You just got a Parrot, bought its cage, food, and now you're in need of some more perches and hey, you have trees in your backyard so why not just take a branch or two? Harvesting from our own backyard is tempting as a Parrot owner but before doing so it is important to learn how to determine whether those branches are safe.
Parrots and trees go together naturally. Trees can be used as either a perch or foraging item for a Parrot, so it’s good to provide them with safe tree wood such as ash, apple or birch. When selecting the type of wood first make sure it has not been treated with pesticides including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, dormant spray and miticides as this renders all formerly safe wood toxic. In addition, some trees may contain traces of raccoon urine or latrine (fecal matter), which contains dangerous parasites. If you find a branch that is not contaminated with any of the above and is a safe kind of wood, it still needs to be prepared before you can put it in your Parrot’s cage. Make sure to sanitize it with a disinfectant such as hydrogen peroxide, and if it's small enough you can place it in a pan of boiling water for 15-20 minutes or bake it in the oven at 250˚F for an hour or so. Note that baking does not guarantee that parasites from raccoons will be killed, only using boiling water can do this. These procedures ensure the sanitation of the wood so when your Parrot does chew it nothing will pose a health risk.
Below is a list of common safe and unsafe trees.
Common Safe Trees:
Acacia
Apple
Alder
Almond
Ash
Aspen
Bamboo
Birch
Dogwood
Douglas Fir
Eucalyptus
Fir
Hickory
Lilac
Madrona
Magnolia
Maple
Manzanita
Papaya
Pussy Willow
Spruce
Sycamore
Yucca
Common Unsafe Trees:
Apricot
Avacado
Azalea
Beans
Cacao
Cannabis
Cedar
Cherry
Heaths
Mango (fruit is okay; not wood)
Red Maple
Redwood
White Cedar
For a list of unsafe and safe trees for your Parrot visit:http://www.mdvaden.com/parrot_page.shtml