kaeurl66 Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hey everyone! My grey, Cookie, is a totally destructive bird, in that he plays, and he plays HARD. He ate thru the huge main perch in his cage... 3 ft long, and about 1.5 inches thick. I have huge trees in my yard, that I would love to give him branches from to play with, but I don't know what kind of trees they are!! I just took a picture out of my office window. Can some smart tree person help me? Thanks! Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaeurl66 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 That didn't work. let me try the pic again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaeurl66 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 one more time before i give up.... LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hi Carol, I don't know what type of tree that is but I can share a link to a site that gives the safe trees you can take branches from to use for chew toys and/or perches and playstands, hope it helps. http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaeurl66 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Thanks, Judy!!! There are just so many "bad" trees...i'm scared to gdo anything until i figure it out. On a good note, I was able to get a dowel from Lowe's to replace the perch he destroyed...untreated wood (from the safe list)...and MUCH cheaper than from a bird store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Well if he loves to chew wood then by all means get him an untreated 2 by 4 and cut it up into pieces and let him chew on them to his heart's content but you do need to identify any tree you would want to use and the list I provided the link to just has the safe woods but does not identify the tree, maybe you can ask around to see if any neighbors have some knowledge to identifying trees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranaz Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hi Carol My greys name is Kookie, almost same like yours...he loves to chew wood too si I keep getting him those baby wooden blocks, I drill a whole through them and hang them by a cotton rope and I change shapes and colors every time. He loves them <br><br>Post edited by: ranaz, at: 2009/05/17 21:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycos_mom Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 You could take a small branch with a few leaves on it to a tree nursury and they could probubly Idenify it for you its hard to tell by the picture. I buy untreated wood and make toys also but I find my birds prefew natural tree branches to chew and strip the bark off of I have a few bird safe trees in my yard so I just go cut a few every now and then and they just have a great time stripping the bark and chewing the nice fresh branches.<br><br>Post edited by: Tycos_mom, at: 2009/05/17 21:37 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranaz Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 And this one also... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Those are average type oak trees--very safe but in order to make them an even better more permanent perch in your cage, do this 1--get one that looks pretty dead and useless. 2--measure approx length in your cage where you want it and cut it to that size. The more bent and knarly the branch, the better. 3--Take the branch and totally cover it in water for about an hr or until you see the bark becoming soft. 4---peel off all the bark. You'll be left with a very hard branch that birds don't particularly like to chew through because it's similiar to natural branches 5--let the branch dry off--may take 1 hr. Wood that has had the bark taken off dries pretty quickly. 6--slice a couple of notches in either end 7--voila!---a natural branch from a tree. Every cage I have has natural branches from my backyard. I put the originals away to use for other things.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/05/17 21:45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaeurl66 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 OOOOOOOH!!!! Thanks for all the ideas!!! Dave, thanks for the advice on the perch! We are about to take a chain saw to some of the bigger branches.... maybe i can make him some "chips" to chew as well. I never even thought of baby blocks! What a great idea!! I do have some of the plastic baby "chain" links in his cage, he likes those too. He's a big love, this bird...it's such a hoot to see him playing with his toys! Oh!!! Would I need to "cook" the branches to make them safe, or would they probably be okay as is just following Dave's formula? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 You don't need to cook any branches that have had the bark removed. Just take that branch over to your sink and with a wet sponge or towel, soap it down and let dry. BUT, if you feel better about putting them in the oven, that's alright too as long as you don't burn the wood.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/05/17 22:33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Now that we have the tree out of the way Carol, why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome and introduction room and tell us some more about you and your grey Cookie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaeurl66 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Will do, Judy... on my way now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hi Carol, love your Avatar!!! Can't wait to see Cookie's new perch when you get it ready. If you get a chance we would love to see some pictures of Cookie and hear more about her. How old is she? Welcome to the family!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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