Craft tips for non-toxic glue and colouring with non-toxic paints.
Non-toxic adhesive (edible)
Since budgies chew everything, it is definitely advisable to use a non-toxic glue for crafting.
For this purpose, a flour paste is recommended, which is not only non-toxic and edible, but also easy to make yourself.
Material:
- Pot (no Teflon!)
- Whisk
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons wheat flour
- 10 tablespoons water
Preparation:
- Add the flour and water to the saucepan and stir until all the lumps have dissolved and it has a milky consistency.
- Bring the liquid to the boil, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat.
- Allow adhesive to cool (lukewarm is best).
By using more or less flour, you can influence the consistency of the gluten. A thicker adhesive is recommended for wood and a more liquid adhesive for paper .
Adhesive residues
Flour paste should always be carefully removed while it is still liquid (e.g. pot or base), as this is hardly possible when it is solid.
Under no circumstances should adhesive residue be disposed of down the drain or in the toilet , as it becomes very solid and could clog the pipes.
Dyeing materials
Due to the budgies’ love of nibbling, care must also be taken when dyeing materials to ensure that the colours are non-toxic or food-safe.
With suitable foodstuffs, ropes, wood and paper, for example, can be dyed without any problems.
Green color
- fresh spinach
Boil fresh spinach with a little water. To intensify the colour, the drained water can be boiled several times with new spinach leaves.
Yellow color
- Peel white and red onions
Boil onion skins in water until it turns yellow-brown.
- Turmeric powder
3-4 tsp. powder in about 1 liter of water for 30min. soak. Then for 30min. cook
Orange color
- Carrot juice
Warm the juice slightly.
- Paprika powder
3-4 tsp. powder in about 1 liter of water for 30min. soak. Then for 30min. cook
Red color
- frozen blueberries
Pour boiling water over frozen blueberries.
- Beetroot juice or elderberry juice
Warm the juice a little.
Blue or purple color
- Red cabbage leaves
Red cabbage leaves in a little water for about 10min. boil out. If you air dry the materials, you get a rather blue colour. But if you dry them at 150°C in the oven, you get a purple-blue colour.
Materials
- Cotton ropes: Soak the ropes in the dye solution for approx. 2 hours and then allow to dry on a grid.
- Wood: Place smaller materials with the color decoction in a sealed container and shake well. Then leave the coloured parts to dry on a grid.
- Paper: Soak paper in the color stock and allow to dry.