upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

How big does the perch/doweling have to be for a tiel. I know they aren't supposed to be straight across, but to have a rise to one side. Thanks in advance.

I put different size perches in my tiel's cage, I think it's ok to have some small ones, but the higher ones and where he will sleep should be bigger, and I also flattened the top of the perch a bit where he sleeps to try to make it more comfortable for his feet. He also has a concrete perch for his nails and a rope perch.

I agree, perches of various sizes and textures, stay away from the ones with a really small diameter. The concrete perches are really good--I have one that twists, so they have a different foot position depending on where they stand. I have been told to stay away from the sand covered perches that are similar though. The ones that are minneral block perches are good too--they come in varous shapes and sizes--all of these can't really be placed in the cage at an angle though, the best for that is a rope perch. The rope perches are great, they can come in different diameters too. You can also bend them and place them so the bird can move up and down it at an angle--it is good to provide some that are completely horizontal along with some that are diagonal at different angeles. I also use some natural wood perches of differing diameters, and have even wrapped them to provide some padding when Bubba's feet hurt, and prevent further problems. The wood perches that you can buy at local pet stores can be more difficult to place at an angle, you can look for ones that have bends in them though.

hope this helps,

Jackie and Bubba

just curious, what did you wrap Bubba's perches in?

I have different sizes of wood perches from my property ( I live in the country). We have lots of willow trees so I got different sizes and thicknesses and scrubbed them up and sterilized them and they work wonderfully. My tiels like to chew on them too. I have some braided perches also.....varitey is good. You don't want your birdies getting Bumblefoot!

I have about 10 perches in and around the cage there all differant size and with, and the guy's love em. there often hoping from one to another

I just wrapped his perches in a towel. The vet suggested it to relieve pressure on a couple points on his feet. He had developed bumblefoot--vet said it was because the seed diet wasn't providing enough vitamins for him, other than switching him to a pellet diet, I needed to pad his perches (even though they were of different diameters) to provide a little cushon. The rope and cement percehs were also really good--those remained unpadded.

You've gotten a lot of good answers already so I just want to emphasize a few points that seem important to me. The general rule is that all birds' perches should be large enough that the front and back talons don't quite touch as the bird wraps her foot around the perch -- and that perches should be of varying sizes and textures. Varying sizes, of course, conflicts somewhat with the first part of that "rule" but we can all handle that

As my birds have aged, I've come to care much less for the concrete and sandy perches than I did at first. They're gradually being replaced by fresh-cut branches that I know are safe wood. And these are replaced when they get poopy or well-chewed. I've been surprised to see how frequently my tiels choose to sit on very small branches. Not always, so I stress the need for variety. But they do seem to have a real fondness for tiny branches that move around a little under them. Makes good sense, doesn't it?

Good question.

Luna likes her manzanita branch. If you search through them you could find some with nice angles and curves.

Ok, well is there a list of safe branches I can use.. it is the middle of winter here, and the only way for me to get willow branches would be to steal them off my neighbors tree when they aren't home... hrm...
My original question though pertained to the diameter. But I will ask the guy I'm getting the birds from what he uses.

Lyndsay wrote:... My original question though pertained to the diameter. But I will ask the guy I'm getting the birds from what he uses.

Does that mean you don't see that we answered your question? Curious . . .

No... I seen them... but I asked for a measurement... breeder said half an inch to three eigths...

Yikes.. OK So now I'm worried about what I have for my Rosie.. I have 2 of the original plastic ones that came with her cage and then I bought 2 wood ones one that she uses and the other that she will just step onto and get right off of and then the one thats in my room.. The 2 plastic ones that came with the cage are the ones that she sleeps on and that she eats on.. I guess thats bad?

As time goes on and you learn more and see more products out there, you'll try different things. As for the diameter of the perches the best size is different sizes. Just like we shouldn't wear the same shoes all the time, a bird needs different size perches to excersice their feet and toes.

I know with myself I have to watch the money - I can get carried away with her if I let myself. Buy one thing a week or so as your finances allow. When you get a new perch it will most likely have a screw with wing nut and washers so you can mount it on any cage wall - even outside the cage to add interest for her.

One of my favorite books is Parrots for Dummies. I get it from the library, the author discusses a large range of topics and most of them can be used with tiels as well as the larger birds. And of course we are here to!

OK so which one of you is gonna come home with me for a day or two to check out her home and everything I have and do for her to tell me what I'm doing right and wrong??