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Animal Care Studies - Western Sydney Institute of TAFE, Richmond4.8 Nestboxes and/or Bedding MaterialRefer section 10.10 Nesting, Hollow or Other Requirements.4.9 Enclosure FurnishingsPerchesNatural branches, of various shapes and sizes, are preferable as they provide exercise forthe bird’s feet. Using branches for perching is more aesthetically pleasing and give aneasy-to-grip surface. Fresh cut branches also provide an added activity for chewing andstripping the bark. Branches used for perches should be obtained from a reliablerenewable source of Australian native trees and shrubs or from alternative non-nativetrees and shrubs that are not poisonous/toxic too bird’s. Perches should not be allowed tobecome soiled and therefore need to be replaced on a regular basis to maintain thecleanliness of an enclosure. An indicator for replacement could be once all the bark asbeen removed from a branch but earlier removal may be preferable.Perches are generally placed at the extremities of an enclosure to enable the maximumexercise to be obtained by the birds, but should also be positioned to avoid the fouling ofwalls/partitions and containers for food and water. One set of perches should always beplaced under the sheltered section of an enclosure. All perches need to be securelyfastened to the walls or wire flight sections of an enclosure. This can be achieved byeither using screws and washers fixed into the ends of perches, especially for wiredsections, or having permanently fixed perch holder brackets (refer Figure 22), which areparticularly useful for enclosure walls and partitions. If perches are not securely fastenedand stable, copulation may not take place and birds may become wary of using insecureperches.Figure 22. Perch holding bracket that can easily be made in various sizes from galvanisedaluminium sheeting.There tends to be a high use of stable perches which allows birds to walk rather than fly,so to encourage flying and balancing it is better to have a variety of ropes and flexiblebranches. Larger display enclosures (aviaries) could have vines and small trees to provideKeith Naylor 28/3/2005 Version 3 36