I am thinking about making a new cage for my birds as most cages I have seen are tall rather than wide. I have read through the FAQ and am aware of what wire that I should and shouldn't use. What I am having trouble with is what woods are safe to use. I read that MDF is no good and treated pine is obviously out so what would people suggest ? I would guess that untreated pine would be okay, but as its a soft wood, would it be worth using ? Would rather not have to remake the cage too frequently due to chew damage.

Here is another site about safe woods http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml

 

What are your plan details on making your cage?

How big etc...?

You would need to use a hardwood like Jarrah. Or you could make a more enclosed cage with a wire front out of chipboard or melamine and a plywood backing.

 

 

Feathers.

Well there goes that idea Hardwood is more expensive than I thought. It will more likely be cheaper to buy a pre-made cage. As to plan details I had intended on making the cage 48" wide 24" deep and 36" tall. I was then going to make a basic MDF cabinet to mount the cage on so I had some storage space. I figured a 2" gap between the cage and cabinet to put a couple of trays in. Would probably have had to use aviary wire mesh as powder coated is pretty hard to find. The ends to have been on hinges as well as doors cut into the mesh. Some split pieces of dowel to frame the cut wire of the small doors. I kinda wanted this to be a display cage as it would be sitting in my lounge room.

Tal…I build all my breeding cabinets out of pine, as long as it’s not going to be out in the weather. Some birds will of course chew, but I haven’t had that much trouble from Budgies. I buy I think the widest size planks & then join two together with a small light piece of wood to give me the depth. They are about 8” inches wide, I can measure & let you know more details later. I’m building some today, so I’ll take some pictures & measure sizes. You can email me if you like.

Thanks everyone for the pointers. After discussing it with my partner further. we decided it would be easier to purchase one.

Edited June 4, 200718 yr by Tal