Hi all,

 

As you might be aware from my other posts, I am looking into getting better perches for my budgie as currently he/she is using the stock standard ones that come with the cage. Since I can no longer trust anyone who tries to sell me anything "Great for Budgies" I thought I would check with you guys and get your seal of approval!

 

I know a few of you have said that the Eucalyptus branches were good, but apparently taking them is illegal... and I don't have my own sneaky stash. Also I'm very wary of just picking some up from the side of the road or bush as I wouldn't know what may have been sprayed on or near them which might hurt the budgie!

 

Sooooo Here are two which I think may be okay, or any suggestions would be appreciated

 

Extra Small 7/8" diametre Conditioning Pedicure Perch for Beak & Feet

A perch designed to stimulate the leg muscles, trim the nails and promote healthy feet. The beak conditioner helps keep your bird's beak in a healthy state providing a place to groom and clean the beak.

*Will keep your bird's feet and beak healthy and make your bird a healthier pet or breeder. *Natural thermal-lite design. *Different thicknesses along the perch provide leg exercise. *Will keep your birds happier and more secure. *Colour is throughout and not painted on. *Non-toxic and safe for birds. *No sanded surfaces to harm feet. *Cleans easily with soap and water. *Unique design with thick end piece designed as a beak conditioner. *Attaches easily to the cage bars with the hardware attached

better picture Here

1/2"x 15" -30cm Super Cotton Rope Perch

Coloured cotton sturdy rope perch with PVC screw on ends to attach to the cage.

Suitable for: Cockatiel, Finch, lovebird, budgie, Canary sized birds.

Thank you

 

You dont need the pedicure ones

 

The rope ones are fine

 

 

Persevere and get some natural branches................you can use gumtree ( legal schmeagle ...sheesh ....just find some and go for it ) also bottlebrush, hibiscus ( available everywhere ) , peppermint tree.

 

Hope this helps

Edited June 6, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

Agree with Kaz... I had those rope ones and they were good. I have also had mineral perches in the past. They seemed to like to eat them... but be careful though as they will get color all over their faces from them lol. As to the branches, do you know anyone with trees??? Also, if their are old branches on the ground, I wouldn't be too worried in taking them. Your cage is small (in comparison to an aviary) so you don't need them too big anyway. My birds like the rough ones where they can pick the bark off. It's also important to get varying thickness'. It's better for their feet.

okay cool, I'll see what I can find! I do have a friend who has a nice tree filled backyard... no clue on the types of trees though so I will have to ask

 

To ensure there isn't any chemicals, is there a way to treat the wood before I put them in the cage?

 

And I'll pick up one curly rainbow perch since they look so damn cool

I usually scrub them down with a vinegar solution, then rinse off and leave in the sun to dry (although the last step may be hard as it's winter lol) If they're on your friends property though they should be able to tell you if they have been treated.

My friend just moved in there about a month ago

I'll give it a go though and do the vinegar trick. Will just need to dry over several days in the sun

 

Thanks

okay, cool... If the trees themselves look healthy enough it should be okay... but yes, you can never be to careful. He'll love some nice branches to rip apart too... lots of leaves

If you're REALLY having trouble getting a natural perch, you can look on here. It's the Parrot Rescue online shop in Queensland. You can order them all made up, both natural branches and cholla cactus ones.

 

I'm in Sydney too, but in the middle of the city, and getting anything decent for birds from a pet shop around here is IMPOSSIBLE. I have to source everything online.

 

 

http://www.parrotrescuecentre.com/ubg/shop_sub_prod.php?subcat=17&cat=5&subcat_name=Perches

Vicky, I usually wash mine down with a mild detergent and give a scrub, and then soak in vinegar for a little while and then dry. That's at first. After, every week when it's "birdie house-work" day, they get a shorter version of the same thing.

 

If you are really worried about where the branches have been or been subjected to, or the weather is rotten, after a wash you can always "bake" them in the oven. 200 degrees C, an hour should do it, That way, you can be sure that any nasty bugs will be killed. It won't help if things have been sprayed, but any surface spray will be washed off beforehand.

okay cool, thank you for those suggestions

I'll see how I go

 

Also - Those perches on the website look good! I will see if I can find some branches and clean them like above first, if that fails miserably I'll give the bought ones a go haha

 

 

Thanks

Dont pick up any roadside branches...council often weedsprays around roadsides. Dropped branches from trees further in from the road might be safer.

 

Check anyone you know for hibiscus.

Okay, sorry I'm such a pain, I'm terrified of picking something up that has been treated or for me not to clean it properly... I tend to have terrible luck so would probably pick the one bad one and feel guilty for forever

 

So, I kept researching it last night and ended up on the National Parks website and clicking the "Report Bad People" link thinking they would know what I could get away with and what may or may not be sprayed... They possibly think I'm a nut case, but regardless she was great and emailed me back early this morning. Thought I would share it with you as the last sentence I thought was AWESOME!

 

Hi Victoria

Thanks for taking the time to ask this question. It is illegal to remove anything from a national park, including fallen branches and twigs.

 

Depending on where you are located, you should have ready access to trees on either private property where you can remove branches from a tree with the owner's permission, or council land where you can legally remove fallen branches. Most Council parkland trees, or areas of bushland that are not in national parks will not have had trees sprayed with anything. You can also legally remove branches from State Forest and be confident they will not have been sprayed.

 

Regards

Linda

 

Environment Line & Information Centre

Office of Environment and Heritage

Department of Premier and Cabinet

info@environment.nsw.gov.au

 

You can also legally remove branches from State Forest and be confident they will not have been sprayed.

While the council parkland one is nice, she said "Most" and knowing my amazingly terrible luck, I would pick the one that is sprayed and have one sick lil Amadeus!

On top of that I live in metro Sydney where people do nasty things to... well... pretty much everything... so who wants to come visit the state forest on the weekend

 

Eucalyptus for ALL

Edited June 8, 201113 yr by Vicky

and hibiscus...........which grows everywhere

Un-treated Eucalyptus AND Hibiscus for all

 

Actually... call me a geek... but I'm kinda excited now... bring on the weekend!!!

hehe... That's great. How nice of her to take the time to respond.

 

Stock up on lots of different sized ones... Thin (where your budgies toes would nearly touch underneath the perch) to thick (where they will only go down the sides). That way you have have lots of different sizes to swap and change to clean etc... Make sure when you trim them to size that that will run from the front to the back (not side ways). This will give your guy more exercise. I think you already did that with your current ones though.

 

Try and get ones with rough bark too, he'll love to rip it all off. Also see if you can get some thinner branches with leaves. Then he can have some leaves to shred. My aviary birds love getting their branches of Grevilla and Bottlebrush weekly.

Will do ! Thank you for the tips

 

Now it better not pour with rain this weekend haha