FINCHforum

How do i do this. i have seen it in posts off topic of some threads but this is what i want to know.
I read an article:
http://www.avianweb.com/safewoods.html
But i want to know HOW to do this
Exactly what do i do? bleach poses a threat(i am doing this for my tiels as WELL as my finches, so chewing on bark will have to be safe)so i do not want to use bleach. I have lilacs in my yard that have pretty good perches(esp for finches! perfect finch feet size!) and i have also been told that lilacs are safe to make into perches. but i want a second opinion please!
any ideas?

i just cut them off and do this over 25 years without any problems , no cleaning , no scrubbing , no chemical sh*t .....

I get them from my own yard, so I know they are clean. Spray them with hot water, sunbake them. IF, they are for somebody epse who is worried about germs I bake them. I just harvested a bunch for my aviary!! I prefer ones that have already broke off and are dried out.

Are your birds outside aviary or inside?
I don't want to run the risk of mites, fungus, bugs other then mites...
All of my birds are inside birds. I will NOT risk them getting sick!
i don't want to use chemicals anyway, i want to know if i can just bake it to kill all of the bugs off
And Dante, we just moved into our new house
i have no idea what the people before us did to the branches or trees so i just want to be safe

Katie, it you can soak perches in a mild mix of bleach and water, Rinse really well and dry in the sun for two days. Bleach actually breaks down in water after 24 hours and breaks down in the sun, once completely dry it should be fine...

list of safe plants and trees
http://www.cockatielcottage.net/houseplants.html

I might add that using bleach and water was recommended by my avian vet. I have been doing this for the last 20 some yrs and have not had any problems. I do it to make sure that the branches are not carrying mites, droppings from outside birds and to rid them of grime.

I, too, just cut 'em and use 'em. We have apple trees and a seemingly never-ending supply of grapevines - enough that I discard and replace perches very, very often. Not yet 25, but many years with no problems.

LuxandLolita wrote:Are your birds outside aviary or inside?
I don't want to run the risk of mites, fungus, bugs other then mites...
All of my birds are inside birds. I will NOT risk them getting sick!
i don't want to use chemicals anyway, i want to know if i can just bake it to kill all of the bugs off
And Dante, we just moved into our new house
i have no idea what the people before us did to the branches or trees so i just want to be safe

The birds are in cages, at my moms, but I am getting an indoor aviary at my dad's house

I get a scrub brush and scrub off the dirt with hot water. Then put them in the bathtub and spray with virkon-s. All has been well so far.

Mites live in crevices,if the wood you pick has smooth bark a quick wash will be sufficient.

Rayray wrote:i just cut them off and do this over 25 years without any problems , no cleaning , no scrubbing , no chemical sh*t .....

Same here, for 5 years.

A simple and affective way with no chemicals is to use a steam mop or equivalent, steam very well and allow to dry in the sun, steam is proven to kill moulds, bacteria, mites and alot of other funky things that maybe on the branches. If you wish to go down a more chemical path you could use either bleach, vircon s or coopex, or any other product that can do the same. After washing and dry the branches off in these solutions I would be intent to wash the branches off again to get any excess solution off and let dry again. As Cindy stated if your using smaller branches you could get away with baking which is also another method which doesn't use chemicals but for me I would need an oven that could fit a 7ft branch in it so no luck with that one for me.

Any bleach that is left on the branch will break down in the sun. I generall leave the branches out on my sundeck/lania for two dys in the sun, turning the branches over to allow all sides to dry and be exposed to the sun.

My avian vet and I discussed the use of bleach mixed in water. She told me if you pre-mix bleach and water up ahead of time say in a spray bottle thinking it will last days and be effective that that is a misconception....bleach when mixed in water after the first 24 hrs starts to loose it's potency and becomes less effective. Putting things washed in bleach especially wood products out in sun breaks the bleach down even further.

Ursula wrote:

Rayray wrote:i just cut them off and do this over 25 years without any problems , no cleaning , no scrubbing , no chemical sh*t .....

Same here, for 5 years.

Same here for 12 years

debbie276 wrote:

Ursula wrote:

Rayray wrote:i just cut them off and do this over 25 years without any problems , no cleaning , no scrubbing , no chemical sh*t .....

Same here, for 5 years.

Same here for 12 years

I have to add one thing though: I never use dead wood, only fresh cut from trees or bushes. Dead branches lying on the floor are much more likely to have bugs in them, healthy fresh branches with smooth bark are less susceptible to bugs.

debbie276 wrote:

Ursula wrote:

Rayray wrote:i just cut them off and do this over 25 years without any problems , no cleaning , no scrubbing , no chemical sh*t .....

Same here, for 5 years.

Same here for 12 years

Wow. Me too........12+ years