Is it ok for my parakeet to do this?

[BudgieBuddy223]

Ok so I know that this forum is for Parrots but I thought it would be ok to post this. But anyway, my parakeet is chewing/biting on the cage bars.That metal bar thats sticking out is a lock that holds the cage together and she likes to chew on it or bite it. Is it ok if she does that? I have a beak buffer in the cage but she doesnt care for it. So is it ok if she chews on it? Thanks!

[ParrotsForLife]

Does she have wood to chew on etc? Does she get out of the cage at all? Also a Parakeet (Real name Budgerigar or Budgie for short) they are Parrots.

[ms pato]

It's probably just her little way of telling you that she wants out of the cage. What does this lock look like? Parrots like to chew on things, you should provide lots of parrot toys for her. That should keep her busy.

[liz]

Parrots like to chew but I think it also keeps their beaks in a good condition.
You need to get your little one something or some things to chew on that are safe. Most parrot toys have wood to chew on. You could also give it a piece of tree branch. I also found out that the pine shims at the hardware store are not treated with anything so I gave some to mine and got back a pile mulch. Even with all I give them they are chewing up my house.

If it is able to take pieces out of the cage then you have the wrong cage. Parrot cages are made to withstand even the big parrots. My Amazons do have cages to keep their stuff in. They have never been able to get pieces off.
I have parrot proofed my house to keep them safe since they are all out of cage. Now I am working on saving my house from the parrots.

Your little guy is a parrot. He may be small but he has just as big a personality. The record holder for number of words said at once is held by a budgie. You just have to listen close. Since they are little they have little voices.

He is a parrot and deserves as much love and respect as a Macaw. Keep him in the room you are in the most. Make sure his highest perch is near face level. He will feel safer and communicate with you more.

Parrot proof a room to keep anything away from him that will hurt him and that includes wires. If you don't have a screen on your window get one or make one. Open his cage and let him do the one thing that no other species can. Let him fly. If he has not been socialized he will just go to the top of his cage and sit there for a while. If he has been clipped he deserves to at least test his stubby wings.

Wolf is a gentile man who puts himself in the place of his birds to try to understand what they feel. He has done a lot of research. So much so that I don't know how he finds the time to sleep.
His are all rescues in different stages of being socialized. He had no intention of getting a bird when the first one [i]followed him home.[/i] Pajarita and I and including many from the forum have rescues that came with bad history.

Pajarita has bird diets down pat. She can help you with that since most people, me included, do not know as much and are feeding their babies wrong. Rambo is 31 and I have had him since 2000.
He does not fly and did not have flight feathers. Following diet put in by Pajarita he finally grew flight feathers in the past year when he had his first good molt.

Chantilly is young but has her "stuff" together. She amazes me with the knowledge she has. Even so she still brings up question about her birdies.

I believe that every member of this forum contributes to information about parrots. Some are new parronts and have many questions to ask. It is like bringing home a baby when you have never been near a baby before. (I had my first child in the Philippines. I was never near a little baby until he came along. My Momma was 7000+ miles from me and their were no parenting classes back in those dark ages. I was lucky that I had good neighbors who helped me with him.)

Because my little pedestrian, Rambo, never flew before he does not have the muscle need for flight but is using his feathers for a more controlled landing which he needs because Myrtle knocks him off the top of his cage trying to make him fly. He is not as healthy as he would be if he was able to fly. I work with him and have taught him to fly from me to the couch for a soft landing. Even if he never takes flight on his own he still needs to build the muscle to be healthier.

You will like it hear. To me it feels like a neighborhood. We can ask any question and get an answer. (we even talk about poop) We really enjoy reading about our neighbors bird babies. I have learned the names of most even though I don't remember the names of the humans who parront them.

So WELCOME TO THE FORUM. Please tell us more. We love to read about our neighbors' kids.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum! Parrots chew on their cage bars for different reasons. It could be boredom, it could be anxiety (budgies don't do well on their own, they need other budgies), it could be that the cage is too small, it could be that they are missing some kind of mineral (inadequate diet -only seeds?), etc. so, basically, it's NOT OK for the bird to do this and you need to figure out what is making him/her do it (most importantly because you can't trust the cage to have a safe finish, it could have lead and kill your bird from metal poisoning).

[Wolf]

I am not sure that I have enough information to give you a pat answer, I am not even sure what a beak buffer is.

What I do know is that metal is not the best thing for a bird to chew on for the same reasons that Pajarita has already given you. This means that you really should learn the reason for this behavior, it could be as simple as the bird wanting and trying to get more personal interaction from you. It could be that the bird does not receive enough time out of the cage for exercise or exploring its environment or as already said time with you.