Should I worry about sand perch covers?

Hi, everyone. My two parakeets are crazy over those gritty sand perch covers that wrap around perches (see below). They love to rub their beaks and chew on the stuff. I don't cover the entire perch, just a quarter of it, leaving the rest nude so it doesn't hurt their feet. They have other rough wooden perches, stone blocks etc. but they only go for these. On one hand, it's good they're grooming themselves (especially Pewpew with the abnormally long beak), but should I be worried about them ingesting the sandy texture?

Well, I do know that parakeets don't need grit to digest their food (a common misconception) and if they eat too much of it, it can cause impaction. I'm not sure if your guys' ingest enough to get an impaction, since there's a lot less sand on sandpaper than in grit, but it's something to keep in mind. I'd also be concerned about the type of adhesive used to adhere the sand to the paper, since that could be dangerous.

Also, I did research into sandpaper perches a while back when looking for an alternative to keeping my bird's nails duller. Sandpaper can strip the scales off their feet and isn't the best thing to use. I use a cement perch, which is much better for their feet. This may not be the texture your birds like, however, so I'm not sure what else to suggest.

Best of luck !

I have no experience with those covers, but I do with regular sand/cement perches. All of my parents birds have had them for years and years (well, new ones as the old ones get dirty and worn, but always one in the cage), and Kiwi always has one as well. Every bird I've known does like to rub their beaks and chomp on them. The larger parrots I've been around at least don't try to ingest the perch, they are just grooming their beaks with it. Again, not certain about those specific covers, but I would imagine if they are made for birds, nothing about them is poisonous. Still, seems like they'd be kind of pricey to keep buying. Why not get one of these, then leave the rest of the perches in the cage bare?

I *think* the medium is the thinner one for smaller birds (I have seen them in store), but this is the exact brand/type I have experience with (only in the large or XL size). They cost a lot, but hold up well and last a good 5+ years of regular cleaning before needing replacement:

All Living Things® Orthopedic Sand Bird Perch | bird Perches & Swings | PetSmart

This one looks a little smaller for budgies, but the price makes me question the quality/longevity:

All Living Things® Natural Sand Bird Perch | bird Perches & Swings | PetSmart

IndySE: Thanks for the advice! I was worried about the same thing (impaction). They seem to strip the sand right down to the paper at a fast rate. I don't cover the whole perch with the roll, just a quarter because I was worried about hurting their tiny feet. I didn't even think about the adhesive they use. Probably won't keep buying these.

Kiwibird: Thank you for the links! Funny enough, I had those in my shopping cart but decided to go with the mineral perches instead. I may get it on my next amazon purchase. I was just a little worried of how sparkly / sharp it looks.

I used to use those covers as do not think anything else was available here then (long time ago). The links April has provided look great and much better tbh.

Here's our story.
I really recommend getting those nail-trimming perches... they can eliminate nail-trimming, which was always so stressful for me and the Rb. It took a few years, but I eventually established a pattern/rotation that keeps him trimmed. I haven't had to do his nails in 20-plus years. I keep a dowel as the main "highway" down the middle of the cage, but the special cement/trimmer/textured perches are all over.
A few brands... but there are many: Polly's Sand Walk... Pumice Perch... Trimmer Perch...
Be sure to introduce them gradually: they're abrasive to their tender feet at first. I LOVE them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are smooth on top and abrasive underneath. Very easy to install/clean, oo.
Sweet Feet and Beaks Pedicure Perch xsmall for parrots, Feather Fantasy

Take a look at these,
https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Feet-B...ef_=ox_sc_act_image_1_1_1&smid=A3DMYIN9K0RYXC

But check out Walmart, yes, Walmart! I picked this up for less than a third, price wise!

I keep one of those cactus looking perches with bee pollen and calcium in their cage, along with a quartz coated wooden perch, and a cement perch. That combination seems to do the trick - I never have a problem with long nails or beaks.

Spirit said:

I keep one of those cactus looking perches with bee pollen and calcium in their cage, along with a quartz coated wooden perch, and a cement perch. That combination seems to do the trick - I never have a problem with long nails or beaks.

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Funniest story ever about those flavored calcium perches-

When we first adopted Kiwi we were having MAJOR issues with his aggression. Truly, he was a winged terror at first. Anyways, I found one of those types of mineral block perches on sale at a pet store, only in my mind it was pretty much the same kind as the indestructible, lasts years and years cement kind of perches my parents used for their birds. I'd never heard of 'edible' perches before and din't bother reading the label. Put it in his cage. Notice it looks a little shorter, kinda 'worn' on the end but write it off as being crazy. A few days later, I witnessed it- Kiwi gleefully chewing up what I believed at the time to be a solid cement perch I was both horrified and terrified about this still newish and still rather aggressive bird being able to chew right through a cement perch. I was definitely freaked out until I found the perches online and realized they were suppose to be edible mineral perches. Guess he wasn't capable of crushing cement with that beak after all Never been so relieved in my life!

That's pretty funny! I can imagine how unnatural and sick it would feel haha. I would have been out of my mind. MONSTER BIRD! But I guess he must have really liked it! Neither of my budgies go to town like that. I just see them wipe their beaks on it every now and then. I think it's comfy on their feet through. It was their favorite sleeping spot until I ordered them their pedi perch. I put it up a tad higher in the cage so now it's where the cool kids hang out.

Spirit said:

That's pretty funny! I can imagine how unnatural and sick it would feel haha. I would have been out of my mind. MONSTER BIRD! But I guess he must have really liked it! Neither of my budgies go to town like that. I just see them wipe their beaks on it every now and then. I think it's comfy on their feet through. It was their favorite sleeping spot until I ordered them their pedi perch. I put it up a tad higher in the cage so now it's where the cool kids hang out.

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Make no mistakes, he's still a monster bird, albeit a much more gentle monster these days I have not heard of similar natural behaviors in old world Australian parrots like budgies, but many new world parrots native to the amazon basin consume mineral rich clay as part of their natural habits so it is fairly instinctual for them to start chomping up stuff like that. It's just helpful to know when something is a material they're suppose to be eating though when you have an expectation of it being a whole other thing entirely! He has a cement perch now and I've never seen him bite it, just wipes his beak on it.

Kiwibird said:

Spirit said:

That's pretty funny! I can imagine how unnatural and sick it would feel haha. I would have been out of my mind. MONSTER BIRD! But I guess he must have really liked it! Neither of my budgies go to town like that. I just see them wipe their beaks on it every now and then. I think it's comfy on their feet through. It was their favorite sleeping spot until I ordered them their pedi perch. I put it up a tad higher in the cage so now it's where the cool kids hang out.

Click to expand...

Make no mistakes, he's still a monster bird, albeit a much more gentle monster these days I have not heard of similar natural behaviors in old world Australian parrots like budgies, but many new world parrots native to the amazon basin consume mineral rich clay as part of their natural habits so it is fairly instinctual for them to start chomping up stuff like that. It's just helpful to know when something is a material they're suppose to be eating though when you have an expectation of it being a whole other thing entirely! He has a cement perch now and I've never seen him bite it, just wipes his beak on it.

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Kiwi, Spirit: Those cactus looking mineral perches are exactly what I ordered from Amazon last week (arriving in a few days). This one to be exact: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R4IZGU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I like that I can drop seeds (small amounts) in the holes so they can forage. Curious, how do you clean them off since they're edible? Just scrub with water? Will it disintegrate?


Flboy, Plum, GaleriaGila: Thanks, those types of pedi-pumice perches seem very popular. Next on my buy list as soon as they go through the edible mineral perches. I'll check it out at Walmart too. I'm going there in a few days to shop for their chop-mix ingredients.

I've had that perch in there for about a year. I never soak it because like you said I'd be worried it'd disintegrate. I just wipe if off with a damp cloth and it seems to do the trick. I use a TINY splash of eucalyptus oil in a bucket of hot water and a microfiber cloth to clean everything in their cage. Budgies spend a lot of time in eucalyptus trees in nature and by some weird instinct both my budgies LOVE the smell. It's antibacterial and viral and fungal and has fantastic cleaning power.

Based on the information in this thread I bought an extra small perch for my two little men. My avian vet has always told me not to get the rough perches so I will be watching the feet bottoms for any redness, Thanks everyone!

The edible perch I got Kiwi didn't last long and I haven't gotten another one since. He has a regular sand perch of the inedible variety now that can be steam cleaned and a "Manu clay" block for minerals thats supposedly the same kind of clay they (parrots native to the amazon basin) eat in nature.

If you've ever seen pictures like this of the wild parrots eating from clay cliffs:


This is *supposedly* the same material parrots native to this part of the world consume in their natural diets:
https://www.amazon.com/Pollys-Products-Mineral-Blocks-Natural/dp/B0006ZE6XQ

A block typically lasts Kiwi 6-8 months and I see him noshing on it a couple times a week, but he doesn't just rip it up for fun like he will with cuttlebones or that mineral perch. He actually seems to eat the clay in small amounts, almost instinctually knows what the stuff is! I keep it by his food dish. I don't want him OD'ing on minerals by offering multiple kinds of mineral blocks or perches of unknown compositions when he seems to do well with the stuff he'd actually eat in nature

Like Kiwibird said, my guys would absolutely destroy their cuttlebones. For the longest time, I only had three budgies, which wasn't a problem. Then I adopt Ziggy and Alice, then the Montreal trio (Rumi, Lara, Pollo), and it became a problem. The girls would absolutely destroy all the veggies I put in the cage, and they'd turn a thing of cuttlebone into a pile of dust in a matter of days. The Manu mineral blocks seem to do the trick, as they only nibble on it when they want to supplement their diet, as opposed to destroying it for fun.

For sand perches, I have a plastic pedicure perch which I clean with bird-safe disinfectant or soap and water, and I scrub it with a toothbrush. With a Manu sand perch, I don't know what I'd do. Maybe put a bit of hot water with eucalyptus oil mixed in on it (like Spirit said), then once the top layer is somewhat saturated, use a toothbrush to scrub off the poop and food. Then I'd rinse it in some cool water, then gently pat it dry. I know with cholla perches, they're a pain to clean. I spend at least 8 minutes cleaning one of those puny things. You need to use hot water, toothpicks, and you need to bang it against the sink to get the garbage out of the holes. Hmm, maybe I could use my WaterPik (or whatever it's called) next time. Great idea! Everyone should use WaterPiks to clean cholla.

I don't think there's anything inherently unsafe about rough perches (assuming they're made from non-toxic materials). The problem is if your bird is obese, inactive, disabled, has some sort of pre-existing condition, etc. My boys don't have problems with rough perches, but Rumi was obese and she tends to stand on the same perches a lot, so her feet get sore. However, her feet even get sore on platform perches, grapevine, rope, etc. Lara can have issues with those perches because she's so fat. And Samantha's ancient, so her skins probably more sensitive. Also, I don't recommend having any toys near rough perches, since your bird can get carried away while playing and not notice their feet are being scraped up. While I had my Montreal trio in quarantine, the girls became so OCD while shredding their kabob that they cut their feet on the bark on the kabob. Their feet were all raw (not bleeding, but it wasn't good), so I had to remove the kabob before they hurt themselves any further (both girls were morbidly obese, so that just added to their problem).

Kiwibird said:

This is *supposedly* the same material parrots native to this part of the world consume in their natural diets:
https://www.amazon.com/Pollys-Products-Mineral-Blocks-Natural/dp/B0006ZE6XQ

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Interesting! I have all sorts of mineral blocks like the ones you see sold in the big pet stores. I've never seen these manu clay blocks before. Added to my amazon cart. How do you hang these in the cage? Do they come with screws or the plastic covered metal wires?

Thanks for all the awesome info and cleaning tips from everyone! The cholla perches described by Tedd is kind of what I bought (has deep holes along the stem).

I would not use the sandpaper perch covers if this is for your budgies. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but I've read too often about foot problems and sore spots because it's too abrasive for their sensitive tiny feet. The various nail trim perches out there don't ever seem as abrasive, so maybe that will be okay for your conure . Raven has one, but he's bigger.

Here is just one article on the subject of bumblefoot, caused by sandpaper. Musings of a Vet: Keep the Sandpaper Out of the Bird's Cage

Thanks for link, RavensGryf. It's a good read!

I don't cover all perches with sandpaper, just a quarter of 1 perch (they have about 6 perches in the cage). In fact, I cut the roll in half, and just put half on one end, the other on one end, leaving the middle of the perch naked. The only time they're on it is when they are rubbing their beaks or chewing on it. Do you think this might reduce the risks of bumblefoot or still too risky? It's the obsessive beak-rubbing and chewing that worried me originally when I made this post. They can literally strip half a roll down to the paper in 1-2 days.

You've never seen Manu mineral blocks before? Tsk tsk, I thought bird guardians were all supposed to have spending problems .

As for the sandpaper perch covers, I used them all the time back in the day. You guys probably don't know this about me, but I used to neglect my birds. They weren't cleaned regularly, they ate mainly seed, only had their water changed a few times a week... In my defence, I was less than 13 years old at the time, but I still feel bad for all those years. Although my parents should've done a better job. I still feel awful about it, though. This knowledge has always pained me. I was also struggling with anxiety issues...

Anyways, we used to use those perch covers. As far as I can remember, the budgies never had a problem with them. I might not have been taking care of them at the time, but I've had sharp eyes when it comes to animals ever since I was a toddler, so I would've noticed sore feet. The way you're using the sand covers should be fine. For beak rubbing, have you tried buying one of those coral beak buffers from Polly's Pet Products?

On a totally different note, it's a shame about I Got A Woody, eh?