ZIP IT...ZIP IT GOOD! Part I

What would we do without zip ties?    They hold everything imaginable together for us, way beyond, I'm sure, their original intent.  (If you'd like to know 
where they came from, read some background here.  It's actually pretty interesting...dangerously interesting!)   You may already be aware of how indispensable zip ties are, and this may be redundant or elementary. But just in case you didn't know of the joys of zip ties, read on.

A number of years ago I found that zip ties were to become invaluable tools in my parrots' cages and outdoor flights. Add me to the list of avian zip tie devotees. There are at least five or six ways that I use zip ties on a daily basis.   Here are two of them:

1 There are times when I can't find an appropriately sized quick link to hang a toy in a cage. Zip ties are the perfect solution...or maybe not. You must know your bird: it may look at a nylon zip tie, reach up, open beak, and proceed to snap that nylon strip of toy holder in two. Down goes the toy.  Wrong solution for the problem - go get a new quick link!

Here's what you can do to avoid this predicament:  

•IF you know that your bird won't consider the zip tie to be just another  quick chew toy, then choose the best-sized zip tie for the job. Ties come in a multitude of sizes, extremely small up to very sturdy, thick and strong.   Consider the small zips for small bird toys, and the heavier ones for medium to large-sized birds' toys. Choose your tie in relationship to your birds' beaks!


•When you are attaching the tie, pull it as tightly as you can so there is no chance that your bird might catch a toe, a beak, anything! Lastly, cut the remaining unused portion off...as close to the joining juncture as you possibly can.   The edges of the nylon may feel sharp, so make sure that you cut very close with no jagged edges.(I use utility cutters, like these: here) 

•When hanging something awkward and heavy, try attaching your zip tie first in the cage (leaving a good-sized loop), slip the toy onto the z-tie, and then proceed to pull it tight, clip it off.  The tie will support the weight of the toy no matter what sized loop you first create.

2 Permanently shut a food/water door that you are no longing using (because  the bowls and the feeding/watering space is not bird-user friendly. See previous blog!)   I first kept the doors to those spaces secured with large spring clamps 'borrowed'  from my husband's workshop.   They worked well - the clamps were stronger than the vice grip of my Blue and Gold's beak.    But...the clamps scratched the metal cage.    My solution was, from the outside of the cage,  to wrap a heavy, strong  nylon zip tie around the unused doors, encompassing the bars nearest the doors, and pulling them extremely tight...flat with the door.  I then clipped the remaining ends very close, and voila...safely shut doors/gates.   And when there comes a time that those feeding and watering spaces are put to use again, it will be as easy as clipping the zip tie off.

Look for more uses for zip ties in my next blog.  I'll also post locations where you can easily find reasonably prices zip ties to use in your own bird room.   They are truly indispensable small solutions to big problems!