FINCHforum

I'm debating whether to include grates above the trays in the cage(s) I'm building. I'm leaning toward going without, but I'd like to hear from those who've had experience both ways as to the pros and cons.
Given the choice, do you prefer to have a grate or not?

If I was building myself, I would go withouth. Personal preference though.

I also would prefer not to have a grate.

All cages and aviaries we built did not have grates. The birds really enjoy wandering and exploring on the bottoms.

I cover my grates with newspapers, so that any seeds that fall can still be foraged, not lost down below and out of reach. It also makes it easy to remove each day's accumulation of poop, by just peeling up the top layer of newspaper. I think I would go crazy if I had to wipe/scrape poop off of the actual grate.

But I think that if you keep the grate in, and put newspaper over it, then it is easier to pull out the slide out tray (for those cages that have them) and then you can dump husks and what not that have sifted down from the sides of the papers.

For the cages without that option, I have to let all the sifted stuff accumulate until the last paper comes out, and then clean the bottom before adding the next stack of papers. So grates do have their benefits.

Doesn't anybody worry about the birds pooping on the floor where dropped seeds are going? I would be too afraid my birds are going to eat something with droppings on it and get very sick.

I also find my birds become VERY frightened when I try to remove or add a sheet of newspaper into their cage while they're in it because of the loud rustly paper noises. When I can pull out the tray under the grate, then I can do all the loud stuff away from them.

If you keep your perches not over the food dishes you shouldn't have a problem with lots of poop.

Doesn't anybody worry about the birds pooping on the floor where dropped seeds are going? I would be too afraid my birds are going to eat something with droppings on it and get very sick.

I agree with Lisa...I like grates too. I worry that my birds will eat contaminated seeds/greens/egg food from the cage floor if it is sitting down there with the poop. The grate allows whatever goodies fall and mix with the poop to be kept away from my nosey little buggers. It is another thing to clean, but it keeps my birds from walking thru and possibly ingesting their own mess. Maybe you can make grates that are removable. This way you won't be limiting yourself and you can decide as you live with the new set up. Just make sure the space where the grate comes out, isn't large enough for your birds to squeeze through. Then you will have the best of both worlds .

I have a cage with a removeable tray and grate. I think it is very helpful in keeping the grate clean. My birds are so messy who knows what they would be walking through without the grates.

I use newspapers over my grates; works great. I don't think birds eat poop

If you keep your perches not over the food dishes you shouldn't have a problem with lots of poop.

Of course I don't keep the food dishes under perches, lol, but I'm talking about food that falls to the floor where the poop is.

I don't think birds eat poop

No, of course not, but they may eat food that has been soiled with poop. Not just seeds but lettuce or anything that gets dragged around and inadvertently pooped on. Did you ever notice birds will still attempt to drink water even if it's dirty? Same thing with the food on the floor.

I don't think the problem is so bad if you have sand flooring, as the sand will tend to cover the poop and hopefully the birds then won't touch it but just soiled newspaper where the poop is staying moist (sorry for the visual LOL!) and other things (seed, lettuce, etc) that come in even temporary contact with it are what concern me. I like the idea of clean newspaper over the grate IF I could easily change it out or flip it over to keep it clean without freaking the birds out, but unfortunately the sound of the paper scares everyone every time so instead of taking chances, I just deal with the grates. They're not so bad - most of the poop falls through them rather than on them but of course, certain areas (under perches especially) can become a mess and need to be regularly cleaned.

Cleaning grates is a PAAAIIIIN.. I did not put a grate in my newest hand built flights. I did put paperdown under the perching branches, but otherwise it's just flat floor. There is poop on the grates in some of my other cages. Either way they are exposed. Have you ever seen what birds in the wild eat and drink?

What about a grate under the feeding area, and not under the sleeping perches? I'm trying to imagine how that would go together.

I have both at the moment. My canary, Kevin, and one of my Star Finches, Merlin, live in Flight cages with a grate at the bottom. As others have said, it is easier to clean just by pulling the flat tray and out and cleaning, then replacing paper (Boy do birds poop a lot!)

In the other cage, I have a flightless Star Finch,. Fruit, and I removed the bottom grating as he can so easily fall over. It depends on the bird, I guess. Grate-less cages are better for birds with leg or wing injuries

I really don't like grates. When you have breeding birds that will toss, it is a pitiful sight to see a dead baby hung up on those grates. Without the grates, at least the tossling might have a chance at living. And my waxbills freaked when I tried putting newspaper over the grate.

Almost all of my cages have had the grates removed for years now, and I don't think I have had any health issues because of it. Most of my birds spend a lot of time foraging on the floor of the cage--this is natural behavior, just as you see them in the wild.

With my HQ flights, I reverse the position of the grate and tray. Sometimes I have to put a block of wood under the tray, to keep from having a gap in the front. With my HQ stackable cages, the tray cannot be interchanged with the grate, so I put plexiglass covers over the gap.