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Wow! a lot of good discussion on tips on aviaries guys!!

Bev....I hadn't heard about the raccoon round worms...scary stuff! In FL and the southern states where Sarco is a threat hot wire perimeters have been set up to keep Opossums away from aviaries. Roaches can carry Sarco too...in which case good husbandry could help keep it less likely to be seen.

We have raccoons where I live but not near our house...which I feel fortunate for. I've heard too many stories such as Alex stated about Raccoons drawing birds over to them then going in for the kill. They're very deadly for a curious parrot. Even so the one tree between our birds aviaries...branches were trimmed last year. We're in a rural area and I'm not convinced rodents wouldn't climb the trees...they go every where else! yuk!

I wanted to a few thoughts/tips to the thread. Food...we don't feed parrots outside because it can/will draw not only bugs but rodents during night and other pests such as raccoons. We do keep water in the flights however.

Always provide some shade which Connie mentioned shade cloth.

What materials you might choose to build an aviary with may depend on what size of aviary you are building and also your own climate, area and what that aviary may be intended for . We built ours using galvanized square piping that we purchased at a nursery supply. We also built one aviary by taking one of those metal gazebos that are so popular right now and added a door and wire. Both are on concrete for easy cleaning and our birds are flighted so falling onto the concrete isn't much of a concern.

http://pets.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/T ... w/2696?b=2

Not sure if you'll be able to see this or not.


I have seen aviaries with bark substrate floors....I wouldn't recommend this as it could harbor mold, bacteria, rodents droppings (if your wire is large enough for them to walk through). The large aviaries we built at the parrot shelter I'm involved with we used rock for the floor which I suggested to Connie. If thick enough birds aren't digging in the dirt and it can be washed and raked and hopefully the sun shine on it. At Loro Parque in Spain they used gravel and it was raked daily. I have rock in my personal aviaries and the 'toos love it. My guys did NOT go on the ground for years but as they've gotten older they've decided the floor is also a place to explore and play. They enjoy tossing rocks around and rearranging them. We wash them every other day.

Wood can be used for aviaries but you need to be thoughtful of the species your building for. At the welfare in CO our aviaries were designed for wood beams to be outside of the wire. The builder built them incorrectly, ordered the beams and such incorrectly so the wood beams ended up on the inside. Not a good plan! We had to figure out what to do...so wood was wrapped in wire and has held up.

Some old pics:

http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/pdf ... lights.pdf

Wood.....the new pressured treated wood contains a lot of copper which is a heavy metal. It contains so much copper that structurally its apparently important to use high quality galvanized nails, brackets and such. From what info I found if aluminum is used for example the structure may corrode and have problems within a year. As far as the copper....little is actually known about birds and copper. They appear to be more resistant to toxicity than mammals but the only small bit of data is from galliformes...say a goose swallows a penny. I think part of it is knowing your bird and if a bird that you didn't think would chew starts...then you'll need to take action. Just like a cage that may have a bit higher lead (Pb) levels...its may not be of significance if the bird inside never chews on or licks the bars.

We used Alaskan Cedar in CO which is naturally weather resistant. Its pricey but not as expensive as big steel beams.

The best wire to use ..what Alex said 1/2"x3" and GAW (galvanized after welding)....and we used 11 g if I remember right. This is heavy wire...as in hard to roll so you may find it flat rather than in a roll. This size wire is primarily to help keep predators out.

As always...a great place of discussion and learning. Thanks all for opening this up!

hugs,
Shauna [/img]

And generous with your experience and common sense advice. I, for one, have always been in awe of your knowledgeable and diplomatic demeanor. You never talk down to us even though I know you forgot more than we'll ever know

Joanne

Very nice Connie. You sure have a handy hubby there. Is he for hire ? .

Halie sure is growing up fast. Still as cute as ever.

Are you leaving the aviary up at the old house? It would be perfect if bird people bought the house.

I have a VERY handy-hubby and NO, he's not for hire...his "honey-do list" is just too long for things around the farm & I cna't afford to let him go

Halie started 2nd grade last week...she's such a wonderful little girl. She spent last weekend with me & helped me load & carry rocks for the birdflight...she didn't think that was much fun!

The old aviary is down at the other house. We are using the frame & cover to provide shelter for my horse trailer. Instead of a bird person buying the other house...really need a pilot because of the airpstrip!! Market is just horrible right now.

Hope all is well with you & the family!
Connie

cathyt wrote:Very nice Connie. You sure have a handy hubby there. Is he for hire ? .

Halie sure is growing up fast. Still as cute as ever.

Are you leaving the aviary up at the old house? It would be perfect if bird people bought the house.