DIY Shower Perch for CAG

[sootykitty]

Here is the inexpensive shower perch that I made for Ozzy. I saw a similar one on a website that was priced at $30 plus shipping. This cost me less than $10 for parts and about twenty minutes of my time. It seems more stable than those that have suction cups. I made the perch length longer so that Ozzy can have more room to explore the water or get back out of the way if he wants to. It was a fun project and really anyone can do it. Just thought I'd share this idea.

[red192]

Cooooooooooooool Job! I Like That!

[DarwinTheSun]

Very nice! I thought about doing a similar design, but I was worried that the weight of the bird (especially a very wet bird) might pull the pvc out of the joints. I have made window perches (the old suction cup kind) and my joints aren't that tight. You haven't had any issues?

Also, what did you use to cover the perch?

[huntress]

You must glue the PVC joints with PVC glue and let it air outside away from the birds. I also want to know where you got the sandpaper cover.

[sootykitty]

I used PVC pipe glue very sparingly. I used only enough to hold the joints tight and in place. I used the glue outside and let it dry thoroughly until there was no odor. I don't know where to get one of those sand coated PVC perches, so I improvised and used Vet Wrap. When it gets dirty I can just change it out and even use a different color if I want to. Thanks for all the nice comments.

[miki]

Good Job! Your Birdie is sure lucky to have such a caring "PERSON" This is a great idea and looks so professional.

Miki
Zulu
Roy &
The Blue Kids

[geekasaurus]

grip tape for skateboards would work for them to hold on
or adhesive sandpaper for sanders

assuming they arent chewing on them

i like your design much better than the ones ive seen online!

i have a bathtub with a shower curtain and i cant stick suction cups to the walls because theyre textured

i havent been able to come up with anything other than something that stands in the bottom of the tub or something

[Tom Lawless]

Great design. I bought the suction cup kind. I'm glad I have them but they can't get to the water themselves. They have to wait for me to bring them to it. Your idea is a great one. I use the vet wrap on mine also and it has worked well.

[Daboss]

So I know that letting the glue cure for 24-48 hours is best, but I still do not like the idea of allowing these very sensitive creatures to be near something that fatal. For smaller birds there is no need whatsoever to used glue,

pvc pipe and fittings are designed to interconnect for the last 1/3 of the section.

For larger birds, as we all know are chewers, and very powerful chewers at that, the glue, if ingested, can still pose a threat. No one wants to take that risk. So I have been thinking that using a little wooden dowel would suffice for the interconnecting pieces for the larger birds, Fid safe wood of coarse, balsa is usually a safe bet. So instead of gluing just drill a hole that is 1/16" or 1/32" smaller than the dowel you want to use and just hammer it in! Viola no need for glue, best part is that a dowel rod will cost you around .30 cents instead of the 4.50 you would spend on the glue.

I am also designing a bath/shower perch that will allow people like myself who have a bathtub/shower with no door just a curtain rod, the ability to have a ladder that goes up the side of the tub from the floor and makes a perch from one side to the other or adjustable if need be so it doesn't reach the other side. It can also be multi leveled to allow the baby to move from tub level to halfway to the shower head. Also designing a shower perch that will utilize the actual shower head to provide sturdy support for the perch so that the Fids can take a shower even when there is no door or anyplace to use suction cups. I am trying to make the design collapsable for easy cleaning and storage. I will keep you all informed and if any of this sounds like something you all would be interested in let me know, I think custom rigs would go over well, take a few snapshots of your bathtub or shower send me the photo's I send you a drawing of what design may work best...Let me know if this interests anyone, if it does maybe I just created a new hobby for myself :)

[sootykitty]

Just for your information, there is NO WAY for my bird to get ANYWHERE near the little amount of glue that I used. You can be sure of that. I am VERY, VERY careful where my birds are concerned. I would NEVER allow them to be harmed by something like that. Although PVC is designed to interconnect, as you mentioned, there is NO way for it to remain connected unless glued. If you've ever attempted to do that you'd know that with any downward force at all it easily pulls out. Even the weight of a bird will cause that. Also, PVC tends to fluctuate it's diameter depending on the temperature which will make it unstable unless glued. The glue is designed to melt the PVC which makes it adhere so it doesn't just dry it actually dissolves. There isn't any glue to chew as long as it was used sparingly it remains on the inside of the PVC parts themselves.

You have some good ideas that are not glue dependent. Good luck with your design for showers that don't have any glass doors. You might be on to something there. I, however definitely disagree about the glue. If used correctly then there is no way possible for the birds to come into contact with it and harm them in any way.