# What to put on bottom of cage



## estimalucida (May 17, 2011)

i have just purchased a cockatiel cage what do you put on botom of cage as sand sheets are way to small any advise please


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## Pikatiel (Jul 3, 2011)

We used paper towel with my first tiel, but newspaper works fine. Most newspapers are printed with non-toxic ink, and the ones you get for free mean no cost involved.


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

Newspaper


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

I use newspaper too unless it is a new bird or I want to do an occasional check on poo. lol Then I use plain paper towels or white sheets of plain paper so I can keep an eye on them and make sure they are eating and pooing fine.


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## igottafeelin (Aug 29, 2011)

does it have a grate? I put newspaper or scrap paper that I have down on the bottom. I recently read an article that said you could spray some oil on the grate so the poo will slide off. I just tried this yesterday and am very happy with the results! That grate is a pita to scrub!


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

Spray oil on it? I don't use a grate so I don't have the issue here.. but what kind of oil do you use?? And also, doesn't it make things more slippery for the bird?? I'm just envisioning the bird walking on the grate and then getting oil on his feet and then getting oil everywhere else in the cage and not having the grip to get around.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i would not use oil on the grate. if they happen to ingest it it can be a very bad thing. i have read said article as well and ive also have read things negative about it. best be safe.

newspaper is the best thing to use


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## estimalucida (May 17, 2011)

xoxsarahxox said:


> Newspaper


i have been told to use wood chips


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

Papers are best because you can see what the birds poops look like so you can keep an eye out for illness, with wood chips you cant monitor their poop very well.


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## lisaowens (Oct 17, 2011)

i use newspaper


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

wood chips also harbour mold and bacteria and can cause bacterial infections. if the bird ingests them the bird can get an obstruction


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I use newspaper!


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## CharmedWolf (Oct 10, 2011)

I use newspaper. Its easy to get, and all you have to do when you clean it is pick it up and toss it. Its not like its a gecko aquarium you want to look fancy for show or anything. (He he that's the way I look at it.) But of course, its just opinion, but newspaper is much better.


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## DesertDweller (Oct 8, 2011)

I've used many substrates for reptiles and birds over the years. I found that newspaper works the very best. It's non-toxic and safe if the bird ingests it by accident. It will simply dissolve in his digestive tract and pass safely.

Please don't use any other material for the bottom of a cage. 

Wood chips can be harmful for several reasons. 
1. As others have said, the wood chips harbor bacteria and mold and hide the droppings so you would be tempted to think it's clean when it's really dangerously dirty. 
2. Birds naturally put lots of stuff in their mouths and when they ingest the wood chips, it clogs their digestive tract and kills them. 
3. Wood chips give off a dust which is seriously harmful to the respiratory system. 
4. Some wood chips give off fumes (such as cedar and pine, to name a couple). These fumes can be toxic to birds and other animals.

There are other materials that are recommended for reptiles, small animals and birds. I would NOT recommend them at all. Coconut fiber may be safe for a bird to ingest, but like wood chips, it harbors bacteria, fungus and waste. Corn cob, aspen and fluffy bedding material all have the same problem. Sand is deadly if ingested.

Many times the disastrous effects of these other substrates is not realized. The affected birds slowly go downhill until they die prematurely. Unless a necropsy is conducted, the pet owner may never know the cause of his precious pet's death.

Why bother risking the welfare of your bird and spend a lot of money on this garbage when newspaper is so safe and so cheap?


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## DesertDweller (Oct 8, 2011)

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. Sand sheets are not good for cockatiels or any other parrot. You can use sand sheets for finches (softbills) because they need gravel/grit to digest their food. 

Softbills swallow the hulls of the seeds and they need to be ground up in the gizzard, which is why softbills need gravel. Parrots hull their seeds and discard the hulls, which is why parrots do not need gravel or grit. And, gravel can be harmful to parrots.

Yes, some companies sell gravel for parrots, but it's really wrong of them to do so.


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## Kikode (Aug 17, 2011)

Wow I guess I'm the only one that uses paper towels  I'm still in my 20's so what are newspapers


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## Mr Cockatiel (Nov 27, 2011)

But doesn't the bird walk in its poo when you use newspaper?


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## Puppydog (Oct 13, 2011)

That's why you clean it on a daily basis.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

or you have a grate in the cage so they cant walk in it (should be cleaned regularly anyways)


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Yeah i keep a grate on the bottom so even if it were dirty they couldn't get to it.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Kikode said:


> Wow I guess I'm the only one that uses paper towels  I'm still in my 20's so what are newspapers


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper


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## DesertDweller (Oct 8, 2011)

lperry82 said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper


LOL!! I use paper towels, too. But they can get expensive.
I like to tear paper towels into smaller pieces for my finches and sparrows to play with. The finches love to line their nests with paper towels.


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## Mr Cockatiel (Nov 27, 2011)

Is their any sort of reason to use newspaper instead of the grate, like health wise?
Better for their feet? Or something? Or just cause it's easier to keep clean? But isn't it easier to use
the grate cause you clean it, once a week??? (Haven't cleaned it yet just got my first bird last week) instead of having to take out and put in fresh newspaper everyday? Moving all the ladders etc out of the way and stuff? I'm a total newbie.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Well the newspaper goes below the grate..


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

You use the grate and put the newspaper under the grate, I change the newspaper every day and then clean the grate once a week


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## Mr Cockatiel (Nov 27, 2011)

Right! Below the grate :blush:


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## .mpeg (Oct 6, 2010)

i use a towel in mister's cage. about once a week, or if it starts looking too dirty, i change it. i just shake the seed hulls and whatnot off it and put it through the washing machine.
i put it on top of the grate, i couldn't imagine putting anything under the grate. mister spends most of his time up on the sticks anyway. i've currently got 4 permanent and 3 hospital cages going, i don't even want to contemplate having to clean all of them every day. i spend long enough on their food and water dishes every morning. :wacko::blink:


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