Come Meet "Tobi" aka "Hissy Miss"

01-05-2008, 08:32 PM

This is Tobi. This was taken last winter when I first got her. Her perch is from a cherry tree that blew down in our yard. My husband attached it to a piece of plywood and that is where Tobi likes to spend some of her time.

01-05-2008, 08:44 PM

So glad to meet Hissy Miss! She is adorable.

01-05-2008, 08:59 PM

What a cutie she is!!

01-06-2008, 10:12 AM

She's adorable!! She looks quite content on that great stand!

01-06-2008, 10:27 AM

Good news - very sweet bird photos
Bad news - I guess I have to be the one to mention not all trees are best for perches.

I've done some searching around - there can be contradictions from site to site. I ended up using maple, grapevine & some willow.

copied this for my info - forgot to keep the links ...

Quote:

Natural branches make the best perches.
They not only give the birds a comfortable perch, but provide a source for chewing. Parrots enjoy removing the bark and chewing the branches so they may need to be replaced often. Some of the safe woods that can be used to make perches are Apple, Ash, Beech, Birch, Cactus Wood, Cottonwood, Crabapple, Dogwood, Elm, Fir, Mulberry, Manzanita, Pine, Popular, and Willow.

Quote:

Toxic Plants to Birds ... one opinion

Acokanthera
Amaryllis
Angel's Trumpet
Apricot (leaves, pits and bark)
Apple (seed, leaves and bark)
Avocado
Azalea
...
Caster Bean
Cherry (leaves, pits and bark) -seems to be in the 'bad' list most places.
Chinaberry
Clematis
Coral Plant
Crocus (autumn)
Cycad or Sago Cycas
Daffodil
...

Quote:

Non-Toxic Plants to Birds
...
Ash
Asparagus
Aspen
Baby's Tears
Bachelor Buttons
Barberry
Beech
Begonia
Birch -seen this listed as toxic ...
..
Dandelion
Date
Daylily
Dill
Dogwood
...

http://www.avianweb.com/toxicfoods.html#unsafewood

Having said all this - the stand looks great - but I'd think about replacing it with another type of wood.

01-06-2008, 11:45 AM

Oh really? The book I have on Cockatiels said that I could use cherry trees. None of the leaves were left on it and I scrubed it down before she got to use it and continue to clean it on a regular basis. Geez I guess you can't believe everything you read in books. I'll have to find a replacement. Something that will hold all her toys. That won't be easy!

01-06-2008, 01:04 PM

Here is a thread from awhile back that lists safe and dangerous woods: Safe and Dangerous Woods. The link in the first post of that thread lists cherry as safe with this side note:

Quote:

Cherry - this one is really controversial. there are confirmed cases of dogs and of horses having fatal reactions to eating cherry wood. However I have been unable to find any confirmed report of bird fatalities. Regardless the sap is what contains the toxic elements (see Gillians Help pages) and that is contained primarily in the Cambium, a layer of material just below the bark. If cherry is to be used it should be dry, debarked and any traces of sap removed. Under no circumstances should fresh cherry, the foliage or bark be given to birds.

In the second post to that thread by Brokenwing, cherry is listed as toxic. I guess I'd err on the side of caution and find a different wood.

01-06-2008, 01:42 PM

Thanks for the information...You see the tree we used was dried out. It had been laying around our wood shed (we burn wood for heat) so there was no sap running from it. It's been in our livingroom for almost a year now, so it's well seasoned.
It's not a cherry wood tree that furniture is made from. It's a cherry tree that pin cherries or choke cherries were produced from. The wild birds in our area eat the cherries in summer, so I thought that this old dried out piece would be safe...I'll reseach some more and see what I can find out. Thanks so much for your help and concern.