FINCHforum

How frequently do you replace the following items:

--herb salad
--mineral grit, ie. f/vite, bloomford
--dry egg food, ie. Miracle Meal
--hanging cuttlebone

These are things I usually have available 24/7 so my gouldians can pick as they please. So I'm looking to find out how long they can stay out in the cage without being fully dumped and replaced (so long as it remains dry & clean). I try to cut down on waste as much as I can without risking health.

GouldieFledge

Hello.

To answer your questions.

I don't use herb salad, but a variety of fresh greens and fruits, that get changed daily.

Mineral/grit, gets changed daily. That said, I scatter a smattering of it on the flights/cages floors. My guys enjoy foraging around for it, and pick and choose what they need. If you offer it in a cup, I don't think it spoils, but I would refresh it (at least once or twice a week, just to make sure that the suff they need is still available).

Dry eggfood. I only use a little bit of it in my hard boiled egg mixture (along with crumbled spray millet and crushed freeze dried mealworms). I offer this mix daily when breeding, raising chicks or molting. Two or three times a week otherwise, and in smaller amounts. I put it down, and its gone in no time.

Cuttle bone. I replace it when it's done, or if it gets poop-alized. I also grate it and mix It Into my bird grit mix, along with a mineral block, bird clay, and bird charcoal.

I hope this helps .

Ah ha so that is how you get them to eat dried mealy worms! Do you wear gloves? EWWWW I have a huge bag of those. I like picking up on your tips before long I am going to have birds eating eggs and greens and crushed up dried mealy worms.

Spreckles

I just dump some of those freeze dried yummies into a bowl, and use the bottom of an old glass to pulverize them into powder.

As to the live mealworms, I just grab those wigglies out of the container, and toss them into the birdies play box, where they can forage for them.

No gloves. Just wash my hands afterwards with soap and hot water. I raised boys, nothing much makes me go eeeuuue! anymore.

Fresh foods (veggies/fruit and egg food) get changed daily. Dried herbs get changes weekly (unless they poop in it or get it wet) and cuttlefish bone is hung up and left there until it is finished or they manage to get it dirty.

Hope this helps