Things You'll Need:
- Metal ring (6-9" is good for cockatiels or smaller, use a bigger ring for bigger birds.)
- Several yards of hemp cord
- 16 or 18 gauge wire
- Wire snips
- Plastic and/or unfinished wood beads in various sizes and colors (make sure they're too big to be swallowed, and strong enough not to break easily)
- Bells (optional, and be sure if it's a jingle bell, the holes are big enough for the bird's toes to not be caught.)
- Key rings
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Step 1
Pick a spot on the ring and wrap one end of the wire several times around. Make a loop in the tip, and press it against the wrapped area.
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Step 2
Slip a variety of beads and bells onto the wire
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Step 3
Wrap the other end of the wire to a point directly across from the starting point. Be sure you leave a good amount of slack in the wire so the beads will move freely. Loop the end and press it against the wrapping.
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Step 4
Hold the hemp just above the start of the wire end, leaving about 2 inches of tail. Wrap around the ring, covering the wire ends, and going over the tail. Wrap from one side to the other, and repeat at least 3 layers. You should be covering only ½ of the ring. Be sure you cover the ends of the wire, but not the part that has the beads on it.
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Step 5
Keep wrapping until its thick enough for your bird to get a good grip on. This is the perch part of the ring. Once it is thick enough, tie the end many times on one side. (Birds will chew, and they will easily chew out a single knot)
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Step 6
Attach the key rings on the bare side of the ring, this will be the hanger. You can hang it from the roof of their cage, or put a hook into your ceiling, add a sturdy rope or cord, and hang the ring from that.
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Step 7
You may optionally hang something from the key ring at the top to dangle down as a toy. Bundles of knotted hemp make for lots of chewing fun.
