Is fine sand safe for finches??

[MisterGribs]

I purchased some very fine, non-dusty bathing sand for my quails to bathe in, the same variety used by chinchillas. My finches are very attracted to playing with it, but is it safe for them? Can they inhale it somehow?

[debbie276]

If memory serves me correct that is more a dust then sand. Personally I don't think id use it for my birds with their sensitive respiratory system.

[Icearstorm]

MisterGribs
I have safely used fine non-silica sand for my birds. Each grain is less than a millimeter wide (probably around 1/5 mm) and it can get a bit dusty if I put the sieve too deep in the sand while sifting it, but the dust generally stays at the bottom. If you make the sand at least 3-4 inches deep, you shouldn't have too many issues with dust. They don't seem to eat it, either, even if you supply oyster shell flakes or other sand-looking mineral sources for them to eat. That bathing sand looks a bit finer, so the chance of inhalation is likely higher.

I think this is what I use:
Play Sand

[debbie276]

Icearstorm
I also use construction and/or play sand without issue.

I believe the chinchilla dust bath is much more like powder, at least the ones I used to use for chinchillas was. MisterGribs what is the brand and name of this product?

[MisterGribs]

Oops, double post

[MisterGribs]

Icearstorm thanks for your input! Much appreciated.

The sand I have is like... zen garden sand, lol.

[MisterGribs]

debbie276 It's a little finer than table salt, not very dusty.

The product is called Vitapol Piasek bathing sand.

[GouldianGuy]

Gouldian finches live in an arid Australian environment...

[Sojourner]

GouldianGuy

But nevertheless they bathe in water. Even budgies bathe in water.

I had thought maybe my guys would take a dust bath but when I looked into it, no, they almost never do that. They follow the rains and migrate from one temporary lake to another. I'm pretty sure Gouldians and Zebras do the same thing.

Ground-dwelling birds nearly always take dust baths - think quail, chickens, emus and ostriches. Yeah, quail do fly but its more making short hops to get over obstacles. I have a couple coveys that come through my yard regularly and I've seen them hop up onto the roof and run across it to get to the other side, but they don't fly long distances.

But flighted birds nearly always take wet baths. Some will occasionally take a dust bath after a wet bath, but its not usually their first choice.

[Icearstorm]

Sojourner
My two gouldians never bathe... What's up with that?

[MisterGribs]

Sojourner I think they were just interested in it because it was new. I gave them a marble to inspect, and they quickly lost interest in the sand, lol.

[Sojourner]

Icearstorm

No clue. My budgies won't bathe either. But my societies LOVE their baths, especially Pyewacket. Once I watched her bathe THREE TIMES over the course of a day.

But perhaps now that Thing One and Thing Two are eating their veggies, maybe they'll magically start bathing as well! I have noticed that (among other improvements in their behavior since they started eating right) they preen more often. LOTS more often. So I guess I should start putting the bath in there with them from time to time and see if they'll finally start using it.

MisterGribs

My budgies are terrified of new things in their cage. I put an orange section in one of their feed dishes and I kid you not, they spent most of the day cowering in the far back corner of the cage.

My finches generally just ignore anything new, unless it looks like it might be good to eat.

[MisterGribs]

Sojourner That doesn't sound normal, are they ok?

[Sojourner]

MisterGribs

It is perfectly normal for my guys, they are SUCH cowards, LOL!

They are actually a lot better about it, believe it or not, since they started eating their veggies. They actually DID approach it finally - just to pick off all the oat groats I had scattered over it in order to fool them into trying it, LOL!

However I have hopes that this strategy will eventually overcome their apparently ingrained hatred of change and they will, eventually, not only tolerate the presence of a slice of orange, but may even actually give it a try.

They were rescue birds, from a puppy/kitty/bird/horse mill. This person had ALL their animals confiscated. She had horses that were gaunt from starvation - I don't imagine the birds et al were in much better shape. I think the owner wasn't mean so much as overwhelmed and unable to care for or let go of any of her animals.

At any rate, they had limited human contact and when I first got them, they were paranoid even for budgies, who are generally a rather suspicious lot to start with. I've had them for nearly a year now and they are JUST now starting to behave more calmly, which I put down nearly entirely to their recently (in the last few weeks) improved diet. Took me FOREVER, it seemed, to get them to start eating things besides just dry seed.

[MisterGribs]

Sojourner I've had some pretty cowardly budgies that went sideways whenever they saw new toys, but I have to admit an orange slice is pretty ridiculous.