Our Woods
At Bean's Little Store safety is our number one priority. We use only 100 percent parrot safe wood for our playstands and perches. For the most part we use Sassafras, Maple, Grapevine, Ash and Manzanita. Each of these woods has its own strong points and each is explained below.
Examples of Sassafras, Maple and Grapevine.
Sassafras
Sassafras is a very special wood. It is used in the production of Sarsaparillas, a form of root beer soda. It was also quite common in the earlier parts of the 1900s for youngsters to chew on small pieces of Sassafras as a sweet treat.
Sassafras leaves are still commonly used in some parts of the United States in soups and teas.
Because Sassafras has a bit of a sweet flavor to it, parrots tend to enjoy chewing it. It is a relatively soft wood, and so it is easier for even a small Conure to chew through.
Sassafras is common in the Eastern United States and is therefore an inexpensive wood.
The bark has a nice reddish hue to it, which makes it an attractive addition to a cage or home and a popular choice for larger playstands.
Maple
Maple is another wood that is common to the Eastern United States. It is a harder wood than Sassafras, giving perches and playstand made from it a longer life span.
Because some species of Maple could potentially hide a toxin in their bark, all Maple products sold by Bean's Little Store have their bark removed.
Without the bark, Maple has a nice light, almost white, coloration.
Grapevine
Grapevine is the most common vine in Pennsylvania, where Bean's Little Store is located.
Grapevine is a very dense, very hard wood. It can range in color from a dark brown to a light tan.
We do not always remove the bark from Grapevine. It depends on the piece, some pieces look better with the dark bark and some without it.
Ash
Ash is another common wood. It is very dense and very hard. It is so dense that it is hard to use for cage perches because of its weight.
Ash is most commonly known for its use in the production of baseball bats.
It is a light colored wood with a gray bark. We usually remove the bark because the wood underneath is very attractive.
Manzanita
Manzanita is a more expensive wood because it is only found in the South Western United States and Mexico. For a store like ours, that means we must have the wood shipped across the country.
Manzanita is, however, an almost perfect wood for use in playstands and perches. It is a very light wood that is also very strong.
Manzanita is a very light colored wood, almost white, with a smooth, dark brown bark.
Manzanita products are sold with and without the bark, depending on what look the piece is after.