Bird Litter

[wellingtoncdm]

I have used Timothy hay with medium success. Sometimes it works well. Other times birds use too much as nesting material and cover their eggs.

[cindy]

I use white paper toweling or butcher paper (large roll from Sam's club) in my cages. In my aviary and Parrot finch flight I use kiln dried pine shavings (called to verify safety with my avian vet and she said yes pine is fine). Avoid anything with cedar shavings, that is the one that is not healthy for them due to the oils in the cedar.

I tried sand and unscented kitty litter but in the bigger flights emptying it became difficult and heavy.

[mayble]

There is actually a cat litter called Yesterday's News, that's made out of recycled newspaper. Maybe we should give it a shot for our cages. I have used it for my kitty's after surgery (neuter).

I used to use that for my cat litter box and it worked well. The product I found recently, Cel-Sorb, is quite similar but the particles are irregular, round shapes and softer than the Yesterday's News, and just seems easier to handle. I now use it in my litter box as well as the bird cages. It has all the benefits of clay litter without the weight and stickiness.
I'm probably the laziest cat owner on the planet and don't change the litter nearly as often as I should, but this stuff really controls odor (as Yesterday's News did also).

[Toddmin]

debbie276 - can you take a pic so we can see what the bottom looks like? I'd like to get an idea for future projects.

[debbie276]

This is one of my aviary bottoms with the kitty litter

[Toddmin]

debbie276, thanks for posting the pic. Is it hard to keep the finches in there when you are trying to clean the bottom?

[debbie276]

Not at all, they all go sit at the top and watch.

[Toddmin]

debbie276, they are probably laughing at you, thinking "Look what we made her clean up!" LOL

[finchandlovebird]

Debbie !! You evidently have the best behaved birds of any of us

[Ginene]

The product I found recently, Cel-Sorb, is quite similar but the particles are irregular, round shapes and softer than the Yesterday's News, and just seems easier to handle.

I will check this out. The problem I had with Yesterday's News was that it didn't clump. Now I use The World's Best Cat Litter...that's actually the name of it!!! Lol! It's made from corn...My kitten has an auto immune disease, so I have to be careful with what I expose him too. I was using one that was ground up walnut shells, but it was so dusty...hypo-allergenic for the cats but not for me .

[Finnie]

Someone mentioned Care Fresh bedding a while back. I don't know if it would be the best solution for the floor of an aviary, but at least I can vouch that it is safe. I've used it before for my budgie nesting boxes.

[Beaker'sMom]

I use CareFresh and love that I can't see the mess since everything just disappears into the litter. I change it out every two days and its been great so far. However, I do have to pat it down tight since my canary tries to pull it through the bottom grate and nibble on it. Also, it would be pricey if you have more than one or two birds.

[atarasi]

I currently use the crushed walnut shell until recently. One of my Gouldians plays around and eats it. (He put a lot of it into the water drinker) I don't have a newspaper subscription so I use masking paper they sell at hardware stores in the paint section.

[RATTIE]

I am using newspaper but I have used the packing paper that comes in rolls, printer paper and paper towels but I like newspaper best.

@ac12 That is a great idea. I use wood stove pellets for my rodents and rabbit's litterbox so maybe I will try putting them over the paper in the bird cages.

[Mands]

Newbie alert!! I was told to buy the shell grit for the bottom of my inside cage. I have cleaned it twice with no problem as it just tips out and leaves no mess behind. Is this a problem?