Perches

[Debby]

I recently read an article that plastic perches are not recommended. What kind of perches do you have, how many, and pls comment on plastic perches. Thanks!:budgie:

[Dave]

We have the normal wooden round perches, some of their toys have plastic perches, and they have one of those rougher perches which is supposedly good for their nails.

[Amy]

I have a few plastic, rubber and wooden perches!

I think plastic perches are fine for budgies, or they wouldn't allow them to be made.

You can also buy sand paper perch covers especially made for budgies. (I have a few of them to!)

Rough perches are good for budgies nails but don't have to many, otherwise they will get sore feet.

[Dave]

Yeah we only have one of the rough perches.

[Amy]

Good.

You wouldn't want your beauties having sore feet, now would you!?

[Budgiekin]

I've got several different kinds of perches for my budgies of varying diameters and materials in their cages. Having a variety of diameters of perches is important so that your budgies' feet have an opportunity to stretching and stay strong. Having perches made out of a variety of materials allows your budgie to choose the most comfortable surface for their feet at any given time.

Each of my budgies has a cholla cactus perch (it's a kind of wood that has holes in it so I often tuck special treats in it for my sweeties). They absolutely love this perch since they can chew it too. They also have rope perches so that they have a soft surface to perch on. They each have one cement perch so they can rub their beak on it (it generally does nothing to trim their nails), and they each have a regular wood perch that is about 3/8 of an inch.

I would like to also make a comment about those sandpaper perch covers too. To be honest, I wish they weren't so readily available. In my opinion, they are generally not a great idea since they often do nothing but irritate the bottoms of your little budgie's feet. As far a keeping their nails trimmed (which is what the manufacturers of those perch covers claim), that is simply not the case. It is best to have their nails trimmed with clippers. How would you like to stand and walk bare feet on a sandpaper carpet all day long? It's not ideal and if your budgie does get irritated feet, they can develop infections, which is really NOT GOOD!

The bottom line is that you want your budgie to have perches of varying diameters and made of a variety of different materials. If you have any further questions about perches, please feel free to ask!

Here is a picture of a cholla cactus perch:
http://i2.tinypic.com/r8ask9.gif

[Bea]

I'm like Budgiekin. My budgies have a variety of perches. Blinkie has 3 eucalypt branches (all different diameters), a rope perch, and a cholla perch. He had a calcium perch too but after a discussion about the possibility of there being lead or zinc in the metal rods used i've removed that. There are plastic perches on a couple of his toys too. It's SO easy to get some eucalypt or fruit tree branches to replace the perches that come in cages (wooden dowel and plastic which are so boring). I've never liked those perches. The fact that they're all that comes with a bird cage gives a terrible impression to a new budgie owner that this is all they'll need and because "that's what the pet shop people said". :(

[Dave]

Where can you get all these fancy perches at? I go to pet stores and they only have wooden and plastic perches. I'm interested in getting some of these different types of perches, but I don't know where to look.

[Budgiekin]

Hi Dave. I am surprised there aren't more perches to choose from in the stores in your area. I have several pet stores (including the big chain pet stores like PetSmart, SuperPet and Petcetera) that I go to to get interesting perches. In fact, I have found most of the perches in those large chain stores, although, I have found luck in the smaller pet stores (the ones that have quite a large bird section in them). Do you have any of those smaller stores close by?

If there aren't any stores near you that carry much bird stuff, I would consider ordering them online. I have done that for several items (like toys and perches) that I can't find in my local stores. I usually just do a Google search and type in what I'm looking for (like "cholla cactus perch" for example). This has been a great way to get what I want!

[Amy]

Well out of internet shopping you could look on eBay. They sell almost anything! Or Froogle.

[Dave]

I never thought of buying online. That's a good idea. I'll have to try that out.

[erin]

I recently read an article that plastic perches are not recommended. What kind of perches do you have, how many, and pls comment on plastic perches. Thanks!:budgie:



hi,
when i got my first budgie i just found 3 sticks and (cleaned) them.


Erin

[Amy]

I might consider getting a cholla perch they look cool!

I'm glad you cleaned the sticks and I hope they weren't poisonous!

[Budgiekin]

I highly recommend cholla perches. My budgies love to chew at them and I love to stuff treats in them occasionally. I think I remember Bea also saying she really likes the cholla perches too. I say go for it!!

[Amy]

Cool! I'll get one tomorrow from the pet shop down the road!

Billy and Lily: Oooh come on tomorrow!

[Bea]

Yeah, cholla perches are great! Unfortunately they're kinda expensive around here so i only have one. :p