Our logs are too big, any ideas?

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There are several people who use leather on their toys. I've received toys with leather on them. They chins don't even seem to notice it. They were busy destroying the wood and ignored the leather.

What about sissal rope? Sissal is safe for chins and you can use it in your bird toys too.
 
ticklechin said:
I would not use leather, the chain works well, I have seen people string toy parts on the chain to cover it up, give less of a chance of the chin getting a leg somewhow tangled up in the chain, that I have heard of happening.
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Okay, I'm going to play devil's advocate here...sorry...:) why would you suggest not using leather? Krickett, that's our macaw, loves the leather for just gnawing on...has never destroyed a piece, just stretches it a little, but she's a "mini macaw" with only a 1 1/2" long beak and I've heard from customers that their chins go nutso over the little scraps of leather in our scrap paks. Chain would make it more costly and then, I was thinking if we're only using a 6" long platform, that toy parts would reduce that size even more and make the cost of the swing more. To me the leather would seem safe without them getting tangled up in it even without adding additional toy parts to it. If they do decide to gnaw on it it I wouldn't think it would be as concerning as if they decided to gnaw on the chain. Am I missing something about safety I should be considering?

I suppose after we get this first one mastered, we'll branch off in other ways and add toy parts, etc, but for now, just trying to come up with a "master plan", so please, please don't stop helping me expand my mind with ideas.

Here's our 1st prototype! This is "Peace Bear", a standard size beanie baby just to give it some perspective. From the top of the pearlink to the bottom of the wood is 16". Is that too long? From the bottom of the top piece of wood (not the very top piece I've used to hang it for the camera) to the platform is almost 9". I'll be waiting to hear more from you, especially concerning the sizes...Thanks...Barbi
 
I think its a good size, they can still get on their hind legs to get to the log on top of them.
 
I would not use leather for the swing because the chin may chew through it and the swing would collapse and the chin or the chins cage mate could get injured, toys fine but something that is to hold the chin and the base I would rather see something indestructable.
 
Okay, I see your point...definately, leather in a swing would be a completely different risk level than in a toy that is not supporting their weight...just in case. So what if the leather was covered in toy parts like this? This swing is a very rough prototype, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Would take them awhile to get through the chews. But after reading your last post I think I am convinced to just go with the chain for this particular project...so imagine this swing with 16 mm NP chains covered in toy parts so they wouldn't get their little toes tangled...is that a feasible idea? You'd also be able to refill it when the chews were too far gone which would be easier than undoing a know in leather. Thanks everyone that is adding to my imaginative energies..I can't even begin to tell you how much it's appreciated...Barbi
 
I believe it was Chantel that had to have a chins leg amputated due to a [freak?] accident with a chain!
I don't recall if bamboo is safe, but I'd think a chin would have a hard time with it, if it was loosly covering the leather! Or any safe wood, drilled in the center!
 
There's always just plain wire. It doesn't have to be a chain and you can still refill the wire as well.
 
Not Just Anyone ~ Just Me said:
Okay, I see your point...definately, leather in a swing would be a completely different risk level than in a toy that is not supporting their weight...just in case. So what if the leather was covered in toy parts like this? This swing is a very rough prototype, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Would take them awhile to get through the chews. But after reading your last post I think I am convinced to just go with the chain for this particular project...so imagine this swing with 16 mm NP chains covered in toy parts so they wouldn't get their little toes tangled...is that a feasible idea? You'd also be able to refill it when the chews were too far gone which would be easier than undoing a know in leather. Thanks everyone that is adding to my imaginative energies..I can't even begin to tell you how much it's appreciated...Barbi
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I like it! Just a thought, how about putting a roof on it meaning another wood plank? OOPs, just re-looked and it does have a roof!
 
Love the swing idea. Very cute, but as was said, I wouldn't want the supports made of a chewable material. One of my lard-butts would collapse it on himself sure-as-shooting. They're cute, but not necessarily the smartest little guys... I vote for wire to hang it just b/c it's less expensive and yet still tough enough for a chin and most small and medium parrots. (That and some of the bits of my scrap pack that won't handle a 5/16" hole would still take the 1/4" bit fine, so I could get more toy parts for my money. :thumbsup:)

Now, another new idea: A nice wide wood ledge, the size of a sleep'n ledge or a little bigger maybe, with a fleece 'tent' on top. Bolts into the ledge to hold the weight and a length of chain, wire, or fleece to attach to the cage or shelf above the ledge to hold the 'tent' up, but not take any weight. Since chins like to 1) Hide and 2) Cuddle on soft stuff, I'm sure a little chinny Pup Tent would make some fuzzball's day. :D I could see it making a good 'nest' in a maternity cage if it's bolted onto the lowest level of wire, too. The kits would only have to hop an inch or two off the ground, but they'd be nice and sheltered without getting landed on. It could work for hedge hogs too, come to think of it. Any hedgie owners care to chime in with their expertise on that?

And, a 3rd idea that's not chinchilla related: I'm not extremely knowledgeable about birds, but since you've got a variety of woods to work with, would some of your larger pieces work for hollowing out as nests for small and medium cavity nesters (with or without the roof idea)? I've seen finch and canary houses made from coconut shells, which made me wonder what my (former) MiL's Alexandrian Ring Necks would do with a big old chunk of hollowed out Pecan or Yucca that they could destroy from the inside out.
 
AZChins said:
Maybe just keep the wood as a stump and cut it so that it is stable on it's own. It could then be placed in the cage and the chin could use it as a standing perch without it being attached to the side of the cage in any place. I've done that before with pieces of wood that are just too large to want to cut them more than once. Those big logs are such a pain to cut...and it makes me very nervous. Anything that is more than four inches in diameter scares me!
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Like this? Just a safe clean free standing stump? These range from 3" - 4 1/2" high and 3" - 6" diameters and are one of our soft woods, cottonwood.

If that's all they need, we have a HUGE bin full of jumbo scraps! All of our woods are in it except maybe yucca. They're not near as large as those in the picture, but they'd be so much cheaper since they're just scrap. Maybe a person could create their own perching units, like a playground in their chin habitats.

As for the suggestions about drilling out huge holes in the woods, Jeff says we don't have the tools to do that.

As far as being able to cut the large woods, 3" - 6", Jeff says that as soon as I make some more sales we'll be able to purchase the saw we need for that.

As for the suggestion about the tent...I'm sorry, but I've read and reread that and it just doesn't make a lick of sense to me :cry3:

But I'm not discouraged if you're not:)
Barbi
 
Oh one more thing I meant to put in that last post...
What kind of wire are we talking about here?
 
Yep...just stumps for the chins to hang out on and to flip over and roll around. :) I make pecan stumps, they go over pretty well with the chins. I see them perched up on them sleeping all the time.

I do have a saw that will cut the larger stuff...but, boy oh boy, it scares me half to death to cut up the big logs especially if it is any type of hard wood. Yikes.
 
Mechanics wire - rolls in various gages are available at Ace Hardware for sure, and probably at most Home Improvement stores!
I'd use a couple of staples to fasten it to the bottom of the floors!
 
AZChins said:
Yep...just stumps for the chins to hang out on and to flip over and roll around. :) I make pecan stumps, they go over pretty well with the chins. I see them perched up on them sleeping all the time.

I do have a saw that will cut the larger stuff...but, boy oh boy, it scares me half to death to cut up the big logs especially if it is any type of hard wood. Yikes.
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I've listed some of the jumbo scraps I mentioned in an above post in the classifieds. Many of them will be good as AZChins says, "for the chins to hang out on..." while chew chew chewing away. Hopefully they will go quick and we can have a few more bins to fill with more new goodies for the furballs :)

Thanks Rickman for the info. I'm so "not in the know" :hair: but getting there and I'm having too much fun...Barbi

I think I need sleep :wacko: Talk to you all in the morning...
 
Okay, for the tent. Let me see if I can explain myself better. Take a ledge of some kind of safe wood (let's say Cottonwood since you said you have a lot of large chunks of it), and add hardware so you can attach it to the side of the cage. Not hard at all. But, instead of just leaving it as a chunk of wood bolted to the cage, attach a piece or two of fleece to either side of it, so it 'tents' up over the top. I made 'tents' out of sheets hung on the line to dry when I was a kid by putting a pool float under the clothes line and then reattaching the sheet so that it touched the grass on either side of the pool float. The fleece would need something to support it at the top and hold it open, but the weight of the chin would be supported by the ledge that's bolted to the cage.

Make more sense? If not, Barbi, I'll try to sketch a design and scan/email it to you. :) It makes perfect sense in my head, but unless I draw it or dig out my CAD software, I'm not sure how else to explain it to someone who can't read my mind. ;)
 
Okay, I DO see what you mean. I know what you mean too about how to make someone understand that can't read your mind. I kind of think that's how Jeff motivates me to get out in the shop and off this computer sometimes. :laughitup: It would be a little like a hammock upside down. So why couldn't you just put a ledge in the middle of a hammock? Oh, I tell ya, I need to take my next vacation and go spend a week with chinchillas.
 
If there's no way for the fleece to attach at the sides of the ledge, a clumsy chin or baby could well fall off. (Or, in the case of my guys, get shoved off when the other wants his turn! :pillowfight:) They like to mush themselves up against things pretty tightly, like a litter of puppies or kittens. Other owners have posted pictures of their chins bellied up against the side of a cage, wedged between a fleece covered PVC pipe and the cage wall or a ledge, packed two or three deep inside houses or tubes. Somewhere, I think, there's a breeder's photo of 7 chinchillas mushed into a carrier space designed for 1 chinchilla (about 10"x10"). Basically, anything that would make a 'cubby hole' for a chin to crawl into would probably go over very well.

Also, since hollowing out a log wouldn't work, what about paring off the outer layers from a log with the bark still on (like cutting into a pineapple or taking corn off the cob, but you'd probably need your band saw for that), and put them together with Elmer's glue, then stick a roof of chew strings or something on top? Same idea, but without the drilling.
 
I would think the possibilities would be endless. You could do so many things. Sleeping ledges, leeping ledges, swings, stumps for them to sit on, huts for them to sleep in.....the possibilties are soooo endless. Did you say they were 3-4 ft long??? If so u could maybe even do custom long ledges to fit across people cages or maybe even just leave them a certain size and they can fit them whereever they want. What are your prices going to be??? Do you know yet??
 
Rickman said:
Mechanics wire - rolls in various gages are available at Ace Hardware for sure, and probably at most Home Improvement stores!
I'd use a couple of staples to fasten it to the bottom of the floors!
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I saw in another thread that someone was considering using wire for an electric fence...in your opinions, would that be safe? No one has objected in that thread, but to us, it looks galvanized.

I gave Krickett, our Macaw, one of the swings a couple of days ago and it really freaked her out. Don't know if it's that her little claws needed something more to cling to or it is because the thing swung. I could get her to go on it, but certainly not stay on it, though she will hang on another toy to munch away on the woods. We acquired some kiln dried dowels yesterday and are going to try to work with those. The swing will be more sturdy, and not so wiggly.

Ya'll have been really inspiring and we love the ideas you've given us. (But don't stop now. If you think of others, let us know.) Thanks so much. When we get another prototype together, we'll picture it here and see what you think of it...maybe even come up with a price idea...(I HATE pricing things!)
 
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