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What is the best product to use on the bottom of a bird cage?

Hi everyone! First of all, thank you for this group….i definitely need some advice! I recently adopted a beautiful African grey parrot because the owner was moving and not able to take her with. She is about 18 years old and I have known her since she was a hatchling but I never owned a bird or handled one and I’m worried I won’t know what she’s trying to tell me sometimes. I attached a video of her here…what concerns me is the noise she is making and the way she is just sitting on the top of the cage all crouched down. I have in the past seen eggs in her cage and was told by a local bird shop owner that this would mean she needs more calcium in her diet. First, is that what she looks like she’s doing? Second, what is best for calcium? Also, is there anything more serious I may need to be concerned about/have her seen at a vet for?? I appreciate any advice more than you all know! Thank you!! IMG_1536.mov

Good evening everyone! Baby is sleeping a lot more than usual….is that normal for the season or something? I work from home and her cage is in the same room as my computer…normally she is active and talkative most of the day but today she slept a good portion of my 8 hour work day. And right now her cage is wide open….she normally bolts out the first chance she gets and climbs all over the cage feverishly but today it took her awhile to come out and when she did, she was unsure of her footing/beak placement. She was only out for about 10 minutes and then went back in on her own…cage still open which never happens. Usually it takes me a good 30 minutes to convince her to get back in. Now, I should mention….probably should have lead with this…she fell from the top of her cage (on the inside) so the reluctance to climb makes sense to me. But coupled with the excessive sleeping I, being the paranoid parront that I am, has me wondering if she’s okay. Thank you all in advance!!

What is this advice? Pix are gone and link just showed parrots for sale. Sounded interesting.

I haven't bought a cage in so long, but I know I made sure to get the proper bar spacing for a smaller grey. My macaw cages had wider bar spacing and (this was the 90s) I was told otherwise my grey could get his head stuck between the wider macaw bar spacing. Who knows, maybe all cages these days have the safer smaller spacing (is it 3/4 inch? -- I can't remember now). I was also warned about those sunburst/starburst designs where the bar spacing goes from wide to narrow and heads/wings could get stuck. I didn't have the starburst design, but my grey did get his wing caught once between the vertical bars where they intersected with a horizontal cross bar on his cage and my grey panicked -- luckily I was able to reach in between the vertical bars and support his feet, lift him up and work his wing back inside. He was literally hanging by his wing/underarm joint. He was fine. But I am so thankful I was home and heard him scream. But just something to know can happen. I had my grey 26 years so this was a one-time freak accident, I suppose.

I like newspaper also for lining bird cages. But since you asked about "best product" - did you mean what product to use to clean a bottom grate? You can dry scrape caked on poop with a flatware knife (purchase one from a thrift store bin -- don't use your own good flatware!) and then wipe grate with paper towels (I always keep a spray bottle of water to dampen my grate as needed). You can also layer damp paper towels on grate for 10 minutes or so to 'soak' the poop crud for easier removal. But the best way to clean a grate is to use a steamer to soften poop crud to remove it. I always avoided regular all purpose cleaners because parrots beak everything and I wanted to avoid any chemical residue. If germs are your main concern, use steam or white vinegar to clean your grate. Obviously these methods also work on cage sides/top bars as well. I never worried about germs, I just wanted to get the poop off. My black cage always looked awful -- poop and dust showed horribly! My white cages always looked the best between cleanings.

Perches are nice, but aren't really necessary for short trips. Whenever I place my birds inside a carrier, I back them inside.

She is back to acting like she did before now…..but I agree that I need to take her to the vet ASAP. Here’s my next question, how do I get her into something to take her there? And what is that thing I need….like a carrier with a perch? I’ll probably have to schedule the last appointment of the day and start trying at 8am!! Any tips would be appreciated greatly!!

Happy Hatch

Welcome! It's wonderful you are here & asking questions. As for a cage, I always say the biggest you can find. I have 3 parrots, they are all in Macaw Size dome cages. Once you fill it with toys & perches, they become quite small.

Seeing as she fell, & her behavior has changed. A vet visit ASAP is definitely in order.

I use flat newspaper pages

Any time I hear 'more than usual', I believe a vet visit is warranted. They are masters of masking illness until they no longer can.

I never thought about it like that….that just because I have been around her for her whole 18 years….and daily for the 6 months prior to bringing her here, she will still need to adjust to the environment. I definitely plan on taking her to a vet just to give her the “once over” but I think it’s best that I wait a little bit…so she adjusts and I can figure out how I will get her into a transport carrier….i transported her here in her cage because I had access to a vehicle big enough at the time. Anyway, I will just relax a little and let her settle in. Thank you for your advice!!

I'm not sure how long you've have this parrot -- so not sure you can determine her 'normal behaviour' yet in your home. I mean, maybe she was awake more before because she's in a new environment. Basically, she needs to establish her new norms in your home before you assume you're witnessing a behaviour change or not. If she is eating and pooping normally, I would assume she is fine. She could love you and her new home but still be homesick and miss her former home and people. She may have good days and bad days. She's probably quite resilient but deserves time to settle in. Granted, the video you shared showed a sweet parrot, probably experiencing some Spring hormonal fever. But she could also still be adjusting to some major changes in her life. Again, as long as she is eating and pooping, I shouldn't worry. At some point she does need a vet visit just to establish her health status and to get a baseline for you. But for now, I say let her settle in. Just because you knew her in her formal former home doesn't mean you can gauge her behaviour in a new atmosphere, with new routines, people, etc.. From your shared video I felt she was coping quite normally considering all the recent changes in her life.

Thank you for the encouraging words!! It means a lot!!!

Hi everyone! When I brought Baby home, she had several perches and toys in her cage. I was showing a picture of her to a bird store owner/boarder/rescuer and she was adamant that I take out the sand and pumice ones. I did it and replaced with some others but she really seemed to love rubbing her beak on those….and they are marketed as being for that purpose and for greys….what are your thoughts on the topic? Thank you !!!

Sounds like a great setup! Greys can be notoriously change adverse at times so they sometimes take a little while to adjust to changes or new things. But it sounds like she is settling in just fine with you and her new cage setup!

Thank you! I currently have 4 perches in there….all different lengths and widths, some curvy, some straight, and 2 are the edible kind. She definitely seems more content now that it’s been some time without the old set up…perches and clutter of toys….especially because she LOVES to swing upside down from the top of her cage so now she has plenty of room to swing as much as she wants! I really appreciate you!

I don't have any experience with egg laying I'm afraid but hopefully others can help you out with that question. With the body language- that's a slightly odd pose for sure, especially holding the tail down against the cage like that... but I couldn't tell you if it means anything as such. I too would read it as more amorous behaviour- especially with the head bobbing. That usually leads to regurgitation for Alfie. Sounds like you're doing a good job with her though. Welcome to parront-hood!

Alfie rubs his beak on everything, cage bars, toys, perches... it's mostly just to clear anything that's stuck to his beak. It's best to get a variety of perches that are different sizes and materials. This helps to exercise your parrots feet as they move around the cage.

I still appreciate you answering!!! Thank you!!

That makes total sense!! I’m just so new at being a….what do you call it….parront?…so I question everything!! Which is why I am so glad to have found this forum! Thank you for your response!

Glad you removed those perches! You've felt your grey's feet skin, and know you wouldn't want to stand on sandpaper barefoot either! My grey actually had thin red areas on his feet when I adopted him from such perches being used. Healed well, thankfully. My concern with parrots rubbing their beaks on such surfaces is that while yes, it smooths their beaks - a compulsive parrot could thin/weaken their beak if the behavior was done too often. Mine all rubbed their beaks on their wooden perches and that worked fine. Trust me, your girl will scrape/clean her beak on her wooden perches or toys. And you'll know the joy of scraping off the food goo they will leave behind.

I'm really only familiar with Kings Cages -- last purchased cage was 1997 -- so no idea if they're still considered good cages or not these days. I put my last cage outside on the open back porch (been meaning to get someone to take it to the dump) but honestly, it still looks good after 26 years of use and nearly a year outside in the elements). Excellent powder coated finish. From 1996 or '97. But I'm sure others will have newer recommendations! lol

Thank you so much! I feel so much better now….like I said, my experience handling birds is limited and I just want to make sure I am taking the best care of her! We have had a bond over her 18 years but since she came to live with me, it has become something I honestly never believed could happen with a bird(sorry everyone!!!)….but I’ve been converted! Oh and she always is trying to regurgitate for me, then she bows her head so I pet her….falls asleep while I’m doing it….so precious!! Not sure if I’m supposed to make a new post for this but I need to buy her a new cage and was wondering what brands you would recommend? There’s really only one decent bird store in my area and I know they are pricey….but I also don’t want to go online and just get anything. Hoping there’s some quality ones out there that are more reasonably priced! Thank you so much again! 💜

Welcome to the forum! I didn't see anything that made me think she was preparing to immediately lay an egg -- she just seemed flirtatious and perhaps playful -- might have even wanted to regurgitate for you. It is Springtime, when they can act this way, or even become moody and aggressive. Mine always laid eggs on the bottom of her cage, usually with some shredded up paper she created/gathered for the purpose. Not to sound negative, but mine (esp my macaw) acted as if egg laying was uncomfortable, if not painful. She didn't act all playful or flirty immediately before she laid an egg. But in general all my parrots could act bit amorous with me during Springtime (longer daylight), so I was careful to only rub their heads so as not to encourage them believing that I was their mate. Hope that made sense. Extra calcium is a good idea for egg layers. I am sure others will chime in to welcome you also!