Cockatiel and Parrot Cage Set up: Substrate V Bars | TheParrotTeacher

[@EllisWaynforth]

I never knew there was an alternative for parrots than bars and paper at the bottom. After this video, I recently switched over to using easibed substrate. Bought a 20kg bag off Amazon which is gonna last me years! It’s not been long but I’m so glad I switched. The bars got super gross and I hated cleaning them. Changing out the newspaper got tedious and didn’t seem very hygienic. The substrate looks a lot better and is so easy to clean out once a day. I put afew toys and treats for him to forage at the bottom and he’s having a blast! Using all of the space in his cage and having lots more enrichment has been great for him. He also loves chewing the wood at the bottom. Thanks Dave for this info and helping me switch!

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey There! I'm so glad it's worked out well for your little one! We basically had the same experience when we swapped over to it! The boys are constantly on the cage floor foraging and enjoying it, Pickles plays in it and Olive/Scampi are going down to enjoy it too now! We do the same, just pick up any big bits of food, or messy bits of substrate then replace with a little fresh! I also think bars look a bit unsightly!

[@FoggyBearr]

Great video, thank you! I'm taking an animal management course and my final exams are on parrot enclosures, so this is much needed information :)

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Olivia, Awesome, glad it was useful and hope it helps with the exam!

[@laura87payne]

Thank you for this, i've bought a 3mm acrylic sheet for the bottom of my birds cages and then easichick, still super easy to clean i can wipe down the acrylic easily

[@TheParrotTeacher]

That’s a good idea! Hopefully they enjoy foraging around in it! All of ours love it!

[@2ndEssi]

I was re-directed here by Sophie ! I'm honestly and seriously considering this switch. Our birds currently already love to run around the bottom of their cage and we keep their foot toys down there for them to play with, but a few disadvantages are that the toys sometimes fall through the bars, and i do spot them tripped at times. Our only difficulty might be when it comes to our Caiques and potentially our African Grey. That being said, we do already use a type of substrate, just not a type i'd want them walking around in. I already do the bits where we clean out the poo and bits each day or every other day- we've actually had molding issues, but it's due to the MONSTER poos our caiques take in the mornings. 😂Otherwise, never had an issue with substrate. My only worry is that when we've had substrate under a java tree in the past, our female Caique beelines for it and starts throwing it around. She likes to play in loose material and toss it, including things like her food. She often digs and chews. I guess the other downside would definitely be cost. Carefresh is not cheap. I have heard of people using bed pads, rather than puppy pads, since they are made for people they are made more naturally. But I mean, no harm no foul. I might just give it go either way because it's likely more beneficial for them than detrimental to us. And honestly, scrubbing bars is the worst part of cage cleaning, hahaha.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Sawyer, Thanks for your comment! I wouldn't recommend any kind of pads, due to chewing risk and other possible issues! I used to hate scrubbing bars too, it's just irritating. That plus seeing the damage it could do to feet/how the boys behave now they have substrate really changed my mind! It is definitely messy. Pickles LOVES chucking it about and scrabbling in it lol. The boys also toss it about. But that's part of the enjoyment of it for them! Carefresh is definitely a bit expensive, but you could try fine shredded white paper, or untreated dust free pine chips! It's a decision every parrot owner has to make, but you could always try it out and see how it goes!

[@joeschneeberger4215]

Hello, I appreciate your efforts to educate us birders. I was wondering if you have heard of the so phresh bird litter and what your thoughts were on that. Thanks for your time.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Joe, It has baking soda in it which isn't ideal for our parrots. I'd go for plain carefresh or easichick if it's available where you are. I also have another video on substrate which talks about alternatives.

[@skort94]

I'd like to get rid of the bars at the bottom of Sunny's cage as she does like to go down there, especially if I'm on the floor doing things, but it's evidently not super easy to find proper substrate in the USA (quite possibly its just my town though). I've found a couple of different things such as the carefresh you mentioned. I also found something something called 'So Phresh Oder Control Pine Bird Litter'. It says that its made from lumberyard by-products, which honestly has me a bit concerned because some lumber yards cut treated wood as well as natural. The Pine Bird Litter and the Carefresh both say 'low dust'. Unfortunately we in the USA don't have access to easybed or easychick 🙁. So any advice on which would be better or know of any suitable substrate I could get here in the US? Thank you as always for another helpful video

[@TheParrotTeacher]

I have some videos on substrate that may help as I know some people find decent ones in the USA! But yes some look good but aren’t!

[@jin_fei8542]

In my country there's no easichick or carefresh... can I used brand from Allspan german horse bedding or Aspen bedding ?? Thx

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey there, I already responded to this in another comment you left! The best tips are in my “all about substrate” video

[@christinavanrooyen6345]

Oh wow this video has being very helpful thank you so much. So actually recommended this video to me, because I had some Questions about my bedding. I use old pillow cases. I am going to switch now to your recommendation. Also I would never ever use bars again in my birds cages. My cockatiels wing got stuck in it. Don't ask me how, but that was really scary. I will be subscribing to you because i find your video very helpful. Thank you for sharing

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Christina! Glad it was useful! We had a similar experience which put us off bars. Also seeing how our birds enjoy foraging on the base of the cage makes us love it! Don't forget to be careful with the substrate you use, I mention the safe types in the video! Thank you!

[@christinavanrooyen6345]

@@TheParrotTeacher thank you so much.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@christinavanrooyen6345 No problems!

[@candicet5973]

I use crinkle paper substrate for Tiki and Fluffy. I can't put substrate for Maya so I put paper on top of the bars. I like crinkle paper bc it is super cheap lol Btw, what type of foot toys do I have to put in the floor?

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Sounds like some good alternatives to me! You can put any kinds you like! Depends what they enjoy!

[@TheSunnites]

Is white vinegar okay to use for cleaning their cages? Rubbing alcohol? Thanks.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey there, It's totally fine provided it's diluted (the vinegar). I'd avoid the rubbing alcohol though, there's much better alternatives!

[@davidraynorsnow]

Where the tray at bottom from thx

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey there, if you mean in the cage it’s what it came with! If you mean the free floating tray we use as a foraging tray it’s just a planter base!

[@lisapfuelb3547]

Thanks so much. Very informative. Has anyone in the US been able to find easibed? Looks like it is only sold in the UK. Curious what would be similar to that here.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Lisa, I know other people in the US have had similar issues. You could try Carefresh instead, or shredded white paper or untreated pine shavings!

[@lisapfuelb3547]

WarGamingParrot thank you! I went to the avian pet store today and they had the care fresh and I bought some! I am going to try it. Thanks!

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@lisapfuelb3547 hey Lisa! Awesome! We like it although not as much as easibed! It is also good in foraging trays!

[@janiceanita]

How often do you change the substrate? Which substrate do you buy and where? Thank you

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Janice! We change the substrate completely once a week. Every day we "pick" in the morning and evening to remove any food or big poop! We use Easichick at the moment! But you can also use Easibed, Carefresh, untreated pine shavings or shredded white paper!

[@archiesflock7517]

Would it be okay to have regular kitchen roll or hay at the bottom of their cage (without a grate)?

[@TheParrotTeacher]

I'd say hay is a big no-no as it'll likely be dusty and untreated! Kitchen roll is often used, especially if it is undyed. You could also use plain white paper or fine shredded white paper!

[@archiesflock7517]

@@TheParrotTeacher if the hay was treated and dust free would it be ok? That’s all they sell near me, but if not I could probably find it online.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@archiesflock7517 Problem with hay is the risk of a certain type of infection. I'd highly advice NOT using it with birds as it's too much of a risk for the little ones. If you're considering substrate, just take your time picking the right one. There's no need to immediately swap to it and you can look into what would work or is available near you. As I said, you can always trial it with shredded white printer paper!

[@archiesflock7517]

@@TheParrotTeacher ok!

[@ornithologydude8649]

I don't havebars at the bottom of my cages

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Always good to hear! Do your birds explore the base of the cage more?

[@ornithologydude8649]

Yes ! They love the oyster shell in the sand at the bottom I have also rearranged the toys in their cage and was wondering if this could have bad side effects

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@ornithology dude Some birds really like their toys being moved around, so I wouldn't worry unless they get stressed by it! Bet they love that shell lol! Are your cockatiel's in an aviary some of the time? If so, ignore this. But, If not, sand can be a problem thing to use at the base of a cage as it can cause impaction! It's one of the better "no/no" ones so don't panic. But if you can, I'd suggest swapping it out!

[@ornithologydude8649]

No i don't have aviarys because there isn't enough space in my forest it's just trees!

[@incanusolorin2607]

Great video! But how do you monitor the “quality” of your birds poop with substrate? Poop is one of the most important health indicators, right?

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Incanus! It can be a very important indicator! We don't have many issues monitoring it as we inspect when do we the daily "pick" It's not much different than any other kind of cage bottom as the poop is fairly obvious against the substrate.

[@incanusolorin2607]

@@TheParrotTeacher Thank you for the quick response! I’m colorblind, so maybe that’s why I feel that it would be hard to evaluate the color of the poop in something that is not a white sheet of paper. But it sounds like it’s definitely worth to try, considering the benefits for the bird’s feet and the opportunity for mental stimulation.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@incanusolorin2607 No problems! Consistency can also be used to tell. You could trial it using shredded white printer paper if colour is an issue! You could also use basic carefresh which is a grey colour! But, we find so far that easibed/easichick are the best in terms of fun for our parrots!

[@imk402]

i bought easibed from a pet store called just for pets in the uk and the easibed is the pet stores so it doesnt have a brand is that ok.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Ihsan, I've looked it up and can't find any decent info on it. I would double check with the store. It needs to be dust extracted, untreated and made from cardboard or safe wood!

[@imk402]

@@TheParrotTeacher they dont show their products on their website

[@imk402]

@@TheParrotTeacher it says dust free wood fibre bedding on it

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@imk402 It should be fine, especially as it's dust free. Some pet stores repackage easibed in unbranded bags. If you notice any issues, such as bits that shouldn't be in there, contact the pet store though!

[@yasinkocar7926]

@@TheParrotTeacher should i send a picture of it to you

[@ornithologydude8649]

Hi ! I am going to buy something from your redbubble store soon ! It's the wargamingparrot poster as well ! I think it will go well above the cage. How are all of you ? Is new birdy settling in? And are you still okay playing among us soon ? Sorry about yesterday as well, i thought I told you how old i am !

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Lol it's ok, just means I can't swear or make rude jokes around you! I used to be a teacher! Sounds good. There are WarGamingParrot bits on there, not sure if there's a poster, but we can try and add one if you like? Honestly, new birdie is good/bad as with all rescues. He isn't scared of hands or humans which is great. He accepts some petting which is good. But, he's showing signs of stereotyping and stress behaviour and isn't hand tame at all. Poor little guy is also very flighty. It's going to take lots of work to train him and make him happy I think!

[@ornithologydude8649]

@@TheParrotTeacher oh i remember seeing a poster ! I must have imagined it lol

[@ornithologydude8649]

www.redbubble.com/cart Is this not your product? I am rubbish with redbubble If you can't see it on that link www.redbubble.com/i/poster/WarGamingParrot-Cockatiel-by-ChipFishPickles/60458730.LVTDI

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@ornithologydude8649 Ah ok, apparently we already set it up and added it. Yes thats us lol

[@iracemazoepinheiro1109]

Can you use shredded toilet paper/paper towels as substrate? Or just paper/paper towels straight on the floor of the cage? I am going to get 2 cockatiels or budgies and doing my research beforehand. Also really enjoying yours and your partner's channel, they have been very informative! (Sorry if there are any typos in my comment, I'm from Brasil)

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Gerardo! I'd definitely not use toilet paper as substrate or shredded paper towels as the risk of them ingesting it is too high. Some people do use unshredded paper towels on the floors of their cages and just swap them out daily! You can also use plain white paper too (this is also fine shredded) Thank you, that's very kind of you to say! Also no problems, I didn't notice anything!

[@incanusolorin2607]

Fala Geraldo, tudo bem? Estou na mesma situação que você e não consigo encontrar um substrato adequado por aqui. Todos que vi geram pó ou são feitos de madeiras perigosas se ingeridas. Você acha que comprar papel toalha para forrar gaiolas tão grandes seria economicamente viável? Ou descobriu algum outro substrato bom?

[@mansishah6579]

I don’t use substrate or bars. I have my grate lined with a towel with white printer paper on top. The towel is because one of my birds is partially blind and can fall. It’s to cushion the fall. My birds don’t really go down there unless they have fallen, so this works for us.

[@TheParrotTeacher]

That sound's like that's a great solution for your birds! It's not something I've heard done before but makes sense in your situation. The birds using the bottom of the cage thing is kinda a chicken and egg question though! As some will do given the opportunity, but others may not unless encouraged. It becomes less of an issue if the little ones are out lots anyway! Regardless, thanks for the comment as it may assist others in a similar situation!

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

Little confused on the bars on the bottom being bad for the birds feet. When the top of the cage are those same bars. Wouldn't that also cause the same harm? I mean, my birds spend a lot more time scuttling around on the top of their cage than on the bottom. I know a lot of owners who let their birds chill at the top of their cages. I mean they don't just sit up on there the whole time either. Flying all over the room, visiting me, visiting the foraging stand, foraging box, foraging fountain area. A bird who spends more time in a cage could benefit from substrate a lot more, if they did enjoy that area of the cage. I can rarely get my birds to go lower for some reason. I have noticed my budgies enjoy roaming around on the floor, across my carpeting lol. 4 budgies poo'n on substrate sounds harder to clean up. Just cause of the tiny size their poo is compared to a cockatiel. Trying to track down 4 poo's every 15-18 minutes over the day. I can see why it would be nice to have. If they were ever in their cage aside from bedtime. Clean up sounds like a nightmare though. Hand held Steam cleaner makes bars so easy to wash. Would you recommend having a substrate foraging area outside the cage area instead? mimicking the natural wilds of Australia might be a bit hard. don't they roam between a few environments? Would be cool to import the natural stone and earth they forage across. I've seen video of them picking at the natural minerals off rocky terrain. Not sure our cuttlebone offers what ever they get from that at all :( Have you tried adding one of those seed catcher netting thins around the bottom of the cage to catch any flying substrate? I am going to see if I can do this in Buddy's cage. His is built a little different, where it looks like I can swap the bars for the pan out without issues. I would love to see how he takes to it. I do wish the cage was up a lot higher though. I had a bad back. Bending over several times a day to take out poo might start to add up on my pain meter :( I get the feeling some of the people complaining about dust problems might of accidently bought dusty substrate and didn't know it? I know some packaging likes to put key words on the bag in hard to find places, or so tiny you can miss it. You forgot to mention the best places to find substrate for your birds! I know most hardware shops sell this. But those are dyed and treated. What about in pet shops? You wont find any in the bird section oddly enough, but over in the rodent area. For ferrets, Guinea pigs, and the such. We have a shop called Fleet Farm where I am from, which is a mix bag, sells hardware, clothes, food, and farming supplies lol. So I can get several brands of substrate in sizes from small to big enough to fill up a horses sleeping area! :D Let Sophie know my sprouts turned out awesome. They all seemed to sprout as well as the others over the same time frame. Like the lentils showed first, then the buckwheat, then the moong bean. With all 3 looking as sprouted as the others once they peeked out their shells. I am going to use them with their veggies in the morning!!!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Just saw this when I was about to share David’s video! I’m sure he will reply in more detail but when our boys are on the bars on top of the cage, they often stumble and their feet and legs fall through the bar docking (the spacing is correct so no issues there!) It’s also seen as bad practice for poultry and waterfowl to be on bar or mesh flooring within their housing so it shouldn’t be any different for other species 😊 I’m so happy your sprouts turned out great! I hope they like them 😁

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey An, This is going to be a long reply, so stick with me! Regarding the bars and how they can cause harm. Imagine a human analogy. If a person walked barefoot on raw steel gratings bare foot. If you did it for a little while, it wouldn't really do much harm, the worst it'd be is just a little uncomfortable. But if you had to do it all the time, eventually it'd start to hurt your feet, it's basically that! Birds love skittering around on top of their cages and tbh that's great! But in terms of how much time they spend up there, it's very little in comparison. There is still the risk of them putting their feet through or stumbling as Sophie mentioned (this is more common to small parrots etc), but it's vastly reduced and doesn't happen often outside the cage, especially when they are flying back and forth! You can also pop a perch up there for them if it's something that happens often too! That is also true, it's great for birds who need to be caged more when owners are at work etc. But birds who are out often can also benefit. Imagine having the benefits of a foraging tray at the bottom of the cage too! Ahh I should have mentioned the steam cleaner in the bars pros! It does make it a bit easier to clean them if one is accessible and bird safe! Regarding the poo picking, it always sounds harder than it is. It was one of my concerns before I swapped. When they sleep the poo will be concentrated so it's easy to clean up in the morning or after a nap in the evening. With regards to during the day, it's not the worst to leave budgie droppings around for a while until you notice them as they are so small and much drier than other birds poops! If you'd like to, why not! You can easily create a large foraging tray with substrate in it for them to pick at. You can just make a nice foraging tray with lots of shredded paper for them (assuming you haven't already!) It's just something their species enjoys being natural ground feeders. You could do, if you could find someone who does that kind of material. It's not something I've investigated before! We haven't! Usually it's my job to hoover it up and it doesn't really cause me too much hassle. I usually hoover at least twice a week and sometimes more often if they have a busy foraging session down there lol. You could offer a small area within the cage as substrate, using a pan or foraging tray as you suggested to see how he takes to it. If his tray is slide out you could just pull that out to change it? They all vary so much in design! It's more than likely. If it isn't dust extracted it's going to be an issue for little ones for sure. The dust extracted ones have been very good so far. We've had no issues in that regard at all. (We would report it if we did as our birds welfare is always no.1) Sadly I had to leave that out. As we are UK based and people watch all over I felt it would be a bit of a waste of time! Carefresh is sold worldwide and (I think) Easibed can be found in most places too. If you stick to the guidelines on what it should be there shouldn't be an issue. If in doubt you can contact the manufacturer (as Sophie often does when she's worried lol) I see Sophie's replied already about the sprouting, but great to hear!

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

@@BirdNerdSophie So far Buddy is just giving his bowl the stink eye lol. My budgies are flinging them around, nibbling on some. It is pretty funny to watch!

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

@@TheParrotTeacher No I agree about the top of the cage. I see my little budgies stumble in various places. My little grey budgie Bandit is prone to stumbles cause she is a runt. Breaks my heart when it happens. I do have a birdy gym I put on the top of Buddy's cage, off to the side during the day. They love going inside that. Mainly because I turned the bottom area into a foraging area, with toys, shredded paper, some paper towel rolls. Then a little seed scattered inside. I was thinking of building a top side box, and putting substrate into that. You think that would cause issues inside the cage by making it so dark? I am not sure how to light it up under. Aside from a lamp being on all day next to the cage. I'd rather not have artificial light on during the day if I can help it though. I will have to troubleshoot that idea for a bit before I do it. Cause now I am thinking, build that, the substrate top cage box and also add some natural tree branches on the side, or just 1 big one down the middle. I do have high ceilings here. We pruned an ash tree awhile back, and I've had the branches taking up the downstairs tub lol. Most have already gone into Buddy's cage, but I didn't want to overcrowd it. Your video gave me some interesting ideas :D

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@angsfeatheredfriends Birdy Gyms are always awesome. I bet they love that! Especially finding little random treats in it. Do you mean a box to sit ontop of the cage? It could work but as you say it may block out a bit of light. There's also the risk of hormonal behaviour if it's covered. Substrate (I think) is best used out in the open at the bottoms of cages and in foraging trays so it doesn't get used as a nest (unless that's what someone wants of course!) See what you can do! I'm glad it has inspired! all sound like interesting ideas!

[@sooosuss7154]

One of the biggest reason why I choose bars at the bottom is I feed my bird fresh veggies and fruits every day and my GCC loves to search for the old and moldy food at the bottom of his food..and then he has diarrhoea afterwards...if I put bar of the bottom he cant eat the fallen fruits and veggies

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey there and thanks for your comment! We do exactly the same! Fresh veg daily! Our birds also absolutely love foraging for seeds and bits that have fallen. The solution to this is really easy! You just need to pick out any old fruit/veg from the bottom of the cage daily! It takes a minute and prevents any issues. If food is sitting there and getting moldy it really has been down there for ages!

[@sooosuss7154]

@@TheParrotTeacher the problem is that my GCC love to chew the fruits and veggies into tiny little pieces....so basically if I want the bedding to be fruit and veggies free I have to change the bedding every single day...also when the bedding is fruit and veggies "infused"....my GCC will eat the bedding aswell....one time he had his crop full with bedding so the VET had to operate on him to get all the junk out...it is quite dangerous so I prefer bar at the bottom after 5 years without bar....eventhough I understand that bars are not good for their feed and could get stuck...my parrotlet in the other hand is in a cage with bedding at the bottom no bars...because when the food fall down at the bottom he dont eat it anymore....only have that problem with my GCC

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@sooosuss7154 Having bars is a personal choice, although one to consider carefully! Please forgive me if you felt like my comment was an attack! It all depends on the individual circumstances of the bird! What kind of substrate were you using? If you do decide to try it again you should consider something like easibed which is dust free and wood fibre based. Our birds love to chew it but they have never tried to eat it.

[@sooosuss7154]

@@TheParrotTeacher after countless vet visits....I had to make that decision...even my vet suggested it...especially because ruki have such a sensitive stomach

[@TheParrotTeacher]

@@sooosuss7154 If it works for Ruki then it is obviously the best choice! Another person who commented on this uses a towel and kitchen roll over it because her cockatiel is half blind and it cushions him falling down! Another uses bars only in the evening! Another still uses shredded printer paper. It's all down to the individual bird!

[@paolo7359]

I get this but for certain people like me this can do more bad than good for example i have a bonded pair of cockatiels male and female they have even started mating so by using straight up substrate it can encourage nesting and I obviously don't want them breeding all year round it can be for their them and can stress the female alot, and u did discuss this but my cockatiels don't rlly enjoy playing with toys much or foraging so placing toys there wouldn't help

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Hey Paolo! Thanks for the comment! That is one negative factor of substrate. However some cockatiels or indeed parrots do it anyway even if there are bars at the bottom of the cage. Just in general though, if you're concerned about hormonal behaviour my GF Sophie has a great video on managing it if you need any tips! That's also fair enough. All birds are individuals so they have different interests and tastes. Don't forget, this video is more of a "I want to show ways that substrate can be better" rather than "UR WRONG FOR USING BARS BLAH BLAH!"

[@swatz2110]

Nc

[@TheParrotTeacher]

cheers!