Climbing Nets

[Sondra]

some of you may already have this but thought I would post it just in case.
http://cheepparrottoysntips.com/knots4.html


Today I crocheted a hammock out of jute twine for Winston and he seems to like it tho of course it is new in his cage. Pictures to come as soon as I get new batteries. They went dead as I was trying to download them to the cpu

[chapala]

Be careful of twine since the threads can trap toes. I know a 'Tiel with a permanent foot injury from the use of twine. Sisal is better because of the short fibers, or cotton rope. With any material you have to watch closely for any pieces that come loose from the main strand and keep it trimmed short.
Reta

[Sondra]

Thanks Reta I thought abt that afterwards so he only gets to play on it while I am sitting right there. Have some sisal ordered.

[unpoquito]

Also be careful of where you purchase your sisal. I purchased a roll of it at Walmart in the hardware section and when I opened it, it smelled of some type of strong chemical! I would only order sisal from one of the the bird toy supply companies, unless you know of another reliable source. I bought a bunch of cotton rope (still waiting for it to arrive) because I've found sisal really difficult to clean. I have a nice sisal boing that I can't get the poop stains out of. If anyone has suggestions on how to wash sisal, please let me know! Thanks. I put the cotton boings and rope perches in the washing machine with a little bit of bleach and detergent.

About climbing nets and other toy ideas. Nikki shared this info with me - thank you!. It's an awesome site with directions for DIY bird toys.

www.geocities.com/yataebo (http://www.geocities.com/yataebo)

[chapala]

Yes, thanks Kristen, you are right that the sisal that's sold in hardware stores all seems to be treated with a chemical. I buy all my bird rope through bird toy companies that emphasize bird safety.
Reta

[Taylor]

That climbing net is really nice. I'm going to try that. I bought sisal boings for my birds that had a very strong petroleum smell. They cam fro Drs. & Foster of all places.
I don't know if it would have bothered the birds but, it really bothered me. I have chemical sensitivities and allergies. Thankfully not to feathers though. I took them outside and scrubbed them with a brush & hot soapy water, hosed them down and left them out for about a week. I could still smell it but not enough to bother me. I'm very cautious about things like that. I'd rather be safe that sorry. Having chem. Sens. is a good thing for my birds because everything here is fragrance free and we 5 Air Purifiers throughout our house.

[Taylor]

Unpoquito, I use Nature's Miracle, to clean poop off of everything. It's the best stuff in the world!!! I'm not allergic to it, the way I am most cleaners. The birds are not bothered by it either. It's made from vedgie. enzymes. Just melts the poop, than you just wipe it off. On Sisal spray, wait 5 min., scrub with a brush & rinse. It also deodorizes and kills germs. Amazing Stuff!!!I buy it in gal. jugs from Petco. There are a bunch of different brands of this sort of thing on the market, but, I've found Nature's Miracle to be the best and Frag. Free.

[unpoquito]

Do you know if the Nature's Miracle is safe for birds? It has a fragrance, so that's why I ask. I'm going to try to scrub with some vinegar and a brush tomorrow on the sisal boing. I too am bothered by chemicals and try to use a lot of natural cleaners at home.

[unpoquito]

Here's my first attempt at a climbing net. I made a small one for the parrotlets. That's Emmie in the picture.
http://www.talkparrotlets.com/photoplog/file.php?n=439&w=l

[Taylor]

Emmie is so cute! What a great climbing net. You should go into business.
Natures Miracle is Frag. Free and totally safe for birds. I use lots of it every day down in the birdroom without any problems.

[unpoquito]

Taylor - thank you for the info on Nature's Miracle. I'll definately pick up a bottle of it from the pet store. I've tried to scrub the heck out of this sisal boing with vinegar and still can't get the stain out. I'll try Nature's Miracle next. I hate to throw away this boing - it's a really large nice one.

Thanks about Emmie. It's been a struggle with her feather plucking, and she's finally (KNOCK WOOD!) almost fully feathered again. She really is back to being a cute little dumpling, huh? lol

The net was fun, quick, and easy to make. Ziggy sat on my shoulder beak grinding while I made it. I'd like to make a much larger one. I have some more rope coming. I might suggest using jute or sisal if your hands could stand it. The cotton seems like it might separate more than jute or sisal...though I think cotton is easier to wash.

[Taylor]

Yah, the cotton must be really nice to work with. It looks great. I think I would get allergic to the sisal if I tried to work with it. I have one little plucker. Bluebell...My visual blue thats mated to a very sweet dilute yellow male named Taylor. She seems to pluck her chest when she gets hormonal. I think she knows that Sprout and Pipin are nesting upstairs. Since Sprout has started laying eggs, Blue has gotten real nippy with me and has been going to town on her poor little chest. She hasn't been very nice to sweet little Mr. Taylor either.

[kiwismom]

Kristin, what kind of stitch and hook size did you do to crochet the net? It almost looks like macrame? That looks awesome! I'd like to try doing that rather than just washcloths all the time LOL!!

[unpoquito]

Cindy, Nikkie shared the net info with me - here are the instructions - so easy to make!

www.geocities.com/yataebo (http://www.geocities.com/yataebo)