(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best bird perches

Hi there - both birds are male. Wallace has the same blue cere as your bird. Charlie is one of those color morphs where the cere doesn't turn blue.

I'll do my best to ID everything. I included links so you can find product numbers if you need them.

1. Lixit Quick Lock Bird Bath
   
   
2. Happy Perch - as far as I know, they went out of business. They were a small company based out of Colorado that was badly affected by some flooding a few years back.
   
   
3. Clean cup feeder
   
   
4. Scooter Z Circle Circle - I cut the rubber ball off of the one in the cage because it got brittle. That's why it currently has pieces of Shredders in it!
   
   
5. No idea on the brand, but it's a natural wood perch. The texture of the bark helps wear their nails down but it's more comfortable than the cement perches people sometimes use.
   
   
6. "The Wave" toy from JW Pet Insight Activitoys - I pulled off the bell because the company wouldn't confirm it didn't have zinc plating. Parrots play with things using their mouths and anything zinc plated can cause zinc poisoning down the line.
   
   
7. Booda Comfy Perch - there are several brands of rope perches out there. I've bought a few and they seem comparable. I have these in several sizes. My birds love them.
   
   
8. Insight wood bird perch - Don't remember the size, sorry.
   
   
9. Wood corner shelf - This takes up a lot of room in the cage so I wouldn't get one unless you think your bird will use it.
   
   
10. JW Pet Company Insight Cuttlebone Holder
    
    My birds also have the Bird Kabob Mini and the Scooter Z Tropical Lily.
    
    

Ideally you want perches with different diameters and different textures. In addition, consider an area in the cage where she can stand on a flat surface, if she doesn't regularly run around on tables/floors out of the cage (so she can stretch her toes out flat sometimes. Budgies in the wild actually spend a lot of time on the ground.)

I don't know where you are or where you shop, these are just examples to give you an idea:

Rope perches are very popular: warm and soft on feet, available in many different lengths, they clip to the bars or can be hung up.

Wood perches also come in various sizes and shapes and different kinds of wood. One thing I like about them is they only need to be attached to one wall of the cage so you have more options for length and placement.

Hope that helps. Beautiful bird!

Beautiful birds! Don't pay attention to people being aggressive here. This is not how you educate people about things that need to be done or not. They are right about different types of branches, I personally have a few of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002563O0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also have 1 set of stairs. Your cage is huge! which is really nice for the birds!


Branches like this is also nice: https://www.amazon.com/SNNplapla-Parrot-Natural-Toy-15CM-Birdcage/dp/B075WTWZ9S/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=wood+perch&qid=1562340533&s=gateway&sr=8-7 . I've heard from several places that these type of perches are not that good, but I still have some in my cage. As long as you at least provide other types it's not that bad! They also love toys that can be easily destroyed. Mine love to destroy cardboard, so I cut some squares and attach to the cage.

I use these and these. Both work great, both don't damage a bird's feet. Of course, my birds also have natural and rope perches too. They haven't needed nail trims, and my vet even commented on how great their feet look.

My only gripe with the safety pumice perches is that they can only be placed on vertical bars, and the black part is huge so it makes it difficulty to place it in certain places.

Oh good! It is very rare that I see them, but every once in a while you'll come across them. I hate them, they're just completely terrible and should all be destroyed. Dowel rods are the smooth, single-thickness rods that often come in cages. They also need to be destroyed. Never in a birds life would it land on a tree that is perfectly smooth and round. But yeah, just about any other kind of perch is acceptable. It's good to have tons of different types as well as really big and really little ones. It's best to have a concrete perch (like this one) as the highest point in the cage, as that's the one he'll sleep on. This will keep birdies nails nice and trim without you having to do any work. You'll want one big enough so that every nail touches the perch. Anything else is just extra and fun, both the ladder and the coconut things are a-ok.

Cage should be as big as you can afford. However,as he is so new, I’d wait a moth or two before changing up the cage especially if you let him out so often. Check out this url. You can search by bird type.

birdcages4less

I’ve found Amazon a great resource for toys. Also look locally for specialty feed stores near you. They can have toys for a lot less and usually offer a wide variety of foods.

This is my go to source for manzanita perches it’s much cheaper than pet stores. These types of perches are good for birds feet. Don’t buy these until you know which size cage you end up with.

Finally, focus on veggies. I feed mine broccoli, celery and carrots that are fine chopped every other day. They just don’t eat it if I offer it daily.

Thanks for taking your role as bird parent so seriously. Blu is in good hands!

So far, it's better but I've known this bird for over three years. She was a boarder with me many times. She was a rescue but would not let her resue owners touch her the entire three years. Plus she was very sexually frustrated because they had another ecki that she was in a mate type of relationship with (they were both girls).

Now she's in my main living area with my other birds, I handle her a ton every day (she's always loved me for some weird reason, that's why I took her), and her diet is a ton better. She is no longer running super high sex hormones (I can tell from her behaviour). I use this light https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002PCSMG/ref=psdcmw_2975515011_t2_B000KH9S88 and this perch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000795ZEK/ref=asc_df_B000795ZEK4734536/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B000795ZEK&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167134466316&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17180420645685160474&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021891&hvtargid=pla-132828335286.

I was going to give her a lupron shot to reduce the sexual behaviour but it's no not needed now. I may put her on a mood drug for a few months if her progress doesn't continue.

Just as PeTS247 said, birds do need regularly scheduled maintenance. We have removed them from their natural environment. Some of those elements are necessary. I don’t recommend the rough perches as they will irritate your birb’s feet. You can accomplish the same results with a tree-type stand. The branches should still have the bird-friendly bark. Your baby will rub his beak on the bark like he would in the wild. Your mileage may vary.

Something like this: (note that the picture will cause you to laugh)
BWOGUE Bird Perch,Nature Apple Wood Stand Toy Branch for Parrots Cages Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0734HSLYJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Gq0mDbB1NY230

In any case, ask your avian vet what they recommend. Use their experience to your advantage just like you are utilizing us.

You can either get them from a bird shop and they'll have a nice little wing nuts and threaded bolt on them. You can also just go pluck them from some trees in your area. Make sure to debark and disinfect them and also make sure that they're in budgie safe tree. I use cottonwood and crabapple for my babies because they grow in my area. Also be sure to sand down any sharp bits. Any size between your finger and wrist size works well for budgies. I just jam them between the bars

https://www.amazon.com/Grinding-Accessories-Parakeets-Cockatiels-Lovebirds/dp/B07SWSTQYR/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?keywords=natural+wood+perches+for+parakeets&qid=1566506039&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=natural+wood+perch&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyV0FBVU1KQ1VGQk9WJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzM1MTM3MVkwNENWTUoxTkw0TiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDQ4MDc5M0xVWTRIU1o4RVA1RCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

It is one of those outside of the cage playgrounds where you can change the set-up of it by moving stuff around:
https://www.amazon.com/You-Me-3-Playground-Birds/dp/B01CGQOIE4/

The birds love it. It is a great way to get them outside of the cage by covering it with millet.

If birds are in good health, they’re fine at temperatures between 60-85°F (16-29°C). I’ve even had birds at 55 and 90°F (13 and 32°C), and that’s where they started to show signs of being too warm or too cold.

Rather than shrink wrapping the cage so they can’t breathe, you’d be better off getting a thermometer and a vet checkup.

Edit: and an electric heated perch.


https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Products-9010-Thermo-Perch-Heated/dp/B07HML9LX2/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqLW8jrP85QIVibPtCh3EBQ1VEAAYAiAAEgIvQ_D_BwE&hvadid=176958937402&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002004&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1783250664748630191&hvtargid=kwd-1932318551&hydadcr=8868_9763335&keywords=thermo-perch&qid=1574376940&sr=8-1

It's really only an issue when a bird is only given sandpaper perches or the sand perch is the highest one in the cage (which the bird is likely to sit on 90% of the time). I've frequently seen it recommended that you only put one rough perch in your bird's cage at a time for these reasons.

Of course, a good alternative to your typical sandpaper perches is a Safety Pumice Perch. The smooth top is easier on a bird's feet but I can say that they work very well for nail maintenance!

Hi amarzipandildo2,

toy is a such good idea. out of these 3 toys, which do you think might be a good start?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/61311955/parakeetbudgie-canary-finch-parrotlet?utm_source=OpenGraph&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Plax-PP90274-Perch-Mirror/dp/B00U9O5JHQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495631584&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=abacus+perches+with+beads

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1201-Mini-Abacus-Bonka-Bird-Toys-parrot-cage-toy-cages-parakeet-budgie-canaries-/371734582193

My bad. It looks like slight, flaky skin from the top of the foot instead of bottom. However pumice perches are specialty made to grind down your birds nails. It is not necessary if you already self-trim your birds nails or have variety of perches to do it for you. It is a quality of life. I recommend the one I linked because it has a smooth top to not hurt the birds' feet.

Showers and misting then seem like your only options. My boy was from a bad situation and didn’t bathe himself at all, but after several showers where he just observed and felt the steam he started to be more receptive to getting wet. Here’s the shower perch I use, it has been working out well for us.

Portable Suction Cup Bird Window... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075677D13?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I bet you could get a short rope perch like this and screw each end through the holes in the backpack like they did with the perches in this post.

I got mine from a bird shop, but heres the closest thing i found on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Qulable-Shower-Portable-Suction-Parrot/dp/B01MU94WNB/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1509919006&sr=8-4&keywords=bird+shower+perch&dpID=41a8o9rBScL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

https://smile.amazon.com/CAGE-COMPANY-AE250S-Java-Wood/dp/B00DPJ4X8S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=a+and+e+cages+java+tree&qid=1551288835&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Here is the amazon link