[rhysbird]

Hey! I have bought a few chunks of natural balsa wood. To make this more interesting to my 10 cockatiels in my aviary I am going to sting them together, i also want to dye them to add attractiveness. Any opinons on how or what i should use? i was thinking food dye? :grey tiel:ied::wf pied:earl:

 

[Janalee]

balsa wood

Hi - any "mild" white glue would do to stick them together. Like "Elmer's Glue" if you have that where you are. Or any child-safe white glue would work. I am not sure about the food dyes. I would just leave it natural. I buy a chew toy for Bennie that is some kind of natural plant fiber. They sell the same thing in colored chunks, but I would rather stick to the natural colors.

 

[rhysbird]

Thank you for your reply! i was thinking of putting holes through the batons and putting rope through it with this fibery stuff they love over it too! i dont expect it to last long, ive heard that they can get through balsa in seconds!

 

[AutumnElf]

What about using berries to dye the wood? People use natural things to dye fabric so why not wood?

You could only use safe to eat items. Berries would be great, as well as some vegetables and herbs. Definitely check to see if tiels can eat those foods before dying your wood with them. Cook the food down in some water and let them soak. I think sometimes salt is added to help the color stay but this may not be necessary for wood. I would check out some recipes for dying with natural items to see what works for you.

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[rhysbird]

oh h e ll yeah! thats a great idea, i feel like an idiot for not thinking about that! i could use beetroot. when i cook a load of beets up for their chop i get the red juice everywhere, it stains everything, that would work great