A Parrot swing is one of the best things to have for moving your bird from room to room with you. Or for putting them out on the screened in porch when it’s warm enough outside. In this article I’m going to show you how to make this swing:

Ziggy Enjoying His New Swing - Click to Enlarge

This swing took all of about 10 minutes to make and only required a few materials:

• A Poplar dowel rod
• 6 foot of Manila Rope
• Large zip tie
• A clip also known as a carabiner
• A hand saw
• A hammer
• A drill
• Some tacks
• Some grip tape strips (which is completely optional)
• Small blocks of furring strips for chew toys (once again completely optional)

Materials for Making the Bird Swing - Click to Enlarge

Making this was very simple.

1. I cut the dowel rod to about 2 foot 6 inches.

2. I cut a couple pieces of furring strip wood and drilled holes in them for the rope to slide through.

3. I wrapped the Manila rope around each end a couple times and tacked it on. After that I trimmed the excess.

4. I attached the carabiner clip to the top and put a zip tie right beneath it. The zip tie was to keep it from moving around

The Clip and Zip Tie - Click to Enlarge

There you have it! A perfectly good Parrot swing made in 10minutes for less than $7.00.

Ok so we’ve all been to the pet store and seen the natural wood perches selling for $6.00 to $15.00. Who wants to pay that for a stick? Not me. So here’s how you can build one on the cheap. All you need is a couple things:

• A safe wood stick – In this case I used Crape Myrtle
• Two large washers
• A hanger bolt – Can be purchased at and hardware store for less than $0.50
• An acorn nut that fits the hanger bolt
• A wing-nut that fits the hanger bolt
• A drill
• A drill bit slightly smaller than the hanger bolt

Wood Perch Materials - Click to Enlarge

Start by drilling a hole in the end of your stick

Drilling a Hole In the Bird Perch - Click to Enlarge

Next attach the acorn nut to your hanger bolt

Acorn Nut Attached to Hanger Bolt - Click to Enlarge

Use a wrench to screw the hanger bolt into the hole you drilled

Attaching the Hanger Bolt - Click to Enlarge

Once the hanger bolt is screwed in remove the acorn nut

Acorn Nut Removed from the Hanger Bolt - Click to Enlarge

Now you’re ready to attach your washers and wingnut

Hardware Attached to the Parrot Perch - Click to Enlarge

Now you’re ready to attach your Parrot perch to any place you choose. And I promise your bird will enjoy it more because it was made by you with love

Leroy Loving the Perch - Click to Enlarge

By the way, I’ll also mention these perches make great training stations when attached to the outside of a cage. Just something to consider if you don’t have or can’t afford a training stand. Although we do have instructions for building a bird training stand on this site too.

Parrot tress are a necessity for your feathered friends

Ok so I’m cheap. Some of those Java tree stands are more than $700. I’m not getting down on anyone who has one. They’re beautiful! But me being the miser I am decided to build my own. Stella, Ziggy and Pokey can’t tell the difference.

Parrot Tree Stand - Click to Enlarge

You’ll only need a coule things to do this:

• A place where you can cut a tree
• Drill & Drill Bits
• A tree identification guide and list of poisonous woods to Parrots (coverd later in this post)
• A Rubber Maid Tote
• 10″x10″ piece of plywood
• Lag Bolt & Washer
• Brick Chips
• Dow Rods
• Zip Ties
• And  a couple Parrot toys

Start by Finding and Cutting Your Tree

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Juts enough limbs your bird can climb and play on. Some acceptable woods are:

• ACACIA
• APPLE – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• AILANTHUS
• ALDER – White Alder is ok – Red Alder is NOT ok
• ALMOND – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• ARALIA
• ASH
• ASPEN
• BAMBOO – Great for perches
• BARBERRY – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• BIRCH
• BEECH
• BOIS D’ARC
• BOTTLE BRUSH
• BUTTERFLY BUSH
• CAMELLIA
• CITRUS – Lime, Kumquat, Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• CORK – Won’t last long
• CORN PLANTS – Won’t last long – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides and don’t have BT Toxin
• COTTONWOOD
• CRAPE MYRTLE – One of my favorites
• DATE – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• DOGWOOD
• DOUGLAS FIR
• DRACAENA
• ELM
• ESCALLONIA
• EUCALYPTUS
• FIG – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• FIR
• GINKGO
• GRAPE VINES – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• GRAPE PALM – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• GUAVA – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• HACKBERRY – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• HAWTHORN – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• HIBISCUS
• HICKORY – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• INDIAN HAWTHORNE
• JADE PLANT
• KALANCHOE
• LARCH
• LILAC
• MADRONA
• MAGNOLIA
• MAPLE
• MANZANITA
• MESQUITE
• MIMOSA
• MOCK ORANGE
• MOUNTAIN ASH
• MULBERRY – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• NANDINA
• NORFOLK ISLAND PINE
• NUT TREES – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• OREGON GRAPE – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• PALM – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• PAPAYA – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• PEAR – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• PECAN – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• PINE
• PHOTINIA
• POPLAR
• PUSSY WILLOW
• RIBBONWOOD
• ROSE
• RUBBER PLANT
• RUSSIAN OLIVE – Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with insecticides
• SASSAFRAS
• SILK TREE
• SPIRAEA
• SPRUCE
• STAGHORN SUMAC – Avoid Poision Sumac
• STRAWBERRY TREE
• SWEET GUM
• SYCAMORE
• THURLOW
• TREE FERN
• VIBURNUM
• VINE MAPLE
• WEEPING WILLOW
• WIEGELA
• YUCCA

Trees to Stay Away From

• ALDER – Red Alder
• ANDROMEDA
• APRICOT – Fruit without the seed is ok
• ARROWHEAD VINE
• AUSTRALIAN FLAME TREE
• AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE
• AVACADO – Fruit is also Poisinous
• AZALEA it’s cousin RHODODENDRON
• BANEBERRY
• BEANS – Castor, Horse, Fava, Broad, Glory, Scarlet Runner
• BLACK LOCUST
• BOX ELDER
• BOXWOOD
• BUCKTHORN
• BRACKEN FERN
• BURDOCK
• CACAO
• CAMEL BUSH
• CANARY BIRD BUSH
• CANNABIS – Some idiots think its funny to try and get animals high. It’s simply cruel
• CEDAR – Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus
• CHALICE
• CHERRY – Fruit is fine. Seeds contain cyanide.
• CHINA BERRY TREE
• CHINESE MAGNOLIA
• CHINESE POPCORN / TALLOW
• CHINESE SNAKE TREE
• COMMON SAGE
• CORIANDER
• DATURA
• DAPHNE – The berries
• DATURA STRAMONIUM
• DIEFFENBACHIA
• ELDERBERRY
• EUONYMUS
• EUPHORBIA
• FELT PLANT
• FLAME TREE
• FIRETHORN
• FLAME TREE
• FOXGLOVE
• GOLDEN CHAIN TREE
• GROUND CHERRY
• CROWN OF THORNS
• HEATHS
• HEMLOCK
• HOLLY
• HONEY LOCUST
• HORSE CHESTNUT
• HUCKLEBERRY
• HYDRANGEA
• JASMINE
• JUNIPER
• KALMIA / MOUNTAIN LAUREL
• KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE
• LANTANA
• LAUREL
• LEUCOTHOE
• LUPINE
• MANGO – fruit okay: not wood or leaves
• MEXICAN BREADFRUIT
• MOCK ORANGE
• MONSTERA
• MOUNTAIN LAUREL
• MYRTLE
• NECTARINE
• NUTMEG
• OAK
• MISTLETOE
• OLEANDER
• PEACH – Fruit Ok -Avoid seeds along with wood
• PEAR – Fruit Ok – Avoid seeds along with wood
• PENCILTREE
• PITCH PINE
• PLUM – Fruit Ok -Avoid seeds along with wood
• PRARIE OAK – Safety uncertain – Better safe than sorry
• PRIVET
• RAIN TREE
• RED MAPLE
• RED SAGE
• REDWOOD
• RHODODENDRON
• RHUBARB
• SAND BOX TREE
• SOLANUM
• SOPHORA
• SUMAC
• TOBACCO
• TANSY
• TOMATO
• UMBRELLA TREE
• WALNUT – Nuts Ok
• WEEPING FIG
• WHITE CEDAR
• WITCH HAZEL
• WISTERIA
• YEW

Step 2

After selecting my wood from a friends property (I went with Birch). I then attached a piece of blywood to the base with a lag bolt and washer drilled up though the bottom. You have to make sure the plywood is cut small enough to fit in to the bottom of the Rubber Maid Tote. After that I put the tree with the plywood attched in the tote. Then proceeded to fill it with heavy brick ships. These stabilize the tree and give the base some weight.

Bird Tree Base - Click to Enlarge

Now Just Attach Your Dow Rods and Toys

Dow Rods Attached - Click to Enlarge