Sitting at the Top of the Market

The Three Golden Rules for Perches

There are three golden rules for buying and caring for the perches in a bird's cage, according to Janelle Crandell, the owner of Avitech, Inc., a wholesale and retail store, in Frazier Park, Calif. "Buy a lot of different types and sizes, keep them clean, and switch them out when they are worn," she says.

1. Buy varying types and sizes. "In the wild birds sit on all types of branches and so you would want to replicate that type of environment in their cage," Crandall says. Different types of textures and widths are also healthy for leg and foot muscles.

2. Clean the perches weekly. "Clean the perches with a disinfectant that is avian approved. They need to be scrubbed and cleaned once a week and dried in the sun. Food and droppings get on the perches and can build up and cause bacterial growth. It can get into their beak and into their systems," Crandell says.

3. Replace perches before they become dangerously worn out. "As soon as you see signs of cracking or wear they should be changed because bacteria can get in those cracks and crevices and there is no way to really clean that," Crandell says. The bacteria could be transmitted into the bird's feet and cause an infection.

(Published in Feb. 2004)

Sitting at the Top of the Market
Bird perches provide a playground for pets and a steady revenue source for you
By Scott and Ann Springer

Bird owners always face the same challenge when setting up cages for their pets: creating a home away from home. Birds in the wild spend their days darting from tree limb to tree limb, so pet owners try to replicate that environment buy using accessories such as perches to mimic a bird's natural playground.

Pet product manufacturers are always on the hunt to create more innovative and natural perches for birds and their owners to enjoy. As a retailer, it's in your best interest to better educate yourself on what's available and freshen your in-store inventory by buying the latest perch creations.

Buy More Than One Perch
The more variety in material and texture that a bird owner can put in a bird cage the healthier his or her bird will be. "Birds should have a wood perch, a rope perch, and conditioning perch in the cage," says Janelle Crandell, the owner of Avitech, Inc., a wholesale and retail store, in Frazier Park, Calif.

Crandell advises bird owners to place at least two perches in their birds' cages to help prevent injuries to their pets. "The surface of the bird's foot can get sores and it's not as good for the bird's muscles or tendons," he says.

However, there is a limit to how many perches should be used. Gay Stryker, the president of Creature Comforts Enterprises, Inc. in Milwaukie, Ore., cautions that having too many perches in one cage could be dangerously cluttering a bird's environment. "A whole bunch of perches can confine their movement because they won't be able to get around if their cage is full of gadgets," Stryker says.

Stryker says she generally recommends that a bird have no more than two perches. "The bird will spend 95 percent of the time on the highest part in the cage. That section should have the healthiest selection of perch with a variety of diameter to it so the bird has several places to get its footing." Stryker recommends buying a secondary perch with attached toys or one that makes food dishes accessible.

Exercise is an important component to a bird's health and since birds spend most of their day in the cage, it is vital that perches serve an exercise function as well. "It is very important that a bird's feet receive exercise because they can get arthritis," says JoAnne Stuckey, owner of Parrotopia in Grants Pass, Ore.

Parrotopia, has created a fork-like perch that is split into two sections, essentially creating two perches for a bird to walk on. This perch is designed to help stretch and move a bird's muscles and tendons. The product "is more like how birds would be moving around in the wild on wooden tree branches," Stuckey says.

Bob Deady-Shulz, the owner of Driftwood Arts, a New Portland, Maine company that creates bird perches made of driftwood, compares the use of multiple perches in a cage to a bird receiving physical therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome. "A lot of perches are round dowels and the bird's feet are on them all the time," he says. "It gets uncomfortable after a while."

Perches are most commonly used as a resting place for birds but they are also very important in nail and beak maintenance. "We always suggest bird owners have one perch with a sand-like texture," says Karen Van Tuyl, manager of The Birdbrain in Carbondale, Colo. "You want something as natural to the branch as possible. It helps keep a bird's beak filed down and it also helps it keep its beak clean."

Perches also help cut veterinarian costs. "Perches keep a bird's nails filed so you don't have to have its nails trimmed by the vet every six weeks," Stuckey says.

Never Have an Empty Cage
The last quarter and the first quarter of the year yield the highest sales of perches, according to Deady-Shulz. "People tend to spend more time at home during those months and sales of these products go up."

Innovations in perch design also increase sales because people are always looking for something new. "It's good to change the habitat on a regular basis to keep it interesting for birds," Deady-Shulz says.

While wood-based perches, like manzanita, are the most popular variety, other types of perches are also gaining popularity. A wide assortment of sizes and styles, including innovative types with toys or cups attached, corner perches, and natural branches, are available. Crandell recommends retailers look through magazines, go to pet shows, and visit other retail shops to find the latest and greatest perches.

"Grapevine perches are really popular," says Van Tuyl. "Another newer type of perch has peel-able layers and it has softer bark that peels off to reveal a hard center. These are great because birds naturally destroy perches—that's what birds do, they chew."

You will need to connect with your customers to determine more about the personality of their birds. Crandell advises her customers that "with time and experience you'll see what your bird does and by watching your bird's behavior you will know what types of perches to buy."

Retailers should sell perches according a bird's size and needs. "Generally owners of large birds are people that have gained experience through owning smaller birds. They generally have a love for birds. Typically, bigger perches will be used for larger birds," says Deady-Shulz. "Smaller perches can be used in a variety of ways and are generally more used by beginning or intermediate owners who own smaller birds."

It is important that the bird and the perch make a good match. Crandell recommends having signs posted for people to see what size perch goes with what size bird.

"The rule of thumb is the tip of the nails should go anywhere from ½ to ¾ of the way around the perch, in general, if the perch has a variety of diameters," Stryker says.

It's also important that the perch is well displayed in the store. "People can't picture how it works until they see it sitting in the cage," says Deady-Shulz. He recommends using as many products as you can in cages with and without birds in them.

"There is nothing more static than having an empty cage," Deady-Shulz says. "Everything in a store should be maximized for eye appeal because a cage takes up so much space you should never have an empty cage."

"If you are going to promote something you have to be able to back it up," says Stuckey. She recommends retailers buy only high-quality products and test them out themselves before selling them to customers. "People are spending a lot of money for their birds and on their birds and they should be made aware of the best products that are available."

Scott and Ann Springer are freelance writers based in Southern California.