Dumping Food Bowls

[kave70]

I'm hoping someone might have a suggestion for us. Sam's food/water dishes has been his newest source of amusement.

They are plastic bowls that sit in a simple metal holder. He has a new game (for a couple of weeks now) of managing to get them out and dumping them by first spinning them until he can get them in a good position and then picking up the whole dish and dumping it.

Besides the wasting of all the food and the mess of the water, I'm concerned that he has no access to food then. He isn't brave enough to climb to the bottom and scavenge, till I can refill it.

 

I tried to find some sort of remedy to this. My tiel's cage definitely has a better dish setup, making it almost impossible to pull those bowls out. I wish I had found a cage with a similar system.

 

Suggestions, anyone?

Karen and Sam

[Ray P]

Not knowing what your cage system looks like it`s hard to say what to do. Two of my cages have larg crocks for food and water and my third cage has a bar over the top of the dish so you can only take the dish out when you open the food dish door.

[kave70]

That's a good point- Thanks

 

I'm working on figuring out how to insert from photobucket

Edited September 28, 2011 by kave70

[kave70]

[Ray P]

I`m off to work now but when I get home I will post a picture of Corky`s food and water dishes ih her cage.

That may help you come up with something.

Ray

[danmcq]

OK, thanks for the photos upclose of the door and cup holder. It seems that your square tubing does not cover the edge of the bowl enough when the door is closed to stop it from being lifted up and tossed. Get a thin walled as possible "L" bracket. Drill 2 small holes through the cage square tubing and correspondingly in the "L" bracket. Get matching stainless screw and nuts and bolt it on. This will be above the bowl when you close the door and keep the bowl in place regardless of the effort to lift it out unless the door is open.

 

This is what I have in mind, but thinner walled and only say 1" x 1" that you coul dpick up at your local hardware store.

 

http://www.shortrunpro.com/reinforcing_angle_bracket_101096_ps_vhv46698ytw_vhv39ytw_vhv1ytw_vhv20ytw.aspx

[birdhouse]

^^^ Clever Dan! Have to admit I never thought to go DIY this problem.

 

I've had sets of cups like this forever. If the cage design doesn't have a no flip bar, I just take their cup ring off whenever possible & use these, instead.

 

http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/cart.cgi?group=4816&child=5200

 

Sometimes I like them better, anyway. I can chose where they go so they get the least pooped on.

[danmcq]

I've had sets of cups like this forever. If the cage design doesn't have a no flip bar, I just take their cup ring off whenever possible & use these, instead.

 

http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/cart.cgi?group=4816&child=5200

 

Sometimes I like them better, anyway. I can chose where they go so they get the least pooped on.

 

Nice Link! I didn't even know these types of cup holders existed. Much easier than my DYI.

[Greywings]

Don's Birds site also has some very secure food dish set ups even his Macaws cannot overcome.

[Luvparrots]

I have some of those "none tip" stainless steel bowls. I had to remove them as both Sterling and my zon, Louie, can pop them out in a flash! Heavy ceramic bowls work for my two heavy lifters!

[kave70]

Thank you all for the ideas. I'm sure we have the problem solved now..... Poor Sam will have to find another source of amusement.

[thenabrd]

i have something similar to this that i've used. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5950+5995&pcatid=5995

 

i've found them at local pet supply stores. they're nice, i can put them wherever in the cage and the bowl twists on/off of the "pedestal". a grey might eventually figure out how to twist them off, but it could buy you some time!

[Acappella]

^^^ Clever Dan! Have to admit I never thought to go DIY this problem.

 

I've had sets of cups like this forever. If the cage design doesn't have a no flip bar, I just take their cup ring off whenever possible & use these, instead.

 

http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/cart.cgi?group=4816&child=5200

 

Sorry to rain on this parade, but Dorian's original cage came with these dishes, and the little so-and-so figured out how to turn them until they were unlocked, and then it was flying dishes all over again. Until I got his current cage, which has truly bird-proof dishes, I used Loc Crocs, and I still use them in his outdoor cage.

[birdhouse]

^^^ Yeah, I've had a few annoyingly clever fids who've already rained on that parade. For them I've done well w/the twist lock plastic cups like thenabrd linked. Most often though I've gotten away w/the stainless ones which I like better because I think they're easier to use & clean.

[Acappella]

Ah, but the stainless ones make such a fun and exciting sound when they hit the floor. I got Dorian a couple of stainless steel perch cups for the play stand I made him. First thing he does is try to turn them off the stand. When he realized that wasn't going to happen (took too long-I think he has parrot ADD) he started trying to bend them off. I'm sitting here all smug thinking 'good luck bud, those are welded together' when the little monster actually did it. Bounce went the cup, and in went my order for plastic bowls. grrrrrr

[birdhouse]

Ah, but the stainless ones make such a fun and exciting sound when they hit the floor.

 

I know, really! I could save a fortune in toys (...and maybe even go to a spa ) if I didn't jump out of my skin every time one of them crashed down & bounced around the cage.

[kave70]

I ended up trying the cups that Thenabrd suggested. At first Sam was afraid to even eat pellets from them, but it's been a week now and we're all much happier. So much less food waste, and it's a heck of a lot quieter around here. Thanks for all the ideas.

 

 

Karen and Sam

[Stevie]

Hi bird fans.

I had to replace my greys dishes,the new ones i got had little metal bumps on the sides,so when you push them in they sort of click.So now no more playing with food.Naughty things arent they.lol:D

[Elvenking]

Isaac has taken to digging his beak into his seed bowls lately and tossing the seeds out onto the floor. Little rascal trying to tell me something? LOL. Then he will mock me when I grit my teeth and say 'Boooooyyeee". Then he just looks back at me and says...."Booyyee....bboooooye!" and bobs his head like....'what ya gonna do about it?'