Acrylic Bird Carrier


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OWNER & ENTHUSIAST

ACRYLIC BIRD CARRIER & Playpen You Can Make It!

Instuctions and carrier made and written by Amy Patria
copyright © 1998 by Amy Patria

To make this for a cockatiel or smaller birds, you will need to reduce the size of everything. I will
be adding the sizes for other carriers as I can. The ones for the smaller birds also can use the
1/8" acrylic where I have 1/4" but you will need to scale the other measurements accordingly.
This carrier is what I use for my M2, U2, Amazons, CAG and Eclectus. They even like sitting in it
when we're not going anywhere (with the door open of course and with supervision). The one
thing I've found with the mirrored back is that none of my birds are afraid of entering the carrier
and my CAG who is normally afraid of EVERYTHING will step right in to play with "the bird in the
mirror".

I purchase the acrylic (cut to order - $2 a pound if I use what they call scrap that has absolutely
nothing wrong with it other than it's too small for their projects) at one of the local plastics
suppliers. They also sell the liquid to "bond" the edges together. You can generally find a supplier
in your Yellow Pages.

Here are the items needed for the carrier:

2 pieces of acrylic 24" high x 13 3/4" wide x 1/4" thick (for the sides)

1 piece of acrylic 24" high x 13 3/4" wide x 1/4" thick (the front door)

2 pieces 1/8" thick x 13 13/16" - width of top and bottom x 14 3/16" - from front to back -
(this is the top and bottom)

1 piece mirrored acrylic 24" high x 13 3/4" wide x 1/8" thick (the back)

1 piece UNMIRRORED acrylic 24" high x 13 3/4" wide x 1/8" thick (to place over the mirror back
to keep the birds from chewing on it)

1 piece of acrylic "grill"? The place I get the acrylic from does special orders and some client of
theirs uses the grill material so they happen to keep it in stock and sell it to me periodically. 13
1/8" (wide) x 13 5/8" (deep) x 1/8" thick. I place this 1 3/4" off the floor of the carrier so I can
put paper towels on the bottom to catch the droppings for easier clean-up.

3 pieces of acrylic 13" long x 1/4" thick x 1/2" wide to place over the grill to hold it in place. I
place these just a tiny bit (about 1/32") above the grill so the grill slides out for easy cleaning.

2 pieces of acrylic 13 1/8" x 1/2" wide by 1/4" thick for the sides to rest the grill on.

1 piece of acrylic 12 1/2" long x 1/2" wide x 1/4" thick for the back to rest the grill on.

1 small can (about $4 for 4 oz. but will last through SEVERAL projects) of a solvent for "welding"
or "joining" acrylic. The type I use is called WELD-ON 3. It's like water so you have to watch
where it runs and how much you apply because it can mess the acrylic up in a matter of
milliseconds (I also know this from experience). I found it helps to try playing with scrap pieces
of the acrylic before making your projects. ALWAYS USE OUTSIDE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. I won't
take a chance on the fumes from this harming my birds!!!

1 applicator for the above solvent (can generally get this and the solvent from the plastics
company.

1 piece of a "safe" branch, a dowel of the proper size for the bird, or other perch material cut to
13 1/4" length (I drill a hole in each end and have several perches made to fit so I can change
the size of the perch depending on which bird I'm transporting). I drill several holes in the acrylic
so the bird can get plenty of air but also so I can attach perches at different heights. I place
washers on the outside of the carrier and screw them into the perch which I pre drill.

2 fairly heavy 3 hole hinges. Make sure the holes are at least 1/2 inch from the hinge part or you
will end up splitting or chipping the acrylic when you drill the holes (I know from experience!)

2 kitchen cupboard type handles or you could use nylon woven material like dog leashes/collars
are made from to make a strap to carry it. I personally like the handles (these come with their
own screws).

1 tiny hasp and paddle lock for the door. The other option I almost took was to use a large (2")
strips of self stick velcro to keep it closed but I'm happy with the hasp and it looks better.

4 small (clear) rubber pads (self stick) to place on the bottom of the carrier so it won't scratch
furniture.

The last things you need are the bolts (real tiny ones), nuts, and washers for whatever sizes of
hardware you choose.
When drilling the holes either for the hardware or the ventilation, HAVE YOUR DRILL SET ON THE
LOWEST SPEED POSSIBLE!!! I also learned that by practicing on other scrap pieces BEFORE
working on the carrier! If you go too fast, it will crack or chip the acrylic! BE SURE to make LOTS
of air holes so your bird can get proper ventilation/air. I place 6 holes about 2 inches down from
the top on each side (1/2") and 5 down the center of each side. I also place 4 holes (3/4") on
the front (2 at top and 2 at bottom). I'm intending to make 4 on the top also (1 near each
corner) and a few more on the front. I'm also planning on making a T perch to place on the side
so I can allow the birds to perch on the stand when it's on it's side. In addition to that, I'm going
to drill a few holes to place feed cups on one side (the left hand side when facing the carrier) so
the birds can eat fruit or whatever while traveling but so it won't block my view of them.

When putting the carrier together, some of the joints took my husband holding the sides while I
put the solvent on so I didn't mess it up and get it outside the joints. THE SOLVENT SET ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY SO BE SURE YOU HAVE THE PIECES WHERE YOU WANT THEM!

I placed the top and bottom on the outside of ALL other panels of the acrylic. The 2 back pieces
(mirrored and unmirrored) and the door go outside the sides but inside the top and bottom. The
door is a real snug fit so the birds can't play with it.

I cut the bolts to fit flush with the nuts and used a material my husband had for making them
permanent so the birds couldn't remove them. I'm not sure what it is called but your hardware
store should know.

ACRYLIC BIRD PLAY PEN OR CAGE

This is the playpen, gym or cage (whichever you want to use it for or call it), that I use for a weaning area for my baby cockatiels. It's easy to keep clean and the babies love it. I purchase the acrylic at a local plastics supplier. It costs me $2 a pound if I purchase what they refer to as scrap. There is nothing wrong with their "scrap" but the sizes are smaller than they normally work with. I also buy the liquid I bond the acrylic seams with from the same supplier. You should be able to locate a supplier in your Yellow Pages under acrylic or plastic.

You can make this whatever size you want depending on how you are going to use it. In this example, I'll use the 36" x 48" just as an example (it takes up a little more room than that due to the base being a bit larger than the acrylic part).

ITEMS YOU WILL NEED:

2 pieces of acrylic 24" x 35 ½" for the ends (¼" thickness work best) - this will work out so the acrylic part of the pen will end up 36" when you add the front and back.

2 pieces of acrylic 24" x 48" for the front and the back (¼" thickness works best).

1 piece of 1" x ½" galvanized after welded wire cut to 36" x 48". This will be the grate to the pen.

1 piece of acrylic 1/8" thick x 48¼" x 36¼" to place under wire grate, on the base, to keep wood from getting wet.

2 pieces of 1x4x38" (which actually ends up ¾ x 3 ½ x 38") with miter cut at 45º on each end. After the piece is mitered, the outside length should be 38" and the inside edge will be 36 ½".

2 pieces of 1x4x50" (same as with the end pieces, miter ends at 45º with the finished lengths being 50" outside and 48½ on the inside edge.

1 piece of ½" x 50" x 38"plywood for the base.

2 pieces of 1" x 1" (actually ¾ x ¾") wood cut to 35 ½" length

2 pieces of 1" x 1" (actually ¾ x ¾") wood cut to 46" length

1 piece of 1" x 1" (actually ¾ x ¾") wood cut to 48 ½" length

4 - 2" hinges ( to place on the outside of the frame so the front drops down for easy access to the paper under the grate. If you place them inside the frame, you will end up leaving a gap for seed and hulls to drop through and onto the floor - I learned this the hard way!)

2 hooks/eyes or some other type of latch to keep the front drop down door secured.

1 - 4 oz. bottle of acrylic solvent and the appropriate applicator. I purchase it from the plastics supplier I deal with. The price is $4 plus a minimal charge for the applicator. The name of the kind I use is WELD-ON 3. Please use according to manufacturers instructions The fumes during the welding process WILL harm your birds if you use it inside. ONLY use it outside and away from your birds (not just in another room)!

4 pieces of 2" x 2" would work for legs but something a bit larger would work better. I have placed this pen on a coffee table I don't use so legs weren't something I needed to add.
Some type of stain or finish if you want to apply it and the items necessary to do that. I haven't put a finish on mine yet.