FINCHforum

I know sandpaper is terrible for birds feet, so I use newspaper on the bottom of my cages... Just wondering what all your opinions where on using newspaper? And if you don't use newspaper, what do you use instead? Thanks!

I use newspapers or plain paper towels.

Flight Feathers

Newspaper is one of the best floorings for finches; the only problem is when birds rip it up for nesting material. I have a breeding cage with newspaper and a flight cage with sand, and they're both pretty easy to clean.

Icearstorm Sheather
Thanks! The reason I am asking is because when I took my finch in to the pet shop yesterday the lady seemed a bit grumpy at me and she was telling me that newspaper is bad for birds because the ink lets off fumes that harms the birds? I didn't think this was true because I've used newspaper for rabbits for 6 years with no problems and they say the same for rabbits too. Anyway at least I know next time I go to the pet shop I'll have to use something else. Thanks for the paper towel idea, I'll try that instead! Thanks!

Flight Feathers

Hmm, that's odd; I've never heard of people having problems with plain black-and-white newspaper.

Icearstorm wrote: Flight Feathers

Hmm, that's odd; I've never heard of people having problems with plain black-and-white newspaper.

Yeah it is odd.

It is colored newspaper not just black and white.

I looked it up and apparently the ink is made of soy beans so that it is non toxic to young children and apparently it is safe for birds even if they consume some of it.

Decades ago color newsprint used lead in the inks. There hasn't been lead in any inks used for newsprint for decades. Even when there was, we used newspaper in the bottom of cages and nothing ever happened to any of our birds. They didn't really mess with the paper in the bottom of the cage plus it got changed out every couple of days anyway.

So there should be no problem using newsprint of any sort. I use the color ads from grocery stores because they keep stuffing them in my mailbox whether I want them or not. Using them to sop up bird droppings is probably a fair use for junk mail anyway, LOL!

I get a roll of brown contractor paper from Lowes or Home Depot and cut a couple of strips to put on top of the wire floor. But I don't have a lot of birds.

Okay thank you, not sure why the pet shop thought newspaper wasn't safe for birds then. Thank you for all your replies!

Flight Feathers wrote: Okay thank you, not sure why the pet shop thought newspaper wasn't safe for birds then. Thank you for all your replies!

I bet she had something in the store much more expensive than free grocery store sale papers that she wanted to sell you, LOL!

Sojourner wrote:

Flight Feathers wrote: Okay thank you, not sure why the pet shop thought newspaper wasn't safe for birds then. Thank you for all your replies!

I bet she had something in the store much more expensive than free grocery store sale papers that she wanted to sell you, LOL!

No never mentioned that at all. Just said that the newspaper could kill/harm finches and I don't know if they were all too keen to buy from me if the finches could die. I will just use paper towels or something when I take finches there as I don't want them to stop buying from me.