My budgies keep chewing one of the wooden perches in their cage - how can I stop them gnawing it to pieces?

Question

They have enough toys, cuttlefish, grit and an iodine block. They use them all except the grit, which I've rarely seen them use, so why are they doing this? I've had them since September 2007.

Answer 1

If you can get any Apple or Willow tree branches cut these into short lengths and use them as perches ,you can also give them a carrot,your birds will enjoy and get benefits from these.

Answer 2

Wooden Perches

Answer 3

I don t have an answer as I have perch paper over the perches and mine is eating the perch paper. I have toys for him to chew on and shred. I have a wooden perch for him to chew on that all he seems to want to do is poop on and nothing else. I have toys where he has to open things to get treats out. I have granite paper on the bottom of the cage where I will sprinkle a little food under his ladder mixed with gravel and grit (which was highly recommended to do by my vet). My problem is he is eating this and not his food and has choked on the perch paper. I m trying to get him to go back to his toys and shred them. He loves pulling on things so I have a cable tie ring to pull on. This behavior has started two days ago. He has choked on the perch paper twice now. I also should say that I have two treat cubes hanging in his cage that he seems to ignore. I showed him the treat cubes and he stretched out to check out but now that they are in his cage-they are just sitting there untouched. I m looking for solutions to this problem.I don t want to come home only to find my parakeet dead because he choked to death on perch paper.

Answer 4

It's totally normal for birds (especially parrots) to chew wood. Do the toys they have encourage chewing/shredding? (do they get the satisfaction of actually having a toy they can rip apart?) If not, they could have more fun with their perch than the toys.



And on a side note--

They don't use the grit b/c they don't need it. Grit is only needed for birds that can not open the hulls of seeds to eat them. Budgies can, so the grit is just an impaction problem waiting to happen if they injest too much of it.

Answer 5

If your budgie is knawing your perches to peices I think you should put maybe some sandpaper on the perches. It helps them not to chew them and also it makes the claws duller so their not sharp.



Another idea is to maybe put some wood into the cage so it can chew and bite it because they like chewing stuff. You could also put some clean bark in the cage as well.



Good luck

Answer 6

maybe she is distessed or unhappy? have u got bedding(aswell as sawdust) for her? get a wooden block with holes in it and attach some things to the bars. e.g. fruit sticks and mineral slabs. is the cage quite big? often female hamsters get stressed more than males anyway. how long have u had her? prehaps it is best to wait and see if she stope and settles in to the cage (if she is new!). my hamster has a plastic where the bears are meant to be. this could be a last option if you can't stop her from chewing... buy a new cage from pets at home lol! £26.00 is the one i got. you could also give her kitchen/toilet roll tubes. my hamster loves them! also get her out more and let her run on surfaces (not the kitchen table lol!) or let her run through wrapping paper tubes! hope this helps! ollie

Answer 7

This is normal. All parrot-type birds do this (chew wood). If they didn't, their beaks would grow so long, they couldn't eat any longer. Give them other perches made of hard plastic or metal, but keep a wood perch in the cage too for them to chew.

Answer 8

Birds chew anything they find, it's very natural for them. They can't tell between a toy and a perch. Let them gnaw it as much as they want to, when the perch is gone, change it for a harder one that thew can't gnaw.

Answer 9

It is natural for birds to chew wood or other things. They need to be able to destroy things or they get frustrated & will start chewing their own feathers. Just replace the perch when it gets chewed. You can also provide natural wood branches for perches. Just make sure it is a type of wood that is safe for birds. They should have a variety of perches of different diameters & materials.

Answer 10

My parakeets never bothered their wooden dowel perches, then all of a suddent they started gnawing on them. They broke one so I put another in, and they broke that one too. They now have a sandy perch and a rope perch. It is just natural, my parakeets always have a toy in their cage in which they can shred. They love to shred things, plus it keeps them busy. It's nothing to be concerned about, but if this doesn't relieve your concern take him to the vet.

Answer 11

a bird can't tell the differnece between a perch and a toy. they just chew. don't let this bother you. next time get a harder perch. some wood is so hard budgies can't chew them. or try a rope perch, but be careful, when those get frayed the bird's nails can get stuck in them, so you gotta trim any frayed ends of the rope perch. a change of perches once in a while is good for 'em anyway.

i don't think parrots need grit, in fact, it can kill them. for a long time ppl thought parrots needed grit, but now ppl know better, but pet stores still sell it. here is my source about the infor for the grit -- please read it

http://www.the-oasis.org/articles/grit.php

other kinds of birds, the kinds with streight beaks like sparrows or for pet birds, i guess doves and cararies, need grit, but not hook-bills like parrots.



anyway, we had to hammer bird-safe wood onto the painted and treated window-sills in my dad's african grey's room to keep our afriacan grey from chewing on poison wood when he sits next to the window. this way he can chew the planks of wood he sits on without poisoning himself. they are gonna chew. the only thing you can do is make sure they can't get to what you don't want them to chew, and a perch in a cage isn't one of those things you can (or should) stop them from chewing.

Answer 12

Birds chew all wood things. :) I just keep plenty of extra wood toys and perches for my little guys because I know they'll wear them out eventually.

Answer 13

They can't tell the difference between chewing on perches or toys. They just chew!! Try providing them with things you don't mind destroyed.

Answer 14

If you live near any woods or rivers you may be able to get Willow branches these are ideal for perches and are good for your birds, to nibble at.

Answer 15

I would call a vet that cares for birds, it could be a vitamin deficiency.