My dusky conure wont sleep without his hut

QuietSloths · Oct 20, 2016

I'm new here but I have a 6 yr old dusky conure who has been sleeping in a tent hut for about 5 years and I recently read on here that they arent safe due to threads hanging the bird or injuring them. I tried to take his tent away but he wouldn't sleep. He kept looking for it and trying to jump into the tent.I don't know if anyone else has a bird who is like mine but I need to know of a good replacement. Would something like this be safe https://petoverstock.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/600x/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/L/S/LSSB00474.jpg or is there something better.

IndySE · Oct 20, 2016

I'm told the huts are only dangerous if the birds tend to chew on them. If they leave them well enough alone and don't damage them then it's probably alright.

I'm not sure if that hut will be much safer. But if you're really paranoid, I think I've seen people put a soft blanket against a wall of a cage (or even a corner). that way they can snuggle up against it without the risk of injury.

QuietSloths · Oct 20, 2016

IndySE said:
I'm told the huts are only dangerous if the birds tend to chew on them. If they leave them well enough alone and don't damage them then it's probably alright.

I'm not sure if that hut will be much safer. But if you're really paranoid, I think I've seen people put a soft blanket against a wall of a cage (or even a corner). that way they can snuggle up against it without the risk of injury.

He doesn't chew but he sometimes digs right before he falls asleep.

Grenage · Oct 21, 2016

There are a lot of horror stories about the most trivial things. Just apply some common sense and occasionally check the bed for loose loops.

JBassset · Oct 21, 2016

Grenage said:
There are a lot of horror stories about the most trivial things. Just apply some common sense and occasionally check the bed for loose loops.

That's how I look at it.

Stephen has one of these huts. He chews on it, hangs from it and sees it as his personal safe space. I took it out once to wash it and he went absolute bonkers. I just clip the threads to reduce any risks but I figure if he's had it for years it's not worth the stress of taking it away from him.

Like everything I suspect if you look hard enough you'll find a story that tells you that the thing you have/are doing is dangerous. (We all survived our childhoods without helmets right?)

Loko · Oct 21, 2016

I just posted a long response to this thread but it disappeared!? Anyway, to sum up what i said was that as long as you make sure he has not chewed any of it and that there are no holes or pieces that cam become a noose, it should be okay, just keep your eye on it. My sun prefers to sleep in a folded towel, held by two pieces of rope. It acts like a snuggly blanket. If you want to try it out, just take a smaller head towel and fold it long ways, make four holes (two on each side for the rope to go through) put the rope through and hang. Just make sure there are no things he can get caught in, like anything else. There should be three openings, one on the top, and one on each side. They should all be big enough for him to easily get in and out of. Conures love their beds!

QuietSloths · Oct 21, 2016

Thank you everyone for the response. I do worry a lot and it is true you will find a horror story about everything. I will continue to let him use it at night and check for any strings or holes. I just want my little guy to be safe.

wrench13 · Oct 21, 2016

The only bad thing I have heard about them is the slow and gradual buildup of snuggly material in their GI tract, just from chewing, not even eating, the material. May take years to build up enough to cause a blockage. Whats the natural bedding material that conures use in the wild? Im sure they are not getting blankets or cloth or other manmade materials.

QuietSloths · Oct 21, 2016

wrench13 said:
The only bad thing I have heard about them is the slow and gradual buildup of snuggly material in their GI tract, just from chewing, not even eating, the material. May take years to build up enough to cause a blockage. Whats the natural bedding material that conures use in the wild? Im sure they are not getting blankets or cloth or other manmade materials.

I was thinking about getting him a flat perch for him to sleep on. Is pine safe? Or should I keep looking.

Skittys_Daddy · Oct 21, 2016

Pine is fine. lol.

I agree with Al about the GI issues. Finding loose threads and what not was not an issue with Skittles- but rather, he would chew on the fibers and would regurgitate on it and you know what they do after that, lol. So I worried he would ingest the fibers so I removed it.

I HATED taking Skittles hut away cause I know how much he loved it. But he did adjust and now he gets his 'hideaway' fix by climbing down my shirt. lol. Every alternative I tried was a failure. So I gave up. NOw I just put tissues on the bottom of the cage for him to tear up and I also put those yucca chips too.

Also, there are some people on here who use those perches that have a blanket above them (I forget what they are called). I never tried one cause I worry Skittles would chew it and would fall off the perch.

Skittles sleeps on his rope perches.

Dex · Oct 26, 2016

QuietSloths said:
I'm new here but I have a 6 yr old dusky conure who has been sleeping in a tent hut for about 5 years and I recently read on here that they arent safe due to threads hanging the bird or injuring them. I tried to take his tent away but he wouldn't sleep. He kept looking for it and trying to jump into the tent.I don't know if anyone else has a bird who is like mine but I need to know of a good replacement. Would something like this be safe https://petoverstock.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/600x/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/L/S/LSSB00474.jpg or is there something better.

I use a rabbit pelt for my little Kiwi. I just attached Kiwi's to the side of the cage and she snuggles into it. However, you can make it into a tent if you want.

[ If he is a chewer, make sure you get one that uses natural/no chemical tanning process.]

:green1:

snowflake311 · Oct 27, 2016

What about this?

Or could you make your own Hut out of organic Cotton fabric. OR maybe organic Hemp fabric? would that be safe? Because I too have the same issue. My bird loves the hut. He was going to town on his first one so I pulled it out. Now he has a slightly different one that is more of a Tent open on both side. He is not chewing this one as mush as the closed hut type.

I have been thinking of making my own that would be safer.

Mudkips · Oct 31, 2016

wrench13 said:
The only bad thing I have heard about them is the slow and gradual buildup of snuggly material in their GI tract

Unfortunately there are much faster deaths involved where parrots get caught in a loose string, panic and die very quickly.
It's happened to members of this forum before.

It's also worth remembering that many parrots have lived long happy lives sleeping in happy huts.
As mentioned earlier, some common sense has to be used when evaluating the risks.

Skittys_Daddy · Nov 1, 2016

Agreed- my main reasons for removing Skittles huts is not because of anything I could or couldn't do but because he couldn't go one night without either chewing on it or regurgitating on it- either way, I'd have to replace them several times a week and at $14 each, its just not sensible.

Skittles gets his cuddle fix in my shirt during the day.

I will fall asleep in my chair in the afternoon and he's somewhere on one of his playstands and I'll wake up and he's in my shirt.

I actually woke up from a long nap in my chair this afternoon and panicked when I couldn't find him and he wasn't answering me. Then I got up out of the chair and realized he was in my shirt sleeping on my chest. lol. You'd think I'd have noticed him. lol

I wish I could let him sleep in bed with me, but that would never work. He likes to burrow and I move around a lot in my sleep and that'd be a tragedy waiting to happen. At least in my chair, I don't move around, in fact I can't really so it's not a danger.

SteelGypsy · Nov 1, 2016

Oh, please, please take the hut away. I can barely see the text I'm typing through my tears. I lost my beautiful Lilly last Wednesday. Lilly was 9 and always slept in a hut. Weekly cage cleaning included trimming any threads she pulled and I replaced it completely every couple months. I knew something was wrong when I came home from work and unlocked the door...she always joined in with the dogs barking when I came home. Last Wednesday she was silent. I raced to her cage and there was my beautiful baby girl with her foot tangled in a thread, feathers everywhere. I ran for scissors to cut the hut down hoping to save her, but it was too late, she was already gone. Nothing was worth the risk of losing this beautiful soul.

Anansi · Nov 1, 2016

SteelGypsy said:
Oh, please, please take the hut away. I can barely see the text I'm typing through my tears. I lost my beautiful Lilly last Wednesday. Lilly was 9 and always slept in a hut. Weekly cage cleaning included trimming any threads she pulled and I replaced it completely every couple months. I knew something was wrong when I came home from work and unlocked the door...she always joined in with the dogs barking when I came home. Last Wednesday she was silent. I raced to her cage and there was my beautiful baby girl with her foot tangled in a thread, feathers everywhere. I ran for scissors to cut the hut down hoping to save her, but it was too late, she was already gone. Nothing was worth the risk of losing this beautiful soul.

I am so very sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your experience with the members of this community. I can see that doing so was very difficult for you, but hopefully it will save the life of a bird whose parront is reading this.

It's a personal choice, but I've read enough stories like this for me to know that I'll never risk it with my birds. It's just one of those things that is safe... until it isn't.

Again, SteelGypsy, my deepest condolences for your loss.

GaleriaGila · Nov 1, 2016

Nothing more to contribute, except to join in welcoming you.
Glad you found us.
I admire Dusky Conures. Such pretty and subtle colors, and beautiful eye 'patches'. I hope you'll post a picture!

Skittys_Daddy · Nov 1, 2016

@SteelGypsy I am so very sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what you must be going through and just the thought of it breaks my heart. I'm so glad you found us though. This is a very nice and supportive community and I really hope you can find some comfort here.

What you said is so true.

A number of months ago, I fell asleep laying down on my bed and got woken up to screaming. It was Skittles, his foot had gotten caught in threads on the pillowcase he had chewed up. He was RIGHT next to me and had he not been, it likely would have been tragic. Even so, he put up quite the fight when I was trying to get him loose.

I think people don't realize that its not just the danger of the item in question but also their reaction to any danger it possesses. They can actually do more damage to themselves fighting to break free than from the actual trapping itself.

I don't let Skittles have any fabric in his cage. Period. I put tissues, paper towels and cardboard on the floor of his sleep cage and he just chews them up. He can't get caught in paper.

I like letting Skittles cuddle inside my shirt (when I'm wearing it that is) because he doesn't chew on my shirts anymore.

Tangie · Nov 11, 2016

I am so sorry for your loss, SteelGypsy! This is unbelievably heartbreaking. I agree with Anansi...it is safe until it isn't. Happy Huts can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. This is a horrible story, and I feel so horrible. 8C

A safer alternative could be a sea grass mat. Consumed, it is fine. There a few holes here and there, but it shouldn't feel opened to a bird if a small little hut is made with it. Kiko adores his, and I feel like it is extremely safe, and it provides me with one less worry. Maybe you could try one of those? It is open on both sides, but with two mats, you could just make one hole.

I also wanted to add that cotton/rope perches can be just as much a hazard as a hut. Feet can get tangled, and cotton can be consumed. Sisal is a safer alternative, I think, but I still am wary about it. Although I have one in Kiko's cage.

Falconbiscuit · Nov 14, 2016

If you're still looking for an alternative, I use this:

Small pet cage accessory comes stuffed with bedding

The shelter I work at uses them, they're safe, able to be chewed and the birds love them! Like a happy hut without the risk (I know there's always a risk with parrot toys, but it's minimized quite a bit, we haven't had any incidents with the chewbular).
Just be sure to buy around five at a time, if your birds a chewer, it might take around 3-4 days to chew through! I would reccomend the medium,

Just run a string (bird safe) through the middle, and attach to the top of the cage! The cardboard and dye is safe for chewing, so no need to worry! If you're aiming to make it more like a bed, put some shredded paper (or anything else that's bird safe and warm) on the bottom.

*edit: I don't suggest you use the bedding that it comes with. It's not safe for ingestion, just remove it just to be sure.

Hope this helps!

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