Consolidating Success! (Knock On Wood) Plus, some 'wood' ?'s

[debbie276]

I just wonder if some of these 'toxic plant' lists are aimed more at hookbills, which will chew on bark, leaves, branches, rather than our finches, which don't seem to consume much of their perches.

You may be right Sally. I wish they would give a bit more detail on the lists like what part is toxic rather then just a "toxic" label

[finchmix22]

I do not see Crape Myrtle on any of the lists, which is a light colored branch that grows in Texas. I have taken branches after pruning and disinfected those, but the problem is getting them secured in the flights. Any ideas for a more stable homemade perch attachment in flights?

[debbie276]

I've used pieces of wire to secure the branches to the wire of the aviary. I find the branches that are more bouncy get the most use, maybe hang it down with soft roping like a clothesline.

[Lisa]

Aside from psycho Lena attacking Lucy and causing fights, It seems to be working out

What about Lucy? It doesn't sound like she would agree that things are working out. Zebra aggression can become very serious very fast. It can prevent the bullied one from being able to access food and water, it will tear the bird up physically and mentally, make it a nervous wreck and a target for others birds in the cage as it will easily become identified as the weak one. A bullied bird also has to constantly be looking over it's shoulder, walking on eggshells with everything it does. A bird's home should be a safe place for all of them. Back in the day when I used to keep many zebras, I've actually come home to a dead zebra (twice, two different situations) on the floor of the cage - birds that were only mildly picked on previously. Finding them with all tail feathers gone, a bloody stump where the tail used to be. I would be very careful to leave Lucy in a situation like this... this will wear a bird down quickly and could result in serious injury or worse.

[Nerien]

LOL birch is also in that link under Unsafe Plants / Fruits & Trees

No it isn't. One site cautions based on known chemistry of the bark, but also says the levels are so low they probably don't matter. And I can assure you, they don't. Have had big birch branches, with bark, in my budgie cage for quite a while now, well over a year or more. All the finches have birch, again over a year.

Wish I could use cherry, but I see cautions against that that sound a little more dire, IF they apply (a few dogs and horses have had problems). Got lots of wild cherry, October snowstorms brought down 7/8 of one tree and 1/4 of another. I use the cherry in my degu habitat. Degus are Chilean ground squirrels, kind of like mini-chinchillas. They chew everything, and I mean everything!!! The degus have birch, cherry, willow (yes, safe for them and even recommended), beech, cork oak bark, aspen lumber, all chewed, all safe. The degu community puts out big warnings against maple, which is a shame because I live in a maple-oak forest. However, just like with birds, they only mention vine maple as safe, and red maple as dangerous. Well, I have every other kind of maple possible around me--sugar, norway, silver, black, striped--but there's no info on any of them. Frustrating!

Not real eager to get into de-barking branches, so I have stuck with the birch and beech so far. Both are pretty, the beech seems to shed its bark itself when dead long enough, the birds are finishing the job, and still very alive and well. Birch is a softer wood, so the hookbills are chewing it away from the smaller tips downward, but when they finish it off, I can just go back out to the woods and get more, so it's okay. Also keeps them from chewing on things I might not want them to, they cut through plastic toys and items pretty efficiently when they set their minds to it.

For finches I anchor them with wire or small nylon pull ties, sometimes a screw and washers in the fat end, put a washer both inside and outside the cage bars when you put the screw through, evens out the pressure on the bars and holds things more securely. For big branches, washers and screws into the ends, and if there's a place along the length of the branch where it hits a side, washers and screw in there, too. Sometimes a screw hook, if the branch passes a good place to add one, or reaches up to the top of the cage.

I wish they would get all the lists together and sort out what is real info, what is suspected based on biology or anecdotes, and what is downright bunk. Run into the same problems with my other creatures, a well-known site puts out some info, and everyone takes it as gospel and spreads it, and it grows and grows. With the guinea pigs, hibiscus is a big no-no, OMG they will drop dead immediately. Well, hibiscus is okay for every other critter going, even people! Turns out, ONE site, run by ONE person, decided hibiscus was risky, because out of the hundreds of species worldwide, evidently a couple are toxic, so she says. Not the common ones that grow anywhere but deep tropics, but anyway.... And if you look at any other guinea pig sites, if the discussion of hibiscus comes up, this ONE person shows up and shouts everyone down about how toxic hibiscus is. And then, of course, others copy what they have seen on one site and spread it to others. And the debate rages on, is hibiscus toxic for guinea pigs, because one person took a plant course where she was told there are a few toxic hibiscus species (and she never names which ones, either.) She must spend her life searching for guinea pig hibiscus discussions, I swear, because she, herself, keeps showing up defending her position. And keeping the worldwide guinea pig community from a very common, easy, useful natural resource.

I so wish this info would all get straightened out, for all critters. It's too much trouble to keep it all straight.

[debbie276]

Quote:
LOL birch is also in that link under Unsafe Plants / Fruits & Trees


No it isn't.

I was refering to the link Cindy posted:
http://www.avianweb.com/toxicfoods.html
scroll down to "Unsafe Plants / Fruits & Trees"
Just the B's:
Balsam Pear - seeds, outer rind of fruit
Baneberry - berries, root
Beans - all types if uncooked
Birch
Bird of Paradise - seeds
Bittersweet Nightshade
Black Locust - bark, sprouts, foliage
Bloodroot
Blue-green Algae - some forms toxic
Boxwood - leaves, stems
Bracken Fern
Broomcorn Grass
Buckthorn - fruit, bark
Buttercup - sap, bulbs

And I absolutely agree with you that birch is fine as is burning bush

[Nanajennie]

debbie276 I didn't even see this til today! odd. Thanks for finding that info, good news for me. I have huge burning bushes.

I appreciated the information

[Nanajennie]

Lisa Today things are a little different. Lucy and Charlie are sticking together and Lina isn't causing as much trouble. I am watching closely for signs of feather loss etc. I have three layers of food / water/ snack and millet stations. They seem to be finding their nitches, I have placed an ad the local pet store offering Lena to a good home. Problem is, I can't find anyone who is breeding locally, or even just keeping finches for fun! it is so odd.

Thanks for your advice, and don't worry, as soon as I see the first issue, I will take her out and put her alone

[Nerien]

I was refering to the link Cindy posted:
http://www.avianweb.com/toxicfoods.html
scroll down to "Unsafe Plants / Fruits & Trees"

Oh, I see. I looked at the "Foods & Plants That Can be Toxic For Birds" list, not the "Unsafe Plants/Fruits & Trees" list.
However, birch is NOT on the "Unsafe Wood / Not Recommended for Perches" list.
And it IS listed on the "Wood / Trees / Bushes Considered Safe for Birds" list.

I think somebody needs to clean up their information.

And did you notice, on the "Toxic!" list, it says, "Please note that the items marked with an* are especially toxic to birds and can be fatal." Garlic is marked with an *, yet in parentheses next to it it says, "(safe for birds in SMALL amounts)". So it's deadly toxic, but okay if you don't eat too much?

My head is spinning. Time for better lists!

[debbie276]

exactly

[Nanajennie]

debbie276@Nerien so I have no idea what kind of burning bush I have but I am going to slow roast some today. All the wild finches around here nest in the bush/tree plants and I feel like it should be ok.

[Nerien]

Look up "Euonymus Burning Bush" and see if that matches what you have, probably does. If so, it's the safe one. If it doesn't, search for "Firebush" and see if that matches, if so, probably not safe. Even just Wikipedia has good enough pictures to tell. Or any nursery site should also. In fact, if there is a decent plant place nearby, bring in a twig and they can tell you whether it is an Euonymus ("you-on-i mous") or not.

[Nanajennie]

Ok . You are awesome