What should I put at the bottom of my parakeet’s cage? Grid, litter, newspaper, paper towels, nothing?
My wife and I bought a pretty large cage for two parakeets, and one has since passed away – leaving the other with it. We’ve had them about 2 years, and removed the grid that prevented them from scavenging the very bottom of the cage for any fallen seeds. We read online that it could hurt their legs or talons could get caught if we left it in. Sometimes we’d catch them sniffing or picking at the bottom of the cage – and now I’m wondering if that contributed to the poor health of the one which passed? We read that parakeets were very picky of their eatings, so assumed they won’t eat anything bad for them. Should we put back the grid that seperated the bottom of the cage from them? or is it better to put bird litter there without the grid – I see petsmart selling these huge pellets that act as litter, and are indigestible, so the birds won’t be tempted by them. Any advice on what goes at the bottom? Thanks,
I use the grid in all 10 of my cages. It helps to keep the birdies out of nasties that they shouldn’t be foraging through – like their poop.
Please do not use the “litter” offered at pet stores…they can eat it and cause crop infections and impaction…definitely not a good thing. Paper towels are best in my opinion as it gives a clean slate to observe poop with. Poop is often the first indicator of illness and should be observed daily for changes. I also know some folks who use typing paper or printer paper……
The bad news is that birds are not particularly picky about their eatings. They can and will eat many things that are not healthy including wood chips, litter, gravel, grit, paper, jewelry, etc…so be careful what they have access to.
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