How to Make a Play Tree for Your Pet Bird - Pet Care 101

This article will teach you how to make a play tree for your pet bird. This toy is great for keeping your bird active and amused, and is fairly simple to create.

Pet birds can get bored easily, so having a variety of toys is helpful for keeping them active and amused. Play trees from pet stores can be very expensive and hard to find. I have made play trees for my birds, and the birds love them. In just a few simple steps you can have a play tree for your own pet bird.

To make your play tree you will need a block of wood approximately 6" x 6" and at least ½ to 1" thick. You will also need a tree limb (about 1 ½ feet long), drill and bit, wood glue and hemp cord (Only use natural hemp, not dyed or treated.). Make sure your limb has 2 or more branches that can support the weight of the bird and is from a pine or oak. Other types of tree can be toxic to your bird.

First gently remove the bark from the limb, along with any small branches that may catch on your bird's wings. Next, wash your tree limb with hot water and vinegar. Do not use soap. Blot off the excess water and allow the limb to air-dry for at least 24 hours. You can place the limb in the sun if you like. Check the strength of the branches by pushing on them with your finger to simulate the bird's weight. If any crack or seem to give, remove them so they will not break while your bird is playing. Use sandpaper or a file to remove any sharp areas that might injure your bird's feet.

Now you will need to drill a hole in the center of your wood block that is the same diameter as the base of your limb. You can draw around the limb to get the exact size. Drill the hole and expand it to the right size, then coat the inner sides with wood glue. Press the base of the limb into the hole and hold it until it begins to set. The thicker the block and the deeper the hole, the more stability your tree will have. Once the glue is dry, take a length of the hemp cord and tie one end at the base of the limb just above where it comes out of the wood block. Wrap the cord several times and tie it off. This will cover the seam and prevent your bird from ingesting any glue.

You play tree is now ready for your pet bird to enjoy. If you like, you can wrap and tie bits of hemp onto the branches to give your bird something to tug and chew on. You may also hang bells or other toys from the branches. If you add toys, be sure you keep an eye on them and remove them if the bird starts to chew them loose. As you can see, making a play tree for your pet bird is fairly simple, and can provide many months of fun and activity for your pet.

If you like, you can also make a modification of this toy by making it wall-mountable so it will be horizontal rather than vertical. To do this, be sure to use a thick block of wood, and screw two eye hooks into one edge of the wood. Screw two hooks into the wall where you want to hang the toy, and hang the eyes over the hooks. Both versions of this toy can be adapted to any size bird by simply increasing the size of the base and limb to suit the breed of bird you have. The one I have described here is good for parakeets, cockatiels and lovebirds.