request - fool proof way of finding an appropriate tree to make perches from
 

So I am sick of buying my budgie the same pale wood perches, they are all the same size and boring.

I would like to go and make my own but I have a lot of worry when it comes to what trees are safe. I see the safe/unsafe wood sticky but i'm no arborist but I am surrounded by woods in Scotland, surely there has to be some candidates close by!

Anybody have any advice for this, I refuse to pay £10+ for a small perch from ebay when all they are doing is cutting a branch, baking it and cutting it......

I guess winter isn't the best time for this but you could take a photo of the tree, find a branch with leaves attached (and any seeds/fruits) and ask for help with identification at a local garden centre - there'll be someone there horticulturally trained who should be happy to help. Some trees will be easier than others to identify e.g. Fruit trees and sycamore is a common one that's easy to identify and listed as safe.

Well I know for a fact I have hundreds of apple trees around me, most of them are crabapple trees. Are these 100% safe because I was under the impression that crabapple trees have multiple species.

If they are safe I have an unlimited supply of perches and toys as my whole village is just filled with them.

These are the safest perches you can buy and many are only £4.45. And, there's a starter set that gives you 4 to 6 perches at £5.00 each. The hardware is all stainless steel... the safest and longest lasting metal. Could be worth the time savings and peace of mind to just order from Natural Bird Co. (in Scotland I believe)... read the section on their site "about our wood" ...

These perches are definitely worth the investment. Also, they make sizes to order, to fit your cage if you need that:

A selection of perches ideally suited for small cages


Budgie perches made to measure, with stainless steel fixings, to suit extra small birds

Thanks for the replies, I really like the idea of making my own as im very handy and love this sort of thing. I know for a fact I have multiple real eating apple trees close by (apples still attached to make it very obvious) and hundreds if not thousands of crabapple trees.

for some reason the idea of making my own perches and toys seems very fun and I think I could make some interesting things. All I really need is to get some stainless steel but thats not even needed really as I can make cage indentations in the perches so they can hold up themselves.

I have had a look around and from what I can see all apple trees seem safe so as long as I see apples on the tree, strip the bark and clean/bake the branches I should be good to go. I hope anyway.

Ok so I just got back from a rather old Apple tree with 2 limbs. Removed the bark and scrubbed them with some washing liquid.

Will wait a few days for them to try on a radiator then bake them for a bit to make 100% sure no nasties are in the wood. If its a success with Dicky i will probably replace all his perches with various sizes as they are so much prettier and probably better for his feet.

https://i.imgur.com/sklNHv0.jpg?1

Those perches are looking good Trum.
Would be nice to see a photo of them in use when you get to that point!

I was really surprised how lovely apple wood looks once you strip the bark and outer skin off. That thick branch has 17 rings which was really shocking, it must be a really slow growing wood but it seems also mega strong so I hope it stands up to Dickies non stop perch chewing!

I just ordered some stainless steel dowels/washers/wing nuts so will see how it goes.

I might go cut some more wood today since it looks so nice!

Those look so pretty. Look forward to seeing photos in the cage once you're done.

I wish I were that handy. And had access to such lovely trees. I don't trust any of the trees where I live as I don't know if they've been treated or not with pesticides.