Small bird twist on perch set, variable width for foot health

thingiverse

After a lot of testing, I've come up with a unique twist-on perch design that works great. This design has been tested successfully with several species of Pyrrhura conures (green-cheeked, blue-throated, maroon-bellied, etc.), ring-neck parakeets (rose-ringed parakeets), Quakers, Australian grass parakeets, and plum-headed parakeets. This perch design is sized for most half-inch wide cage wires, including those found in "Chinese breeder cages" made by China-manufactured wire cages for small birds. It also works well with welded or hog-ringed 1 inch by 1/2 inch wire. I've included two different sizes: a 9-inch long perch that fits 9-inch printer beds and a 10-inch perch to maximize length. The models can be easily resized by 2-5% to adjust to different gauge welded wire, such as 14 GAW versus 12 GAW. Here are the options I've developed (in progress): | Wire type | Wire direction | Size | Shape | Mount from | Filename | |--------------------|----------------|--------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | Fine wire | Vertical | 0.5 in, 1.2 cm wide, 9 in, 23 cm long | Variable width, straight | Outside of cage | perch_twist_on_variable_width_9_inches_long.stl | | Fine wire | Vertical | 0.5 in, 1.2 cm wide, 10 in, 25.5 cm long | Variable width, straight | Outside of cage | perch_twist_on_variable_width_10_inches.stl | | Fine wire | Horizontal | 0.5 in, 1.2 cm wide, 10 in, 25.5 cm long | Single width, straight | Outside of cage | Perch_twist_on_horiz_bars_needs_support.stl | | Fine wire | Horizontal | 0.5 in, 1.2 cm wide, 10 in, 25.5 cm long | Variable width, straight | Outside of cage | twist_on_perch_horiz_wire_variable_width_needs_support.stl | | Fine wire | Vertical | 0.5+ in, 1.2+ cm wide, 10 in, 25.5 cm long | Single width, straight | Inside of cage | perch_twist_on_variable_internal_mount.stl | | Heavy 0.5x1 welded | Horizontal | 0.5-1.3 in wide, 10 in long | Highly variable width, straight | Inside of cage | perch twist on variable internal mount.stl | | Heavy 0.5x1 welded | Horizontal | Size for testing, no support needed | Hollow | Outside of cage | perch_twist_on_horiz_bars_no_support.stl | I recommend running the top surface of the perch through a lighter flame to adhere all the filament after printing. This will prevent birds from pulling up long strings of extruded filament and getting their feet stuck. The vertical wire perch design is open on the bottom, so it won't trap bird droppings or water inside a hollow perch. The reinforced bracing keeps the perch sturdy but also lightweight and saves material. The horizontal perch designs have hollows with reinforcing walls, but some slicer software may see them as totally hollow. Use a 10% gyroid fill or 20% other infill to avoid twisting or bending of the perch over time. Note that solid perches can collect moisture or particles inside them, so don't place them where there is dripping water or regular rain. As a final safety note, only use light-colored materials for outdoor perches. Dark-colored perches can absorb heat from the sun and become dangerously hot very quickly. You can check out JJ Blodgett's derivative models on Tinkercad!