# Tofu & PiDan's New Home



## Comson (Apr 18, 2009)

We are having so much fun with these two little fellows, so we decided to build this lovely house for them  

I designed the cage in a CAD software on computer first to get an overall feeling. It turns out pretty good, so we went ahead and made it!










Cage-Back View









Cage-Front View









The Actual Cage


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## Comson (Apr 18, 2009)

I want to share some more cute photos of these two boys.

























When I first got him. He was skinny!


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## babybreau (May 19, 2008)

It looks interesting, but what are you using as the sides of the cage? 
It looks like nylon netting of some type, which can be chewed through and their claws can get caught in...

Is there a front door to it? 
Does it close and lock? 
What is the grate on the bottom made out of? 
What is the flat patterned stuff in front of their food dishes?

Do you have sand paper on their perches? 
That is a huge no-no! It can really hurt their feet and cause bumblefoot. 

They are pretty bubs tho!!


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## Comson (Apr 18, 2009)

The net on the sides are made out of cotton. It took me a while to find it since most of these nets are made out of nylon. I have watched them climb up and down for a while to make sure their claws don't get stuck in it.

I have another net for the front, but I normally leave it up. Mostly, they just stay in the cage and play with the toys. They rarely fly out on their own unless I told them to, that is also why I made this cage for them. I felt like the old cage with metal bars all around is kind of like a jail for them. 

The grate is hard plastic and the flat pattern stuff is just some bamboo pattern plate mat. 

Yea, I got sand papers on all the wood perches. It is hard to tell from the pics since the color is also brown yellowish. 

Thanks for the concerns


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

That's very different (but awesome) & gorgeous 'tiels.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

The sand paper should be removed! It would be the equvalent of you walking around with pebbles in your shoes. It can contribute to bumblefoot in that it irritates the feet causing micro abrasions and allows bacteria to get in. I know they sell it for bird perches but that doesn't mean it's safe. They also sell those insecticide "Bird protectors" that have been known to make birds very sick, even kill them.


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## Comson (Apr 18, 2009)

Ah, I thought you said I should have the sand papers on. I will take it off from some of the perches. Thanks for the tip.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

That wouldn't have come from me. Here is a little blurb about Bumblefoot:
*Bumblefoot is usually associated with unsuitable perches, for example ones made of hard plastic or covered in sandpaper. This can lead to soreness on the weight- bearing surface of the foot. 
There is usually a bacterial component to the disease process, however the initiating cause is often linked to bruising, injury, or other trauma to the bottom of the foot. This can be caused by improper perches or poor perching surfaces. 

*I would remove it from all the perches if I was you. If you are trying to provide them with a perch that will keep their nails down try a concrete or mineral perch!


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## Comson (Apr 18, 2009)

Alright, I will remove them all. I just did a google image search for "bumblefoot", really scary looking. I wouldn't want them end up like those unlucky ones. 

I also got a question, one of PiDan's tail feather is bent. He was trying to fly but his wings were clipped, so he landed backwards and stepped on his tail. It is kind of hanging there. Will it fix itself over time? or should I clip it off?


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

You have some cute babies  
When Spike messes up his tail, I just let the bent feather come out when it is ready too.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

They usually molt those out twice a year so don't worry.


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