Here's the issue. I have HEAVY birds. Big surprise eh? they break every stand I have ever gotten them. I have hundreds of dollars of broken stands. They are BOTH currently on stands that I made. They are ugly, and don't have trays or dishes. I can't do hanging perches as I have high exposed celings with no beams in a place that's not smack in the middle of the room. Manzanita is usually to easy to shimmy down (dad has a hard time with TOO easy to get down when I'm not home as it's too hard for him to get up and down from his chair 60x a day to put them back.... and he doesn't always see them get down because he's mostly blind) they also break at the base as do "U" stands.

Is it so hard to make a stand with:

-A tray large enough that they can stand on the edge of the longest perch and not poop outside of the tray area?
-A tray far enough from the perches that they can't just reach down and get on the tray or take a small leap and be there without a second thought so they can scatter food and poop off the tray?
-Strong enough to hold 1300-1450g macaws without breaking in 4 months?
-A structure with large enough supports that they can't just shimmy down them without batting an eye?

I am checking into the orthobird perch... but I have never seen them in person. Was wondering if you all have? Do you have one? Love it? Hate it? Too small? To easy to get off of? It is bigger than the parrot (java) playtower by just a bit. Can't tell if it is even big enough for a macaw to comfortably stand or play... it just doesn't LOOK like it is.


(source http://www.americas-pet-store.com/up.../OB105T~~~.gif)

Anyone have a stand that they absolutely LOVE? I've checked into Waynes.... but they have the problem with the easy access tray...

I once found the PERFECT bird stand. It is the Palm Springs by California Cages.... but alas.... they no longer produce it.

I've even considered designing and having some built.... but no time for that.

Any thoughts? Help appreciated. Willing to spend for for quality.

Wayne's Bottlebrush...he makes his floor gyms so that birds can't get off of them. Bottlebrush is soft on the outside, but very hard inside. I know of a few macaw owners with bottlebrush gyms that haven't been broken.

Edit: Just saw that you mentioned Wayne's, and a problem with the tray... is it not made to keep birds from shimmying down? I thought it was...

Dana, what about a hanging gym? One with a ceiling protector (long pvc pipe) to keep them off the ceiling? Then just put newspaper under it..

Camille, I don't know.... All the ones I've seen pictures of, they could just quite literally get to the tray by stepping down onto it....

Beam goes down the middle of the room.... don't really have a secure place to hang one. :-{ And I do the newspaper thing now... the dog scatters it to holy heaven.

Oh okay...the problem is getting to the tray itself. I should have just read your post more thoroughly!

Okay, what if you were to do the hanging gym thing...but instead of hanging it from the ceiling, make a stand to hang it from. Either out of PVC (have seen people do this with the hoopball) or even weld a metal one so it's stronger. Then you can put like a small plastic kiddy pool with newspaper under the gym so the dog can't scatter it (I had a cat that did that).

I'm reading this thread carefully as I, too, have a macaw that just climbs down any playgym I have if he wants to. I have a large Wayne's Gym and if he gets bored, he'll just climb down or fly off -- usually to see if Mommie has her toes exposed so he can go chase them!!

What about a Java Tree? The base on this one is about 76"x36" and the tree is roughly 5' tall. This particular tree has one branch that does hang over the base, but the other 3 I have the branches are all over the bases. Rudy has never been able to climb down, but as a former breeder she is more interested in her tree than socializing with me. She weighs around 1300 grams.

wendy

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Sugarcat.... that is a beautiful tree and a beautiful bird!!!!

I came *this* close to purchasing a double java at a bird fair..... I had my money in my hand and a truck in the parking lot, and let me tell you that was no small wad of twenties for that kind of perch... I think they are GEORGOUS and look durable...
But the Knotty nature of the trunk..... they would just climb right down. I need something that is at the very least, a small challenge. Dad can't handle the up and down of putting them back on their stand 60 times a day before I get home. He takes them out several hours before I get home, if I get something that wears him out... the birds won't get out that early :-{ He is not opposed to it, he just can't physically do it.