eating on the floor

[Jack]

I give my (zebra) finch pair a seed cup full of yummy seeds and I also sprinkle some on the floor of their cage in an area that's protected from droppings. They seem to eat all the seed on the ground first, so I'm wondering if they prefer to be fed on the floor instead of in a cup. They DO eat from the cup, but not as readily or as often as they do on the floor (the food is the same).

Is this normal? Should I just feed them on the floor from now on?

[debbie276]

I have all my water and food dishes on the floor and have never had a problem with them eating or drinking so it's normal for us.

[Jack]

OK, I guess I'll start feeding them on the floor. Sounds like I'm abusing them!

[debbie276]

Well if you think about it this way you might feel better, most water sources in the wild are on the ground, as is most of the seeds they eat lower then tree height.

[dcompt]

I have always fed mine on the floor, but recently I got a couple of the vacation feeders and hung them high. Once they got over their terror of them and figured out how to eat from them, they really like them, and divide their time between floor, where I still have one dish for the present, and the feeders. I also have treats on a row of shelves, three high. So my greedy little piglets don't care where it is - as long as it looks like food, they're all for it!

[finchfunaddict]

My Gouldians and owls like to eat on the floor...

[Jack]

For the past few days I have been feeding them on the floor and they seem to be doing fine. They also seem to like their water on the floor better because it allows them to bathe in it.

[Jeff McKee]

When I want spilled seed cleaned up, I take away the feeder and make them eat off the floor. On rare occasion, I have discovered that I forgot to put the seed cup back in the cage the day before or found the cup completely empty. If it's a cage with many birds, I would sprinkle the floor immediately, so that everyone could eat.

[Diana]

Only 2 of my birds get on the floor looking for seeds, the others never do. I don't mind it as they 'clean' all wasted seeds that drop from the normal feeding dish that is hanging high.

[PsyBirdy]

I have 2 Silos w/ seeds, but they tend to spill over when feeding - seems like most of mine enjoy searching and eating off the floor... I use corn cob bedding. They seem to like the thrill of the hunt for seeds on the floor. (3 second rule does not apply)

[allgirlsmom]

Can someone tell me how they keep the seed clean that falls to the floor? I hate seeing all the wasted seed that I hose off for fear that it's contaminated and would make them sick. The problem is huge right now since my seed store has no Japanese millet so not making gouldian mix. My picky eaters (17 Ladies) are protesting the regular finch mix so 3/4 of it gets ejected onto the floor.

[wellingtoncdm]

Try using wide plant saucers.

[Lisa]

Try using wide plant saucers.

These are great! I picked up several from a craft store a while back and it's one of the best purchases I ever made. The nice thing about them is it allows many birds to eat at one time, but also allows the bird to pick through as they choose. I put out fresh cucumber slices (making a circle of them along the outer edges) and then put shavings of pear or apple in the center and they all go wild for it.

I also make mineral mixes for them with a little bit of everything - kelp flakes, oyster shells, a bit of charcoal, ground egg shells, bee pollen, ground cuttlebone mixed with some egg food in them... they love it! It also stays amazingly clean for a day or two until they've devoured all of it.

I tried putting some bean sprouts (you know, like the kind served in Japanese restaurants that taste like roots) in these dishes. While most of my birds just picked at them, my gouldians in particular went CRAZY for them, eating every last one on the dish!

[lovemyfinch]

Actually you would think it only natural that our birds would prefer the floor to feeders......foraging is a natural instinct

[cindy]

Try using wide plant saucers.

So do I, works great. In the owl and bourke aviary I use wide wooden blocks to rise the dishes up to avoid pine shavings from getting into the bowls. The other cages with grated get plant saucers.