Nest box perch

[davlee]

Does it matter if the perch dowell protrudes to the inside of the nest box? If it is a good thing, how far into the box should it protrude?

I have purchased some new nest boxes (mainly for Gouldians) and the dowell perches are quite long.

Dave

[starman]

Hi Dave,
I bought some Gouldian boxes recently with longer than usual perches. I thought of cutting them down a little, but noticed that my RFPFs like to sit outside their nest box together and make good use of the extra length, so I left them longer. I couldn't really think of a disadvantage in doing this.
If you decide that you'd like them shorter, I would cut them off in preference to hammering them through as this would make cleaning out the inside of the boxes more difficult.

[davlee]

Do you think the young might use a bit of inside perch to access the box opening easier?

[starman]

I've not heard of Gouldian fledglings having trouble in leaving the nest box. Some more sophisticated Gouldian box designs incorporate a step on the inside that is said to make it easier for the parents to feed the nestlings and for the nestlings to reach the exit but I've had no experience with those.
My local Gouldian guru just uses the normal cube designs (with holed front), so I followed his recommendation.
I think that having a stub of perch protruding into the box would be of doubtful benefit but probably not problematic if you want to try it.
Gouldians are often said to be lazy nest builders so I give them a head start by moulding a grass base and leave a few stems protruding from the hole..... some people think that this piques their curiosity for further investigation but I'm still unconvinced of that.