aviary wire mesh

[Keywe]

So I built this 8x8x8 foot aviary for Keywe to play in outside...Has a pergola rooftop and is very fancy. I'd post pics but I don't have any at the moment. I spent about $700 in materials and ropes, pipes, a birdbath, etc... Went all out for her to play now and then, not a permanent residence. One problem though...I used rolled wire mesh that I bought at Home Depot, used about 250 square feet of it to cover all of the windows and roof, not realizing that it's galvanized and is toxic to birds. BIG MISTAKE! So I've looked up Stainless Steel wire mesh, and it's about $600-900 for what I need. I cannot do that, so I am looking for another solution to the problem. I cannot take the galvanized out because of the way I installed it, but am willing to build an "inner layer" of something that would be safe for her, but I cannot afford Stainless steel. Any suggestions??? Thanks.

[Christina]

Try this website www.wingzcatalog.com and see if they have something that you might be able to use. They seem to have some wire that they sell by the roll and you can get the smaller gauge so it should make it more affordable. Hope you find something that works.

[Talon]

There is a special netting used for birds. One that keeps most mosquitoes and bugs out, and it is "chew" proof as well. I will see if I can find the company for you. Maybe others here would have other ideas.

[Christina]

Just fyi, I just came over from macaw talk and they are in a discussion about galvanized v. ungalvanized and they seem to think galvanized is fine. Here is the web-site, http://www.birdsnway.com/boards/mt/mt.cgi . I don't post much, but I read a lot of what they talk about and most of the people on there know birds and own several breeds. I'm not saying take their word for it, but take a look if you want.

[Luvparrots]

The attached site talks about galvanized wire for aviaries. The pros and cons of welding before and after galvanizing. Perhaps it will help.

 

NaturalBird.com Indoor and Outdoor Bird Enclosure FAQ:

[Keywe]

Thank you all for your replies...Christina-I read the links and one of them said that the larger the cage, the less likely they would chew on the cage. This is a very large aviary, and if I keep the play area in the middle and keep an eye on her, maybe it will work out. I'm still going to keep my eyes open for something else. Thanks again for your help.

[Christina]

That might work....especially if you put some live plants in there. Finnigan loves to be in our plants. But I agree, I would still keep my eye out and change it when something less expensive and worthwhile came along. Try the plants though, that will keep your grey occupied.

[Keywe]

I was looking somewhere on the internet and somebody had used that golfing net used at golfing ranges, and they said it worked great. It's not expensive, and would hold up to the weather. I would mainly use it to keep her off of the galvanized mesh. There are MANY toys and things for her to play on, so I doubt she'd even try to climb much on the netting. It's hard to walk in there because of the maze of ropes, pvc ladders, and everything else that I could think of that she'd like to play on. I'll have to post pics.