# Are these trees safe for cockatiels?



## Kermieluvr (Aug 25, 2012)

I'm looking for safe trees that I have in my yard to make natural perchs for my bird. I'm having a hard time finding out if the following trees are safe or not... I've seen them listed on a few sites where some say safe and some say toxic, so I'm not sure which is correct. 

Bois D' Arc (horse apple)
Hackberry
Crape Myrtle 
Redbud
Cedar 

Also is it best to remove the bark or leave it on? Can the leaves be given to them to play with/eat as a treat?


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

It looks like the Crepe Mertle, Redbud, and Cedar are not safe. The Bois D' Arc and Hackberry are safe though.

http://www.crcamp.com/birds/woods.htm
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=543

What we usually recommend to do to outside branches before using them with your birds is to remove the bark, scrub it with a bleach/water mix (1 part bleach to 5 parts water--the chlorine will evaporate), and then bake it in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes or so, depending on the branch-size.

I would remove the leaves, just in case.


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## Kermieluvr (Aug 25, 2012)

Thanks! I will make her some perches with the Bois D' Arc and Hackberry trees. We have several of those. I think my mom also has a pecan and maybe a willow tree. I'll make her a variety to put in the big cage I ordered her that you suggested I get. =)


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

She is going to be one spoiled birdie! Don't forget the toys.  Planet pleasures has some excellent shredder toys. 

Have I spent all your money yet?


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

if you can get a hold of willow, i highly recommend it! its well loved! the vines can be used for birds to shred up and destroy


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## Kermieluvr (Aug 25, 2012)

I'm so excited... my husband said there are 2 willow trees down by our pond. Now what diameter branch is best for perches? Should their toes wrap all the way around or not? 

Also for the perches that don't go all the way across the cage... how do you mount them to the side? I was looking at the stainless bolts today at the store... but the all thread kind that I would think would be the best way to atttach them is made of zinc. They didn't have anything in stainless. The ones I've seen at the store have threads sticking out with two washers and a wing nut. A bolt won't work because of the head so do I cut it off or is there something else I should be using? Are the ones at pet stores & walmart really made with stainless? I've noticed a lot of metal pieces like the bells on toys, the hooks to hang them with and bolts/washers/etc... are these really stainless? It's suppose to be a bird toy, but I pulled them all off until I know if they're safe. Is there a way to tell if metal is stainless?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The standard size for cockatiel dowel perches is 5/8". But the perfect natural-branch perch varies in diameter so the feet go through a variety of positions as the bird moves around the perch. 

I don't remember the correct name for it, but usually the screws/bolts in perches are threaded on both ends, with no head. Part of it goes inside the perch, and the rest sticks outside the cage using two flat washers (one inside the cage, one outside) and a wing nut to hold it in place. It's best to get stainless steel washers, but the bolt itself is usually going to be out of the bird's reach so the material doesn't really matter. You can find the bolts by going to Home Depot or Lowes and looking at what they have in the hardware department.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

You can always order bird-safe products online. Let me find you a link:

Everything you need is right here, view the items by price: lowest to highest:

http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/TOY_PARTS-STAINLESS_STEEL.html


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

theyre called hangerbolts. NOT dowel screws, they look similar but you wont get the right results. you need 1 stainless steel hangerbolt, 2 stainless steel fender washers, and 1 stainless steel wingnut for every ONE perch. getting all stainless can cost about $5. but its the safest. 


you take a drill, drill a pilot hole into the perch at the end where it is flat and cut. then take the hangerbolt, screw side into the wood, you will need a good pair of pliers to screw it in. get it all the way in to the halfway point. put the two washer on. then the wingnut. when you attach it to the cage, one washer inside the cage, one washer outside, sandwiching the bars.


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## Kermieluvr (Aug 25, 2012)

okay, I got the willow branches cut and pulled all the bark off... that was no easy task...lol. I went ahead and cut several branches so I'll have plenty when the new cage gets here. There are a lot of little strings hanging off of them since I pulled the bark off. Am I supposed to pull all these all off too or is it okay for her to pull them off? Everytime I pull one it starts another.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It actually would have been OK to leave the bark on. If the birds strip it off it's good entertainment for them, and if they don't strip it off it's good exercise for their feet and rough bark is helpful for keeping the toenails filed down.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

tielfan said:


> It actually would have been OK to leave the bark on. If the birds strip it off it's good entertainment for them, and if they don't strip it off it's good exercise for their feet and rough bark is helpful for keeping the toenails filed down.


There are some wood types that you are supposed to remove the bark/sap from for toxic reasons. I'd rather be safe than sorry, but we can always look up which types that applies to.


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## Kermieluvr (Aug 25, 2012)

Thanks for all the help... I'm going today at lunch to find the anchor bolts and I'll have them finished tonight when I get home from work. Is there a way to make the branches safe without baking them? I had one branch last night that I made for the new cage that's on it's way... but it won't fit in my oven. If make it shorter it won't fit all the way across the cage. 


Are the bells & hooks that are on the toys that you buy at pet stores and walmart safe? One would think if they were sold for birds that they would be safe... but I'm not sure I want to risk it. Is there a way to tell if a certain type of metal is stainless?


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

take a magnet to it. stainless steel wont stick to magnets. but! bells are likely nickel plated, nickel plated is safe enough for none chewers  but chain can be zinc, so best safe than sorry. 

if you get a toy you dont trust the metal on, just remove the metal chain or clips and replace it with plastic clip and rope


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Kermieluvr said:


> Is there a way to make the branches safe without baking them? I had one branch last night that I made for the new cage that's on it's way... but it won't fit in my oven. If make it shorter it won't fit all the way across the cage.


You can put it in the tub and pour boiling water on it and then dry it out in the sun. 

And branches don't have to fit from one side of the cage to the other. I have plenty of 6-inch branches and they enjoy perching on them just as much as they do the larger/longer ones.


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