently, I'd use almost any maple branch for a bird toy or perch..

Mulberrry / Morus (report) In September 2012, I got an email related to Mulberry. The person said their vet ID'd the plant. No specific species given, or ID photos to prove how the vet concluded identification. Below, are parts of the email ...

"... just had a pair of scarlet-chested parrots at the vet for two nights due to mulberry branches having a diuretic effect and causing severe diarrhea and weight loss. It would be worth noting then that they are not safe for all species and use of mulberry leaves should be avoided with the neophema group. " And ... [quote] "I work in a pet shop and leaves from the same tree were given to birds there as well, and again it was only the scarlet chested parrots that had anynoticeable reactions."

The note specified "leaves", but I clearly open this page in the first sentences that my lists assume branches are free of leaves and fruit. Thought the message may be of interest anyway.

Pine We read an article about Pine and Cedar containing compounds that can cause lung or sinus problems. But the article was about bedding like shavings put in bottoms of animal cages; more common for hampsters and other pets; rarely for parrots or cockatiels. When we listed pine above, that meant as perch wood which this page is primarly intended for.

Pine is one of the species I would be less likely to use due to the type of sticky pitch that often oozes from it or beads-up on the bark. If I used branches, I would most likely let the wood age for 4 to 8 months, not just a matter of days, so any pitch would manifest itself.

But we have used pine wood from the hardware store often to build little boxes and stuff. I select the wood for boards without signs of pitch or sticky surfaces. Then I let it sit for months to see if the wood's inside bleeds any pitch spots or areas.

Pitch in the pine will be an awful thing for bird feathers. And although I have not asked any vets yet, I suspect some pitch can be sticky enough to hold a beak together unless its cleaned. Don't know for certain, but wouldn't surprise me.

The preponderance of sources I find indicate that pine cones are okay for parrots, etc., but those have to be checked for pitch spots too. Sites that recommend cones say to heat them in the oven for a while, and to select ones that have not been laying around too long on the ground, like sitting all winter or with moss. Since they can burn, watch your temp and time carefully.

Photinia In May 2010, someone told me that Photonia leaves have Arsenic in them, and was toxic to horses. The only reference I could find online was a New Zealand Alpaca site with a table listing Photinia leaves as toxic with Arsenic. But no other references. Then I found a website of a Manes and Tails Organization, which included excerpts from The Merck Veterinarian Manual: Poisonous Range Plants of Temperate North America. The notes stated: Cyanogenic glycosides in foliage and fruits, hydrolyzed in GI tract to free cyanide, thereby affecting cellular respiration.

Keep in mind that the reference was about foliage on a grazing animal website. and that my page here deals with woods or branches expected to be free of leaves, fruit or flowers. Just the branches. So I still believe that Photinia wood is fine for bird perches. I was still glad to find the information though.

Sumac - Rhus One sumac on this page is Staghorn Sumac - a safe tree. And the genus is Rhus. Its fruit berries have been clean washed and made into a good lemonade when sweetened. Native American Indians even mixed its leaves and fruit with tobacco for smoking. A broad range of plants may be called sumac, some safe, some not. Some species in the genus Rhus are potent and can also cause severe skin irritation to some people. Other species like Rhus typhina are not bad. Most naught species have axillary panicles and smooth fruits. The okay species have upright, dense, conical drupe type fruits, covered with crimson hairs.

Walnut - from an email sent from Pennsylvania

Quote ... " Here is my personal experience with black walnut trees in Pennsylvania. I got my two birds (Goffin's Cockatoo & Sun conure) in November 1996. In April 1997 I bought a house for us. My avian vet said black walnut was OK to use for perches, but to let it dry first. Over the years, squirrels have filled my yard with these trees. Since summer 1997 I have used black walnut branches & tree trunks, fresh-cut and green, with leaflets attached, as perches. My birds love to destroy the foliage, and then chew the bark off. Black Walnut and Manzanita are the only woods I have used for perches in all this time. (Note: no pesticides, fertilizers or any other chemicals are used in my yard.) They also love the walnuts that I crack with a brick. We recently had a "good" health check - my conure is now 18 and sadly, starting to get a bit cranky. We have had no adverse effects from 17 years of chewing on fresh black walnut wood" ... End Quote

My thoughts ...

The email had the senders name, and did not name which avian vet, but I believe the message is a real experience. First thing ... my page is devoted to birds as a whole, not just one person's birds. And whereas this person's parrots destroyed and chewed leaves, it does not say they ate them. Maybe other birds would eat the leaves or a little bark. The note relays that the vet said Black Walnut was okay for perches ... nothing about playtoy aspects of leaves or bark, nor other kinds of Walnut. If their avian vet is up to speed on recent knowledge, this would leave me more confident in at least one kind of Walnut. Except ... with so many other species having a more solid reputation, I would probably try and use another kind of wood. If I did use Walnut, all the leaves, bark and acorns would be completely removed ... FWIW ... note that the avian vet said to dry the wood first, but the person apparently went beyond that professional advice. Not sure whether it was based on extra advice not mentioned, or merely personal choice.

Apparently Walnut has much less tannins in wood than leaves or acorns, so that may be why the avian vet went with the recommedation.

Willow Someone sent me a URL for a University of Maryland University medical center page about some willows, and and how the bark contains salicin: similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Apparently the wood does not contain the compound like the bark does. One excerpt reads:

"The willow family includes a number of different species ... ... Some of the more commonly known are white willow/European willow (Salix alba), black willow/pussy willow (Salix nigra), crack willow (Salix fragilis), purple willow (Salix purpurea), and weeping willow (Salix babylonica). The willow bark sold in Europe and the United States usually includes a combination of the bark from white, purple, and crack willows"

The article sounds reliable, and apparently the bark and compounds are effective for human use it they are not allergic to it. Based on that information, I would still be very inclined to use willow wood for parrot perches or bird stands. But would remove the bark. And if the branch is freshly cut, will be among the easiest to remove. I used this for hiking sticks, and in the spring, bark virtually peels off by hand. If its dry, just use a knife.

VINYL FLOORING CAUTION

Few things are added to this page beside wood and branches. But we experienced a problem with new vinyl flooring that seemed worth sharing. We decided to give them an entire small bedroom downstairs for an aviary. And laid about 10' x 11' of brand new vinyl flooring. No adhesives used. In the afternoon, we put the birds in the room for a couple of hours to get used to the space. I went down to check on them, and the male Green Cheek Conure was having trouble breathing and was leaning back hard on a branch. The female was in the cage also having problems breathing. I immediately took them upstairs. Anyway, in about 1/2 hour, they were in very good shape, back to themselves again. My best estimate, is that another 30 minutes in the room, would have been the end of at least one bird. We knew the stuff a smell to it, but never realized that it was hazardous to them. Just thought of it a a new product smell. I could not find anything online either.

Some of you may be aware of this issue from experience or something your read. For those who are not aware, there you are. The smell was mostly gone in a few days. At that point, we took the birds down for like an hour per day, for several days. About 1 week later was the first full day. But we had them sleep upstairs in a second cage for the 8th and 9th nights. It was about the 10th night we let them sleep in their cage in the new aviary room. Always leaving the door open too: all day. I built a 30" tall barricade to put in front of the door so they can't walk out. The wings are clipped. We try our best. And in this situation, I think "the Man upstairs" somehow got us to intervene in time.