Preventing seed all over the room

[kiti63]

Hi, I recently registered and this is my first post.

I got one pair of zebra finch in a small hanging cage, after I lost my beloved golden retriever to cancer. I enjoyed them very much and soon bought a flight cage, 30 x 18 x 18. Then I attended a bird show and bought a second pair. War ensued!

After research on this site and others, I bought a third pair and removed the nests From the cage. This helped, but now we are a little overcrowded.

Today I'm expecting the courier to deliver a stand alone cage, 31 x 20 x 52 high interior space that should be more comfy for my lively flock. My issue is the seeds and hulls that are flung all over the place, that require sweeping several times a day. They live in my dining room so I want to keep it tidy.

I was thinking of adding clear plastic liner with zip ties to the outside of the walls, up to the level of the food cups. Or maybe using a hole punch so I can use small carabiners on the corners so I can quickly remove and clean them?

I would welcome your opinions for my idea and also if others have created solutions of their own.

Annette

[Sally]

Welcome to the forum, Annette! Many of us have gone through a similar experience to yours. I brought home a pair of Cordon Bleus from a mart, after the breeder assured me they would be fine in the same cage with the pair I already had. Instant war!

I keep seeds/hulls under control a bit by using the gravity seed hoppers, also known as vacation feeders. They have a drawer under the feeder to catch hulls, and though not all end up there, it does help. Others have fastened fabric or plastic around the bottom to try to contain the mess.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care.

[lem2bert]

kiti63

Hi Annette, Welcome from Massachusetts !! I am so sorry you lost your beloved golden retriever, but I am glad your finches are helping you thru that loss ! . I have the same problem with seed and feathers right now , and have come to the conclusion that I am destined to one with my vacuum cleaner . I am sure your birds will love their new cage. Enjoy your visits !!

[Stuart whiting]

kiti63

Hi there Annette,

Yep same old problems with seed husks,

I've found in cages similar to yours the only real way to deal with the problem is to use an elasticecated fabric that can be pulled up from underneath the bottom of the cage and is of a good reasonable height of your choice,

You can buy these cage covers from certain specialist bird centres but other pet places can sometimes have them aswell,

Alternatively many people will make there own, especially if handy with needle and thread

I personally don't use them as I custom build all of my cages with specific specialist finch cage fronts as all of my cages in me birdroom are built to maximise cage numbers, space and cleanliness

[Barbara]

kiti63 welcome .I am also from MA,Like Betty I have pretty much gave up on containing seeds My finches are in big flight cages and seed just ends up on the floor.I keep my dishes of seed very close to the bottom of the cage and Millett on on side of the cage,so seed is mostly in a few spots of course until my two maltese sniff and walk under around and thru it all I did get tired of dragging out the big vacum so purchased a cordless one that I can use every day with a long duster pulling out of corners and when I know someone is headed my way very easy to pull out quickly.

[kiti63]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! It seems I'm certainly not alone, and yes, my cordless vacuum is handy for quick pickups.

Once the new cage has arrived and set up I will see if I can figure out how to post a photo of what I put in place,

Annette

[Barbara]

kiti63 yes post pictures we all love to see pictures and share your ideas for sure I'll be watching

[OAvila1986]

kiti63 hi greetings from California and welcome to the forum!
I have found a pretty good solution but it requires to be made. It's a cage skirt. You need it to have elastic band strip on it, on the top and bottom of the skirt. The cloth should be see thru for ventilation. You just put it around the cage about a few inches above where the seed dish and down to the floor and it should keep everything in.

I hope I was clear and you understood this idea. I myself haven't made it, it requires some sewing...

[Dave]

Or, you can just vacuum. Some birds like the vacuum sound (especially Canaries). They try to out-sing it. A Canary breeder I knew vacuumed twice a day, just for that reason.