How to Make a Jungle Gym for a Parrot

Parrots are active creatures that thrive on being in the middle of attention. A great way to keep them visually and mentally stimulated is to allow them a place to perch and play outside of their cage. Parrot play gyms can range in size, type and texture. In this article we will walk you through the simple process of building a play gym perfect for your companion parrot, at a low cost.

Things You'll Need

• 3 inch-thick dowel rod
• 4-5 feet of 1-inch thick dowel rod
• 2 x 2 half-inch-thick wood base
• 2-inch nickel plated wood screw
• wood glue
• electric drill
• saw
• pencil

Instructions

Building your gym

1. Lay the 3-inch dowel rod on a flat, even surface. This will be the base of your gym. With the pencil, mark areas on the dowel that you want to insert the 1-inch dowel rods that will serve as perches. Consider spacing out the dowels in a spiral formation so your bird can climb easily from dowel to dowel.

2. Cut your 1-inch dowel into sizes appropriate for perches--about 6 to 12 inches long. These will be the perches you will insert into the base of your gym. Lay the pieces aside once they have been cut to your satisfaction.

3. Drill an 1-inch hole into each spot you've marked on the base. Drill a hole centered on the bottom of the base. Drill another single centered hole in the piece of wood.

4. Attach the dowels you created in Step 2 into the base of the gym. Put a small portion of wood glue on the end of each dowel and press firmly into the drilled hole of your base. Repeat for each dowel until you are satisfied with the number of perches.

5. Attach the piece of wood to the base of your gym. This will provide a sturdy bottom for your gym. Using the 2-inch wood screw, align the hole on the bottom of the base of the gym and the hole in the wood. Tighten the screw firmly.

Tips & Warnings

• You can easily make many modifications to this basic play gym structure. For easy cleanup, you can attach scraps of linoleum tile to the 2-by-2 portion of the gym.

• If you have access to natural wood, you can replace the dowels with natural wood and follow the same procedure to create a natural wood structure.

• Size the wood according to your bird size; larger birds will need a larger diameter perch and smaller birds will need a smaller diameter perch. Dowels are available in all sizes so you can easily pick the size suitable for your pet.

• Avoid using copious amounts of glue so it will not ooze through the hole--you don't want your bird to be able to pick at the dried glue remnants.

References

• DIY Toymaker