what to put on the cage bottom?

[Ursula]

I use aspen shavings in my aviary too. It has all the benefits that Sally stated in the previous post. I don't have any problems with the birds dragging it into the water. I provide hay and coco fiber as nesting materials (and they are shredding my life plants ) so they are not interested in the shavings.

Sand might not absorb well and could also be a haven for bugs IMO.

The shavings can be "spot cleaned", meaning you have to take out only what's dirty, fluff up the rest and put a new layer on top.

[Kathryn]

Luckily, I realized Kaytee KayKob Bedding was not for us. It caused mold to grow in our cages. We're now trying walnut litter.

[debbie276]

Debbie, when the sand got wet, was the smell really bad?

Didn't smell really bad but it did smell like damp sand which I didn't like. I used a reptile litter scoop to clean the poop and stuff out of the sand so it wasn't like you had to change it totally all that frequently. I solved the wetness by putting a piece of plastic under the water dish so the water didn't get into the sand.
I'm now using the oil-dri product and other then the pieces being a little too large it's working out great. Using the reptile litter scoop to clean the litter more oil-dri would get removed then I want because of the larger pieces but it doesn't smell at all because of any moisture.

[Sally]

Michele (fairestfinches) used the oil-dri product in her flights, and loved it. I tried it in cages, and it was too heavy for the plastic trays, plus I found it dried out the air way too much in my breeding room. But that probably was because I had more cages crammed into the space than was possible! Maybe it would be OK in the aviary, which would not be in that confined of a space.

I think the reason I have a problem with the aspen shavings winding up in the fountain is because it is a tiered fountain, with the bottom bowl being almost on the floor, so very close to the shavings bedding. I may have to rework things in there.

[arkadio]

I also use sand. It's good but when birds have a bath it smells. It is also difficult to clean. I would like to remove only poops and some seedx, but not all the sand.

[raymeedc]

I use artificial grass surface patches, like those used on ball fields. Looks great & rinses off very easily. I'm surprised that nobody else on this forum does this..... is there some disadvantage to this method that I'm not aware of?

[B CAMP]

Where did you get it do you have a link ?

[raymeedc]

I got mine on Ebay, just type "artificial turf" into their browser.

[bluebutterfly213]

I use it in the display cages taken to sales, and I have used it in some cabinets too.
It cleans off easily and can be hung on a line to dry, its cheap enough to have spare replacements. Any seed falling on the fake grass, seems to stay there instead of bouncing all over the place. The only thing I have a problem with is some patches tend to have threads of the backing come loose, and the finches will find these threads and have a great time pulling at them.
I will be experimenting in trying to heat weld the cut sides.
I got my fake grass from the local garden supplier, with the local restrictions on watering your garden here there are some folks changing their lawns to this kind of "lawn"
My son uses it in some of his snake vivariums too.

In my aviaries I use shellgrit, it seems to drain easily, gives a clean natural look and is easily swept up and disposed of after use.

[franny]

I got my fake grass from the local garden supplier, with the local restrictions on watering your garden here there are some folks changing their lawns to this kind of "lawn"
My son uses it in some of his snake vivariums too..

Is this the taller "astro turf" that's about 1/2 inch high and kind of stiff? I once had a puppy potty that used that. I thought it might be too stiff for the birds to enjoy foraging on it.

But there is another fake grass that you can usually buy on a roll, for putting on your patio, that is shorter, and softer. Wonder which would be best? I'd love to try this in my indoor cage to make it look a little nicer than the newspaper or kraft paper on the bottom. Could rotate a couple of pieces so that I can have one rinsed and drying while one is in the cage.

This is a great idea! Just let me know what type you use and I'll be over to the garden shops!

[raymeedc]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Artificial-Turf-6-s ... 797wt_1141

The above Ebay artificial turf link will allow you to choose six different samples of turf from a variety of different types.

[franny]

Thanks Mark.

[can]

I use recycled newspaper pellets on the bottoms of my cages, with wax paper under it protecting the plastic tray. The pellets work good, because I also use them for my cats' litter, so I get two uses from one product. The pellets as also absorb water from the finches' daily baths well and the moisture from the birds' poo. I sprinkle the pellets with baking soda also, to help absorb smells. The wax paper works good to protect the plastic trays, because I find over time the tray tend to discolour and start to smell, if they are continually coming into direct contact with wet seeds and urine.

I also have a grate, so my birds are not coming into direct contact with the newspaper pellets. Although, the bag does say the pellets are chemical-free and environmentally friendly.

[bluebutterfly213]

I choose the shortest, softest "grass" . Many of the garden centres here have several types on display.

[Sally]

I'm going to have to check out that artificial turf. I like the idea of it looking natural, yet being easy to clean. I have gone back to using hay in my breeding cages. Don't have to clean as often as with plain newspaper, the birds will forage around in it, they'll use some of it for nesting material--and I like the smell of hay too! It is messy, in that some of it will wind up on the floor, but my bird room seems to stay messy anyway, so what the heck!