FINCHforum

Where can I get the lowest price for the Manzanita multi branch perches? Please share the link if you know of a place that has a good price!

I know you should be able to find them on the internet, but I'll bet they won't be cheap.

I grew up in Southern California and Manzanita grew wild, but it is a protected plant species out there. Heavy fine if you got caught harvesting them.

They are beautiful plants. Have you thought of an alternative?

Good luck on your search.

I bought a few manzanita perches at PetsMart when they had them on sale. However, I find that some of them are a little slick, and my handicapped birds have a harder time landing on them. I like to cut natural branches from shrubs in my yard, and since they are free, I can just throw them away any time I want and replace them.

Go cut your own branches....ash,sycamore,apple, etc.Free and much better.

I would like to use real branches for trees around my neighborhood but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not.... I was worried that even if it looked clean to the naked eye , that there might be some kind of mites or germs or something on them or in them... I know it sounds crazy.. lol. I guess I'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe (spelling???) LOL! maybe I will look around the neighborhood!

pattiej wrote:I would like to use real branches for trees around my neighborhood but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not.... I was worried that even if it looked clean to the naked eye , that there might be some kind of mites or germs or something on them or in them... I know it sounds crazy.. lol. I guess I'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe (spelling???) LOL! maybe I will look around the neighborhood!

Wait for a more official answer to this but I know people clean them before they give them to their birds. Some use power spray hoses and blast the branches. I think then they may make a water/vinegar solution and put it in that overnight. Finally you dry it out... let it sit for a couple of days in the sun. Then I think its good to go.

Personally, i like the natural branches but the ones that have screws and washers and wingnuts on them so you can bolt them to the side of your cage. But I figured the nut, 2 washers and wing nut already cost about 50c and I was able to get natural perches for 1 dollar with this whole attachment on it at the bird mart this weekend. So i picked up 10 of them at the mart and called it a day.

I also used crushed oyster and seashell dipped perches. All of my finches, even the ones they recommend you should clip their nails, dont ever need to be trimmed as these take care of that.

Finally, I have 1 concrete (i think its called Pedi-Perch) in each cage. Its X-Small size and its contoured. I would argue that this perch is every one of my finches favorite perch.

pattiej wrote:I would like to use real branches for trees around my neighborhood but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not.... I was worried that even if it looked clean to the naked eye , that there might be some kind of mites or germs or something on them or in them... I know it sounds crazy.. lol. I guess I'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe (spelling???) LOL! maybe I will look around the neighborhood!

I would also check that they are non-toxic. You may be able to find a list in the Finch Information Center. I don't know which are or are not. Poohbear and Finch Fry had some suggestions that I like.

I use Bamboo out of my back yard, but they don't sound like what you are looking for.

Good luck.

I like the Manzanita perches. But I don't buy them anymore because I've had a problem with them splitting and no longer able to attach to the cage. They only last about two months for me. Petsmart sells a holder for natural perches that works well. They even have bounce. However they are a little pricey but still cheaper than a medium sized Manzanita perch.

Here is a link to the holder
http://www.theperchstore.net/prhepema.html

Living in Florida we used to ask the orange grove owners if our bird club could come in prior to their seasonal pruning in the fall and take some of the branches. The owner would allow us in and with his help we could take as much as we liked. If you have an apple orchard nearby see if the owner will let you come in and take some branches.

This is how we cleaned them: with a mild dish soap/water in a spray bottle and a wire brush we scrubbed the branches down. I believe we used the soap/water spray to help loosen any oily residue from a pesticides. We rinsed it well then soaked it in a bleach solution for about an hour. After that we soaked it in water 3 different times through out that day (change the water after every soak) to help leach the bleach solution out of the wood. You can use this same method with any safe type of branch.

The wood sat in the sun for about 5 days, turning the branches over so all sides dry and are exposed to the sun. All of this sounds labor intensive but it is so worth it.

Afterwards we cut the branches to fit and used the same method Mike talked about with double ended screws and nuts to secure the branches to the cage.

I also like the Pedi perches, the birds love sitting on them and I use them in the areas that I notice the birds love to be in the most.

A long time ago there was a company in Florida that delivered on specific days to different parts of Florida. They cared bundles of dragonwood, bamboo (dried, natural) and manzanita branches in very long sections and branches that could be cut. I ordered it and they would drop it at the end of the driveway. I will try to search and see if I can locate the company. They were very inexpensive and I could do about 4 cages with perches out of 1 manzanita section. Before putting the manzanita in the cage, rough it up with some course sandpaper to help the bird grip and wear it's nails down. Manzanita has a tendency to be smooth.

tip: My avian vet and I had a discussion about bleach, she informed me that when you mix bleach in water and store it in a spray bottle or container that the bleach looses some of is strength within 24 hours and will gradually become less effective. The sun also breaks down the bleach as the cage/wood dries.

I found this company out of California..they have all kinds of wood perches and bird supplies, look in cage supplies they had the ones with the screws and washers attached.

http://www.exoticwooddreams.com/catalog ... esale.html