Im trying to make some bird toys at the moment and our garage is full if different woods. What kind of wood is safe for birds to chew on? and chew apart? and i cant for the life of me find a list of just safe woods on the net.

 

and other then food colouring what else can colour wood and ropes and such ? our supply of food colouring is um a bit pathetic and about 15 years old ...

Would Kool-aid work? or is it toxic?

 

aswell

what kind of fabrics would be okay to use? little strips but of what kind is safe?

is sheep skin okay?

 

I dont know if this is the right spot but it shall do

Edited April 15, 200619 yr by BrokenDreamz

I would stick to food colouring to colour the wood. Umm, have no idea what kinds of woods you would have there, so can't help with the rest, sorry

Apple trees and other fruit trees are good.

I use poplar trees too as they are also used as stock feed .

If you have any Eucalyptus trees over there those are good.

Yes, leather is okay to use, there are many members on htis site that make toys out of leather.

Hope that helps

If you have pine, that's okay.

 

Kool Aid is fine for colouring except wouldn't it get sticky?? I have discussed this with someone on another bird forum I visit, and I think they said that it gets sticky.. I'm not sure what the sugar content is like with those so may be check out those content?

 

 

With sheep skin? you mean with wool on them? or just the leather? It's fine if you're very sure that it hasn't been treated with chemicals. When I make my own bird toys, I generally use polar fleece type material where it doesnt give out loose bits of cottons. I still check it often to make sure there's nothing that can strangle my birds.

If you have pine, that's okay.

 

Kool Aid is fine for colouring except wouldn't it get sticky?? I have discussed this with someone on another bird forum I visit, and I think they said that it gets sticky.. I'm not sure what the sugar content is like with those so may be check out those content?

 

 

With sheep skin? you mean with wool on them? or just the leather? It's fine if you're very sure that it hasn't been treated with chemicals. When I make my own bird toys, I generally use polar fleece type material where it doesnt give out loose bits of cottons. I still check it often to make sure there's nothing that can strangle my birds.

 

i always thought pine was bad, especially when i got the whole lecture thing about using pine shavings with my hamster

 

Kool-aid doesnt get sticky if you dont add the sugar, i was wanted to know if it was okay to use for birds since its okay for us to drink, it may not be the most healthy thing in the world

 

I have a bag full of sheepskin with wool on it and wanted to cut strips for a toy or something its untreated.

 

i like the polar fleece idea i know theres bins full of it in my mothers sewing room

 

Thanks

I think with Pine it's the sappy bits that's not okay for the bird, but as far as I know Pine is okay. a lot of wooden ladder are made out of pine dowel.

 

Kool aid should be fine then if it's not sugary.. I didn't know if it came with it or not because we don't get them here!! You know, I'm not too sure with wool... sorry... I'm thinking can the bird can tangled in it?? I guess they are easily breakable??

Edited April 16, 200619 yr by Cheeta

Kids dye their hair (blue, green, purple) with Koolaid but it doesn't last very long, but does food coloring last a long time with washing the toys? (Mind you I sort of wipe some of my wooden toys as I know the paint easily wipes off.) I know red food coloring isn't good to put in humming bird feedings but the budgies wouldn't be eating it so that's different.

the wool on the sheep skin we have is only about a Cm long it doesnt seem to get tangled at all even on the bits the dog and cat play with.

 

so i just need to let my wood chunks dry now

 

It actually annoys me how little the wook actualyl dyes, it looks so washed out compared to the toys you buy in stores.

So what kind of wood do people make aviaries out of then? Isnt it pine, and plywood? Im thinking if making a small aviary on stilts for my budgies in the summer to have a nice, sunny, and shady, play area during the day, then bring them in at night..... So, what wood do i use for it then?

 

Kirby

Try this web-site for safe woods

scroll down the first page

 

 

 

safe bird woods

doing a little of my own research and i found this and thought id post it here too...

How to color wood:

It is possible to use regular, unsweetened Kool-Aid® to dye wood. Using Kool-Aid® as a colorant results in lightly, almost pastel colored wood. It is usually easiest to use a large, shallow pan which allows for soaking of the wood. Make sure to use no more than half the recommended water amount per package of Kool Aid. The less water you use, the stronger the color.

If you are looking for darker, bolder colors, use commerical food-grade food coloring. It is usually possible to buy bulk food colorings at a food supply outlet or cake decorating shop at reasonable prices. It is a good idea to wear plastic gloves when doing this so that your hands do not get dyed, and have a pile of throwaway rags or alot of paper towels available to set the wet dyed wood down on. (It will get dyed too).

 

Yet another way to dye wood for budgie toys is to use regular food coloring (like you would use to tint cake frosting). After letting the wood dry overnight, soak the dyed wood in white vinegar diluted with water. After some soaking in the vinegar, remove the wood and let it dry. Then rinse it with plain water and let it dry again before using it on any toys.

 

This was taken from http://www.auspet.com/forum/send_to.php?ur.../arts/toys.html

 

Cheers :beer:

Una