DIY Organic Wood Perches (round log type)

[Vyxxin]

This is a thread to show how to make your own wood perches. I used grape wood but you can use any wood that is thick enough (and of course chin-safe). I will list how *I* do it as well as some notes on how you CAN do it! Here goes.

Either buy or prepare a piece of wood of the size you want. In this I will be using an 8" long piece of grape with a 2" diameter. I prepared it myself, first cutting it, then using plain water and scrubbing the dirt off of it. THEN I placed it in boiling water for 3min. Remove from boil, place on oven rack and bake. I personally bake all wood at a slow bake at 150 degrees or less for 8hrs or more depending on thickness. Not everyone will agree on how long/what temp just be sure to error on the side of caution. Lower baking temps means less chance of burning...longer baking times means more chance to bake out all the moisture. OKAY!

What you'll need (as pictured):

piece of wood
1.5-2" metal fender washer (the flat round piece with hole in center)
2-3" long 1/4" hanger bolt (a screw on one end and a bolt on the other)
1/4" wingnut (the nut with "tabs" on the sides, pictured top)
1/4" hex nut (this is ONLY for ease of assembly and is NOT needed otherwise)

I purchased all of the above (minus the wood obviously) from my local Lowes. Ace also carries them and the average price is $1-$1.25 per set.

 

[Vyxxin]

The TOOLS:

Needle nose pliers (orange handle)
18v. corded drill (black & decker)
15/64th drill bit

I personally own all of these. HOWEVER, do not dismay. A strong person can actually get by without any tools at all in most circumstances. These simply make the job MUCH easier. Borrow them if you have to

NOTE- I "mark" my drill bit with black tape so I know where to stop drilling in. You set the depth about 1/2" shorter than your hanger bolt. SO if your hanger bolt is a 3" bolt you set the drill but (by marking with tape) to drill in 2.5"

 

[Vyxxin]

Put the drill bit in the drill. If you do not know how to do this, have someone show you. It's rather easy but as some drills differ on the process, I will not go into detail. Like I said, if you don't know how have someone show you. Any hardware store employee should be able to do this

Drill your hole on the end you want holding your perch to the cage. I always drill on the very end of the piece though you can technically drill through the long side as well. If you've set your drill bit using tape, drill to the tape and then pull the drill out. If you haven't set tape, do NOT sink the drill bit the whole way in. Most drill bits will drill deeper than you need to. Leave maybe 1" of the drill OUT of the wood. One in, one out and you're done.

NOTE- if you do NOT have a drill, skip this step! You CAN get by without it, I just prefer not to!

 

[Vyxxin]

Next step is if you choose to "double nut" your bolt for ease of turning. First you put the hex nut on leaving just enough room for the wing nut to go on. Then you put the wingnut on and tighten the two together. I use the needle nose pliers for this to get them super tight for ease of turning the bolt into the wood. Hold the hex nut with the pliers, hand turn the wingnut against the hex nut.

 

[Vyxxin]

NOW if you don't have a drill, drill bit, pliers or hex nut this step will come right after you put your wingnut on your hanger bolt.

You will now need to screw the hanger bolt into your wood. Screw it down in far enough that none of the "screw" threads are sticking out. ONLY the bolt threads (where your nut is located) should be sticking out.

Remove your nut(s) from the bolt.

 

[Vyxxin]

At this point you're ready to attach your perch to your cage. Here I have pictured the door of a FN cage though you can (obviously) put this on any chinchilla cage.

Put the perch on the inside of the cage, feed the bolt through to the outside of the cage preferably resting on a "bar" of the cage. The more bars your perch is against, the more stable it will be.

Next put your washer over the the bolt on the outside of the cage.

Finally screw your wingnut down tight against the washer and you're done! That simple my friends

 

[Vyxxin]

Now, go make a bunch of 'em!

 

[Spoof]

Awesome pictures!

One washer, one 1" wood screw method for the lazy.

 

[Vyxxin]

HEY NOW! For your information missy, I TRIED a 1" screw (wanted to see how many hanger bolts, 1 or 2, would be needed per perch before buying)

Anyhow, a 1" screw wouldn't hold suitably for THIS large of a perch. Required at least a 2" to be somewhat stable! But, back in the day I too used screws for my perches. Found out it can be a PITB to remove them and there is no "moving around shelves" on a whim! Still works though

 

[AZChins]

For screws or lag screws a ratcheting screw driver or ratchet wrench helps a lot. I use 1.5" long 5/16" lag screws and a large fender washer. Those I can take down and put up a lot faster than hanger bolts with wing nuts. I can tighten them a lot more without a lock washer. I've had problems with using hanger bolts because the perches come loose so quickly unless I use a lock washer...lock washers make it incredibly difficult to get the wing nut off. Also, using a screw of some type with the washer allows for the fasters to sit flush on the sides of the cages...so I won't catch my clothes or scratch myself on the hanger bolts that can poke out.

 

[Spoof]

Anyhow, a 1" screw wouldn't hold suitably for THIS large of a perch. Required at least a 2" to be somewhat stable!

Oh yes, the case of the wobbly long perches... yeeessss.... I raided the Post Office back in 2003 for a case of XXXXL sized washers. 1" screw, 1" washer, free Post Office washer (otherwise known as an "AOL CD").

The catch with using a 1" scew in those is that you can't drill a pilot hole, or if you do make it only 1/8" deep. That way the screw really grips. You really need a drill for that type of wood abuse.

Found out it can be a PITB to remove them and there is no "moving around shelves" on a whim!

I need your secret to shelf longevity. Mine get "moved" when they've been chewed in half, which seems to be yearly! I swear I bought a bunch of beavers in chin fur.

 

[Vyxxin]

No secret, my perches die prematurely too I'm just...erm...well I like to move things around? Furniture in my house, perches in a cage...yano

Susan, don't have pics of these set ups do ya? I've never heard of those things! Definitely open to it though