Biulding a bird aviary

[lordpurchase]

I would like to build a large walk in bird aviary in the back of my living room for my budgies.  Is there anything I need to know about chicken wire or wire mesh in general because I was watching a youtube video and they said some wire mesh has a toxic coating or contains lead?

I was able the exchange the budgie that died for another one so I now have four budgies again. I think I got 3 males and one female. I was aiming to get two females and two males but the problem with young budgies there cere isn't always colored yet and it can be hard to tell. If I do have 3 males and one female then the males may fight for the one female which means I will need to get two more females once I've built my large aviary.

First question... is wire mesh toxic to budgies?    

[Loz]

I used stainless steel mesh with 13x13mm spacing for the converted shower cubicle aviary I have upstairs.

It's wonderful stuff but heavy and expensive. I only needed it to replace the glass door so I didn't need much.

I doubt it's practical for a full on walk-in aviary but it is a safe, bulletproof solution.

I look forward to other suggestions as I periodically mull over the idea of a walk-in myself!

[blueelephant]

The male budgies will probably not fight over the female. The female will decide if she likes any of them and they will all do as they are told by her. So having multiple males and a single female is probably not a big problem.

I can't help with the wire question I'm afraid.

[lordpurchase]

That's good to know about the female.

I guess I could risk it and see what happens because there doesn't seem to be any alternative that is cost effective. I read that people have used it and had no problems but I think its more for outdoor aviaries where the chicken wire gets weathered and washed by the rain. It might not be suitable for mine because it has to be an indoor aviary.

The only other thing I can think of is using clear plexiglass sheets which is cheaper than stainless steel. I would need a lot of them so it could get pricey unless I can recycle some other kinda clear plastic from something.

I will think of things I could use as a safer but cheap alternative to wire mesh.

Idea number one is to use wire mesh but rinse and scrub it down with white vinegar and put clear plastic behind it that way the birds wont be able to chew on the mesh.

I will need to figure out what kinda clear plastic is available. The only thing I can think of is plexiglass at this point in time. I will need large sheets. Clear plexiglass mainly comes in A4/A3 sized sheets which means more wood will be needed pushing up costs.

I will need to get my thinking cap on over the next few days. If anybody has some ideas I would like to hear them?

[Hezz]

Plexiglasssheets are not going to allow the air to circulate through the aviary; you will end up with a terrarium sort of thing, not an aviary. Galvanised mesh needs to be aged and scrubbed down with vinegar solution on a regular basis. If these precautions are used it is okay to use but for absolute surety you would need to use stainless steel.

[lordpurchase]

Mar 30, 2022 0:48:19 GMT Hezz said:

Plexiglasssheets are not going to allow the air to circulate through the aviary; you will end up with a terrarium sort of thing, not an aviary. Galvanised mesh needs to be aged and scrubbed down with vinegar solution on a regular basis. If these precautions are used it is okay to use but for absolute surety you would need to use stainless steel.

If I left some small gaps in between the wooden posts for air it wouldn't be an issue.

Would the metal on shopping carts/trolleys be any good?

Is there any non toxic paint I can use to pant chicken wire with? 

[lordpurchase]

I think I can build the aviary I wanted. Aviary wire is not as expensive as I thought although pricey but not as high as I thought. I will try to get some more willow branches if possible half a tree to go inside it. That would look so cool in my Victorian livingroom. The Victorians were quite eccentric so an aviary with a tree inside in the back of my living room will look very nice. I've always liked the idea of bringing nature indoors.