This is my DIY playgym. It's not separate from the cage but it does give Kessie and the lovies something to play on while out and about. I also have a branch with a toy or 2 attached to the top of my monitor so the birds can sit up there is they want to.

and closer

I just used branches from bird safe trees and zip ties from the $store. Then I attached assorted toys. There are a couple of small foot toys on top as well as that stainless steel dish is intended to be a bathtub of sorts...lol

 

Oops, I posted mine on the toy section. Here is my hanging gym I just made.

Vicki

 

^ That's awesome, haha!!

 

Very nice

 

Thanks! They seem to dig it, the budgies do too!

Vicki

 

Tweetys Play Gym

I just hang branches for her to chew on, now and then.

 

Fantastic little gyms, going to have to put my thinking cap on and come up with some entertaining ideas for my three.

 

JUST ADDED (7/11/09) Finally played with Vet Wrap (Farm/Ranch supply store, 2-3$ a roll):

Basically, a couple trays from Hobby Lobby/Walmart.... a good bit of 1/2in PVC pipe (sanded & had a dremel run down the length to give it texture), sisal rope, balsa wood planks, and some stainless steel eye hooks. I guess I use some plastic chain too... but not too often.

I cut all my PVC into uniform lengths. I've got a box full of 6in, 8in, 10in long pieces... and a LOT of connectors. Whenever the mood strikes I just break down the old one and stick together a new one... since all the pieces are uniform lengths I can do pretty much any combination & turn out something cool. (sometimes I need a hammer to bang them apart-- NO Glue is needed when building these for tiels)
PVC is easy to work with... all you need is something to cut it with & some sandpaper... it is very inexpensive & extra strong stuff.... bird safe & fun.


last add to this post, I swear....

12inch wood embroidery hoops, 2ft of fleece, some hemp, and a chain piece to hang.... total cost: less than $3!!

 

Oh wow, l love all the neat playgyms. l have 2 playgyms for my budgie but l would like to either make one for my tiel or buy one

 

Do it your self Play Gym

I posted my play gym above.
But did not make it to clear that the pix is of her play gym made from local woods. And when I find plants or branches from trees I just tie them on to the gym.
I am into Keep it Natural. How I decide what is safe is, I watch the wild birds to see what they like or stay away from. Plus I am an arborist so know some of the dangers of the bad ones. Tweety keeps her chewing to these items most of the time. She likes Bottlebrush, Pururi, Banksia, Paperbark Gum and others I can not think off just now? She will chew at the base of the flowers and at the base of the leaf stem. Plants are Milk Weed, Dandilion, Silverbeet (she only nibbles this a little bit). She will go back and still chew on wood after it has been there over a week.
I am guessing there are natural products that they get from this chewing that I would like to think is good for them.

 

Making a playgym sounds like a great idea, but I'm a clumsy one and I tend to not craft things very sturdily.
I bought this playgym for my birds, and I am not satisfied. The playgym is more sized for parakeets, and it is very flimsy. They love to look in the mirror and ring the bell, but it falls over every time they touch it. They cannot fit under the junglegym into the swing, and I don't think a medium-sized parakeet could, either. The tetherball and horse and seesaw fall over every time they try to play with it. Now my poor babies are scared of the playgym--everything falls! D :

 

play gym ingredients

Hi all

So i wanted to make sassaby his own play gym. I went to spot light and bout all these sparkly things and colourful popsticks. Nothing with glitter on it.
Just made him a popstick house and board walk with a hot glue gun and then thought hmm wonder if this is going to be ok.
So it brought me to think...with tiels eat things that are not good for them?
Do they know the difference between edible and inedable?

 

They'll eat/chew anything.

It's best to get bird-safe things when you're building a play gym. It should say wether or not it's bird safe, if it doesn't, you would need to ask.

 

I would not trust the glue from a hot glue gun. I personally would not even use one in the house with the birds.

 

Great thread! A lot of cool playgyms here

I show some things I've build too

hm, I know I've more photos somewhere, but right now I can't find them.

 

These are really nice, gives the playgym a forest look...very natural...

 

This is our playgym - the wood is birch from our summerhouse so it didn't really cost anything

There's not a lot of toys but they chew on the bark and that's hopefully good for their beeks.

 

They all look like they love it, I'll have to get some birch and try to make one

Dezdemona I love the first playgym I bet they have loads to play with on it,

 

Here's the one I made

Made this one for my Mother in Law's new Tiel. She really enjoyed
That's our Joey testing it out.

 

Added a few things and let the kids paint it with red koolaid, what a mess, lol.

 

those are great playgyms

 

Tea Tree collecting

Hi all, as I am at my wits end over Tweety's disappearance. Home is empty without her.
I decided to go to Coromandle to look at Tony's place, where there is an abundance of blown over Tea Tree.
The 1st pix shows the country side, the property is up 8kms of rough metal (loose gravel) road from the coast. In the 1st pix you can see the forestry in the back ground. In the foreground all the yellow is gorse. Horrid stuff (White Man has a lot to answer for) and major trying to clear it on this type of terrain.
The one of the shack, shed, and latrine, and the land slip shows how fragile a place it is. A couple of pix of the wood we collected in about 30mins. All dead or wind blown. And the last is a shot of a lone Tea tree on the side of the road coming back down. They grow a lot bigger when on their own and on stable ground.
I will give some of this to the Bird Rescue for perches and make her a
couple of stands on wheels.

Anybody around Auckland on the forum is welcome to any they want. I do not want any money for wood as it is. Pick up is fine, or I maybe able to deliver. You are more than welcome to PM me.
I do intend to make Play Gyms and Perches for sale later.
I have access to over 100acers on this property, so I do not think we will run out of wood any time soon.

Thank You All for the kind words about my Loss

 

Hi all, as I am at my wits end over Tweety's disappearance. Home is empty without her.
I decided to go to Coromandle to look at Tony's place, where there is an abundance of blown over Tea Tree.
The 1st pix shows the country side, the property is up 8kms of rough metal (loose gravel) road from the coast. In the 1st pix you can see the forestry in the back ground. In the foreground all the yellow is gorse. Horrid stuff (White Man has a lot to answer for) and major trying to clear it on this type of terrain.
The one of the shack, shed, and latrine, and the land slip shows how fragile a place it is. A couple of pix of the wood we collected in about 30mins. All dead or wind blown. And the last is a shot of a lone Tea tree on the side of the road coming back down. They grow a lot bigger when on their own and on stable ground.
I will give some of this to the Bird Rescue for perches and make her a
couple of stands on wheels.

Anybody around Auckland on the forum is welcome to any they want. I do not want any money for wood as it is. Pick up is fine, or I maybe able to deliver. You are more than welcome to PM me.
I do intend to make Play Gyms and Perches for sale later.
I have access to over 100acers on this property, so I do not think we will run out of wood any time soon.

Thank You All for the kind words about my Loss

oh my god she went missing on my birthday. i sure hope you find her soon!

 

That is a lot of wood but I would not give it to the birds as it is toxic. I heard of a lady putting a drop of tea tree oil on her lovebird and he collapsed and had to be rushed to the vets

 

A lot of concentrated oils are a hazard to our birds.
Tea Tree Oil
Eucalyptus Oil. Funny when you think that Aussy parrots live in and around Eucalyptus trees. chewing the barks and eating the flowers?
Turpentine (Pine Oil)
Cedar. Oil, Shavings.

Well! Spike it seems your claims were incorrect. Here we are 4yrs on and I have a very healthy flock of 7birds. In fact most will tell you they are some of the best looking birds they have seen. Back then I was fairly new to bird keeping. I have gained a huge amount of knowledge since then.
I always knew that Manuka was safe. It is a shame when people can be mislead by others so easy. By silly statements.
As I said back then and still claim today Manuka is just about as safe a wood as you can get. And most importantly it is never round. So super good for their feet. And great for them to chew on the bark as it has natural trace elements that are great for their plumage and general condition. Which is one reason the bark should never be stripped of before giving it to them.
Plus not slippy like that Manzanita you find on sale in the States.

The main gym has grown to a very large gym now.
It is made up of Manuka, Paper Bark Gum, Copper Sheen.

Safe woods down under.
Manuka (Tea Tree)
Kanuka.
Banksia.
Bottle Brush.
Paper Bark Gum and all other Eucalyptus.
Agonis.
Coppersheen.
There are others that I cannot think of at the moment.

Research before you use any woods. Make sure they are on any safe lists. Or check with your local zoo.
Do not collect any woods that have rot in them.

Cleaning is as simple as washing in very hot water and leaving in the sun to dry. And remember LEAVE the bark on. It is good for them to have this to chew on. As something to do and for the trace elements in the bark.
Check for any signs of bird droppings on them.

 

PVC pipe

So I have made alot of things around my house with pvc and thus I have a ton of random parts. I got a really good deal on 1000 ft of 3/4" pvc a few years ago. I made my tomato, pea, and pepper cages with it, I also made a trellis for my squash with it.

Anyways, I have seen alot of people use 1/2" for their playgyms and was wondering if 3/4 would be too big for cawks. I know my friends dad uses 3/4 for his macaws but they are alot bigger. Any suggestions or should I just try it out and see how it works?

 

Spike. I sent you a private message re. Tea Tree.

Tea Tree is Manuka is Leptospermum scoparium.

To all, I am sure Tea tree is safe. I will do some more homework on this.
Please correct me if I am wrong. I do not want to post bad information.
They make oil out of the leaf. I agree with Spike that the oil extract is dangerous to birds. As it can upset humans if not diluted.
The Honey from the flowers is very good and can cost a bomb in some places.

Yenrabaa
I think 3/4in should be fine for the Tiels as long as they have other perches as well. I do remember reading that a birds claws should not interlock when wrapped around a perch. If they are caged all the time then perches of varying size should be used so that the feet get more movement and excercise. Instead of locking in the same place all the time. This reduces the risk of foot trouble later in life.

 

Spike. I sent you a private message re. Tea Tree.
Tea Tree is Manuka is Leptospermum scoparium.

Thanks for the info

I have done a bit of research, here is some of the info I found


In your link you gave me it does mention Kakariki parakeets (Cyanoramphus) use the leaves and bark of Manuka and Kanuka to rid themselves of parasites. So I would think that there is a good amount of oil in the bark aswell.
It also says that the Leptospermum scoparium is related to the melaleuca tree (tea tree oil) and the American Cancer Society states "Tea tree oil is toxic when swallowed. It has been reported to cause drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, coma, unsteadiness, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, blood cell abnormalities, and severe rashes. It should be kept away from pets and children.
I have seen this perch for sale in a bird shop
https://healthybird.net/store/produ...duct_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=1452&osCsid=4e2cd3316ea428cf3997cb7f24bd0814 It is also related to the tea tree. On the site it says
The Cajeput tree is closely related to the tea tree. It also states that The anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitical qualities of the oil in the bark will help to keep birds healthy. Seeing as it says that there is oil in it's bark and that it is closely related to the tea tree. I would be worried about it's safety as I have read articles saying that tea tree oil has killed cats
I personally would not buy a Cajeput perch for Spike.
Well thats just my take on things, hopefully this helps people make their own decisions on what they think is best for thier tiels. After all we all know that we all strive to provide the best care for our tiels

 

So far! I can confirm.
My local Avian Vet tells me Manuka is safe. And sells Bird toys made from Manuka.
In New Zealand Bird Toys, Stands, Play Gyms, Perches are made from it.
The Auckland Zoo use it for perches.
The local Bird Rescue have no issue's, and use it.
I did find one Breeder who has used it for the last 18yrs.
And can confirm many others use it for perches, that is in NZ.
So I still think it is safe to use. And seems to be the favoured wood.
I think what everybody likes is it has undulating form and is a hardwood. So puts up with a good chewing.

 

Hi all thought id share.
Just finished this tonight after about 2-3 weeks of work. I work full time.

http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u20/ellerosb/?action=view&current=IMG_030750.jpg
http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u20/ellerosb/?action=view&current=IMG_031450.jpg
http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u20/ellerosb/?action=view&current=IMG_030650.jpg
http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u20/ellerosb/?action=view&current=IMG_030550.jpg
I'm calling it her nest.
Its all natural sticks from eucalypt and twine.
free standing

What do you think

 

I think you did a great job on that.
And as you say it is a natural.
Well done.