Litter or Paper?

[Ark]

I use paper, always have and always will. I don't like the idea of litter for the reasons metioned above.

The organic litters like corn cob scare me the most, these things can start to grow mold very fast when they get wet and can be dangerous even if the bird can't get to it. It can happen as fast as a day if it is hot and humid out. I don't see these things as helping out by using previously unused materials, but more of trying to create a market where pet owners unwittingy put their animals in danger to pay for a byproduct of corn/walnut production.

I usually swipe free newspapers because I don't get any at home, and have my family collect some for me. But recently I have started using brown paper that fits my cages exactly and the smell does not bother me like the newspaper. The price is right and it is made of recycled paper and I don't have to removed staples before using it, so I will probably stick with it.

About the recycled newspaper products, I have seen small bits of plastic and what looks to be metal (shiny) in both Yesterday's News and Econo-Scoops. I would not trust that stuff unless they have upped their quality control and remedied this problem of including foreign materials. This was a few years back, so they may be okay now, but just keep an eye out.

I have also seen a product called Eco-Bedding, it is crinkled paper cut into strips that stays fluffy and springy even when soiled. A friend of mine uses it under her floor stand. It looks really nice and is easy to change daily, because it kind of balls up so you don't have to go at it with a dustpan until is comes to picking up the debris that has fallen underneath. I'll still stick to paper though.

[pchela]

I believe that the study showed that over time small, airborne particles from the litter were being inhaled by the birds. I'm not positive... I will look for the study and let you know what I find. It's one of those things that I was taught was bad when I worked at the pet store so I always just told people so. I'll need to do some more research myself.

[Ark]

Pchela, I have heard the same thing about the dust coming from these products, and not only from the product itself. One has to consider is that in many cases, these products (and any bedding, even if the substance itself is considered safe) are not being changed daily, so they will also be keeping in all the dust that is coming off the bird and all the dust from the dried feces and releasing it when the bird flaps around. I believe that papers should be changed daily, even if they are not soiled, especially with dusty birds. I usually mist mine a bit before changing otherwise there is alot of dust that comes off even after a day, even with filters going in the room.

[TheNzJessie]

i use paper. its mucher easier to see if the droppings are right. using litter i dont see how i could tell if they are changing

[Michael]

I guess I'm in the minority in that we don't get a paper, we get our news from the internet and TV. We even canceled the Sunday paper!

Newspaper? What's that?

Heck, to me even TV is obsolete. I have computer only (with 42" TV screen as my monitor so I can watch movies or stream online programs through it). So I have to ask the oldsters for newspapers when I can. I use newspapers on all of the trees and play stands. I only use the black/white newspaper in Kili's cage but since I cannot help getting so much color, I use those on the stands that she spends less time on and doesn't reach the paper. I'm still unsure if color papers are ok or not as I've read conflicting reports. Kili's favorite newspaper is the New York Times. It's the only newspaper that can line her entire cage bottom in just a single sheet and it's thoroughly absorbent.

As for litter, I've heard bad things and saw a picture some place of a parrot that lost all its feathers because of something regarding wood shavings (not to up on that topic).

For Truman's cage, as I had already spent a fortune on the cage and all accessories, I figured what the heck, why not buy the precut wax paper that is sold for it. I'm worried the pan on that cage will be too big for newspapers (though I have yet to check) to reach in a single sheet. I just started using this today but I'll get back to you all and let you know what I think of this kind of paper after a few weeks and let you know if I find it worthwhile.

[Ark]

Michael, I think I saw the same storry about the bird and wood shavings. It was some sort of Conure (it may have been Blue-Crown) that was housed in a cage lined with cedar shavings.

Here's a link that discusses some types of bedding and the hazards they may pose. http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww12eiii.htm

[Kim S]

I use beech tree shavings for my indoor cages. Here the dont get wet (normaly) and get cleaned out at least once a week. They are sold specifically for birds.
In the outside aviary I use regular sandbox sand from the local store, much cheaper than birdsand. I rake this every couple of days (removing most of the droppings, feathers and discarded food) and refresh it every 2 to 3 weeks.
Lately I use the corn cob litter for the baby birds. My local parrotshop uses this for the nursery. they told me that the babies have a tendency to eat the litter. Woodshavings get stuck in the crop and doesnt get digested. Corn cobs do. They just poop them out he said. So we switched to corn cobs for the babies and nestboxes.

I hate grates. A friend of mine has a cage with a grate and her parrots tail and wingtips are just ripped to shreds by it. I dont want that happening to Kika. I think if you clean out the cage on a regular basis (poopscoop every day, clean out every week) there shouldn't be a problem with picking up yucky things.

[MandyG]

I use the local newspaper in the cages and under the play stand. It's readily available and easy to change frequently.

All of my cages have grates, I've never had a problem with them! My Amazon doesn't spend time on the bottom of the cage. If he did I wouldn't want him to be able to pick up dropped pieces of food that have been in contact with any droppings.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Here's a link that discusses some types of bedding and the hazards they may pose. http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww12eiii.htm

This article, in agreement with most of the research I've done, does say corn cob and walnut litters can be problematic if ingested. There is a substantial drop between the grate and the litter, so I really don't think Scooter could ingest it, and I feel the use of paper under the play stand mitigates the inspection issue, as i generally have plenty of droppings to examine! However, I am considering switching to paper. Does anyone have a link to an authoritative article on the dust situation? I don't find the material I've used to be noticeably dusty, Scooter is not a powder-down producing bird and he doesn't do a lot of in-cage flapping... but I'd be happy to read up further.

I can't imagine a grate being bad for birds that are not ground foragers or nesters, because they won't spend time there. About the only time I've seen Scooter on the grate, it's when I have the tray out for cleaning and he's fasicated by the disappeared floor. For a ground forager who spends a lot of time there, I could imagine a grate being uncomfortable to be on for long periods of time.

[yummycookie19]

I use newspaper too! unlimited free supply from local weekly lol