Sisal rope

[Lady]

Hi Everyone,

As you know I was inspired by the pics of Kobe enjoying his foraging treats that Spiritbird (Dianne, his Mommy) gave him in a foraging mat. Then Margaret (Casper's Second Bestfriend) made a wonderful basket out of garden string.

Well I knew I had some garden sisal rope in storage for our garden and didn't purchase anything new. As I found it today it looked great, but doesn't smell right. Well, it smells like oil to my untrained but suspicious nose.

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So this thread is to ask you opinion......is it safe? Does sisal have an "oily" smell?

Upon further searching I also found some thinner rope of the same and didn't find it had an odor but not sure it is good to use since it isn't as thick. Or perhaps I just have to make it thicker by braiding or something. I'm sure I will just make a new purchase because I would rather be safe then sorry.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

I did a google of "oiled sisal rope" and the information is there. Apparently from what is says on the internet (which must be true*) all sisal rope is oiled to enable it to go through the rope making machine. Some ropes have more oil than others because oil is cheaper than sisal and they sell the rope by weight. Brazilian sisal is supposed to be low oil.
The stuff Margaret used was the sort of stuff you would use for tying brown paper parcels in the days before sticky tape.

[Lady]

Thanks Jean-Pierre, I also did a search on the net. Seems that the oil is also to keep the bugs away, I bet it works too! So I think I'm going to keep it for the garden and check out something else to use to make a mat, something untreated and natural.

[Mare]

Have you checked out the rope that's sold for macramé? I use to do a lot of that in my young '70's years :) I know there is fiber available made from hemp, also.

[Macaw Lover]

A few years ago there was a vendor selling these thick, extra long perches made from sisal. Of coarse I was aware of oil being on that type stuff and so I put my nose to it and smelled the oil and I sure know what oil smells like. It was the vendor's mother that was at the table (owner was walking around checking out the rest of the tables I guess) who kept saying there was no oil on it but I know what my nose smells. I did not bother wasting my time waiting for the owner to come back as I had no intention of buying one after smelling it but a lot of people have bought them.

There was a bird for sale that I went to meet and in the cage was one of those rope perches. I explained my concerns to the lady in hopes that she took it down. I did not buy that bird more because it was low in weight and the perch sure did not add to a good feeling about the bird.

[Lady]

Thanks guys, today I bought some jute. It doesn't have a smell to it. I'm going to use it to see what I can come up with, I may need to get a crochet needle too, but I think I have one somewhere :rolleyes:. I will keep shopping around as well.

[spiritbird]

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[Lady]

Thanks Dianne, some cool stuff there :pinkgrin:~