Is coconut husk substrate safe for birds?

[kimikeef]

Hi all! I just got a sweet little canary buddy, and I'm in the process of setting up a larger cage for him. I'm using newspaper for now, but I've been using coco husk bedding for my gecko for years now and am very partial to it. I'd like to use it in his new cage, but want to be sure it's safe for birds first. Couldn't seem to find an answer online.

I would guess that it's fine as long as it's kept clean and dry, since coco fiber is often sold for nesting material? Just curious if anyone here knows of any potential problems, reading about corn cob bedding has made me cautious.

Also, thanks for having me!

[Icearstorm]

kimikeef

Welcome to the forum!

If you use it, I'd keep an eye on it for the first few days to make sure his toes don't get caught. When birds use it is nesting material this should be unlikely, since they arrange it in a more orderly fashion; however, a pile of coco fibre might pose more of a problem. If your gecko walks in it and hasn't had an issue, though, your bird should be fine. How are you going to clean it? White poop on brown coco fibre probably won't blend in.

EDIT
If it's that ground up stuff, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.

[Dave]

One problem with any bedding is that it gets all over the place, every time the bird flies to it. And if it is the type of bedding that doesn't move at all (like corn cob bits or the like) than moisture gets trapped in it and mold can grow.

Sheets of newspaper (or butcher paper or kraft paper) are cheap and they've been used for generations. They are the most hygienic.

[Sheather]

Newspaper gets sticky and nasty with bird droppings especially with more than one or two in a cage so I prefer a loose absorbent substrate - I use hay but cocofiber is fine, though it will probably be scattered all over. With any substrates like this, don't get them wet with bathwater or mold can grow. My birds bathe outside the cage, or inside on cage cleaning day, when I change the substrate.

Make certain you are aware of how sensitive canaries are and the care they require in regards to day length. They can't be exposed to artificial lighting after sunset and their day length needs to change from summer to winter to match the outset to keep their hormonal systems in sync. Without that, they last about a year, then they tend to die.

[kimikeef]

Icearstorm, it is indeed the loose stuff! I'll give it a try then, thank you. The color is part of why I like it - it looks more natural and at least with the gecko, the contrast makes it easy to scoop up fouled substrate every day or two in between cleanings. Keeps odor virtually non-existent. Not sure if it will be as practical with the bird, but I'll find out!

Dave, this stuff is pretty fluffy and I've had no issues with mold or bacteria so far. I hadn't thought of the bedding getting blown around, though, lol. I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm hoping it works out well but geckos are certainly much less messy than birds.

Sheather, that's actually part of why I made an account! Bumped into a thread here while I was googling things and hadn't seen info about lighting requirements anywhere else. It got me wondering and after browsing a few threads, I figured you folks were the most likely to know if there was a problem with this substrate. He's in an area that gets natural, indirect light and I have a cloth for his cage after dusk

[Jbigio]

The big problem is mold when it gets wet and the birds peck at seeds on the floor. I would not use it but that's me. i'm sure others fell different.