Corn Cob Bedding?

[Love Of Finches]

Would Corn Cob Bedding wor k ok in my finch cage?

I have been told that it molds easily.

But Iv'e also been told thats it's ok as long as it dosen't get too wet.

So...

[EmilyHurd]

I will work fine depending on what type of set up you have. I use it in some of my cages and it is great. I would change it out at least once a week though. If you use a water bottle that leaks... it can mold easily right underneath it.

Also, depending on the finch, some like to eat it. My society finches kept eating the corn cob bedding so I quit using it in their cage. I usually only use it in my budgie cage. I've found that pellets or walnut little work a little better.

I like the beddings made for birds because they make the cages look cleaner, compared to newspaper where you can see all the droppings very well

[NDan]

I read that some birds had ingested corn cob pieces and they expanded and killed the bird.
Is that a "tale" or do you think it might happen?

[EmilyHurd]

Never heard that... that is kinda funny though, I doubt that happened.

It is safe for finches to eat regular corn, so I don't think it is harmful if they eat the corn cob bedding, however, it is personal preference I think.

It drove me insane watching my male society eat the corn cob bedding over and over, so I just stopped using it in his cage.

[kittani79]

Never heard that tale, suspect it is not true.

I use the pine pellets in my cages, and they seem to work fine. You can tell when it's wet because it becomes basically sawdust, which you can then scoop out and replace.

[Sally]

I have only used newspaper, which does show all the poop, so doesn't stay looking nice for very long. I was told by a breeder that you can use hay in the bottom of flights. So I am trying it now in some of the breeding cages I just got. They have a removable grate, which I took out, and the slide-out drawers for the bottom are fairly deep, so I can put a pretty thick layer of coastal bermuda hay in the bottom. Then you just pick out the hay that gets nasty. So far so good, but my Owls promptly ignored the nice plastic nestbox I put in the cage for them and started to build their own nest out of the coastal hay. I had fastened a plastic plant that sort of looks like liriope, and they are building their nest right on top of that plastic plant. Some of the birds act scared of the hay, believe it or not--guess they are truly caged birds and think that newspaper is natural!

I would love to use something like corn cob bedding, but my birds throw water all over the place when they bathe, so I would worry about it molding very quickly.

[Hilary]

I keep hay in several of my cages and love it - it smells good, and tends to look cleaner longer. What I don't like is that it slowly gets knocked out onto the floor unless you fashion some sort of guard to keep it in the cage, so I still use newspaper for most of the cages.

[wahoony]

We use the corn cob bedding in hundreds of aviaries..The birds always pick at the cob right away..as there are tiny fragments of dried corn. Sometimes they eat the cob...but we usually don't have any problems there..We do have problems when the water spills or too much bath water has been put in the bath dish, it gets moldy, and smells bad. You can use a plant saucer under your water jar, and that helps to keep the water from contacting the cob.

[Geordie]

That Hay bedding sounds like something I might try for my Javas, just a bit worried that they might try to eat it as they tend to try and eat everything.

Love that pic Hilary, the expression is similar to my wife when I ask her if I can go out with my friends...

[Hilary]

Ha! Love it, Geordie! I couldn't help it - loved the expression, too.

I have no problems with my finches eating the hay, and if they do, I don't think that would be a problem. I actually buy it by the bale from the local feed store, so it's meant to be eaten!

[anneenna]

For those of you who have been using the pine or newspaper pellets for your finches, how often do you find that you need to change the pellets? Also how many bird per cage on those cages. I like the looks of the pellets rather than newspaper that I have been using. I just wonder how often it needs to entirely or partially changed to stay looking good and be healthy for the birds.

I buy pine bedding in bulk for turkeys and wonder about trying that also. Since it is loose though I wonder how much finch flying will flutter it about. I am ready to give something other than newspaper a try!

[H2015]

I'm also wondering about the same questions anneenna posted.

I currently use newspapers too and I would like to have a fancier look in the cage I have next to my desk, pellets appear much neater in pictures.