GCC Destroying pellet bedding

Oliver

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Dec 3, 2013
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Hello! I have a GCC who has developed a strange habit that is starting to concern me. He is covered every night when it gets dark, and he will even get cranky and scream if he doesn't get covered on time (I swear he knows when it is 8.) Anyways, after he gets covered he goes down to the bottom of his cage, which is in pitch-blackness, and crushes up the pine pellets on the bottom of his cage.

Over the course of a week or two he grinds it all the way down to dust in some places. he also puts them in-between the tray and the cage wall and shoves plenty out of the cage as well. me and my roommate have taken to referring to this activity as "farming." Toward the end of my cage cleaning schedule he does this less and less, and singles out a particular corner of the cage, where he never poos above, and shreds everything as fine as possible. He will continue to shred other pellets, but less so. When I replace the bedding he starts all over again.

I am a little concerned that it might be a stress behavior, but he shows no other signs of stress and has never plucked a single feather. He started this behavior the spring before last when he was hormonal, and he stopped doing it, but this past spring it has continued. He isn't displaying any other hormonal indicators, but he continues to shred his bedding. One of my other chief concerns is that he is coming into contact with his own poo, while he seems to focus on the particular corner, I still worry about it because I know birds have poor night vision and he is doing all this in the dark.

I guess this could be nesting behavior, but GCC's do not nest on the ground that I know of, and i'm 99% sure he is male (no eggs over 7 years)

Has anyone else encountered behavior similar to this? I have been considering just using ceramic tile in the bottom of his cage otherwise and would appreciate advice on that as well if you have any.

Thank you! :gcc:
 

YSGC

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Pico, gender unknown, is a hand-fed Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conure, born 2015.
I'd remove that material from the cage.

He is exhibiting nesting behavior, which triggers hormones.
A hormonal bird is a problem bird.

Hormones tell the animal to breed, but clearly he can't.
IMO this results in stress and frustration that manifests itself in bad behavior like biting and more screaming.

I used to put newspaper on the bottom of Pico's cage.
He'd shred it and move it around like your bird does.

When I stopped giving him newspaper his personality improved, but obviously my cleaning time went up.
 

Ellie777Australia

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Hi Oliver, I agree with Capt.Kirk...this is serious nesting behaviour. It sounds as if your cage has a bottom tray but no grate as a barrier between the bird and the bottom. Other than no material for a base and frequent cleaning, you may consider fitting a bottom grate to cover the 'poo catching material' or a new cage with a bottom grate. I'd be concerned if my bird was walking around in his and her poo and discarded food as well.
 
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Oliver

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Thanks for the info, I guess that does make sense it's more likely he is doing some kind of nesting behavior than just being crazy.

What kind of bedding or flooring did you start using? I used to use a grate, but he would get down and incessantly play it like an instrument. That was years ago so I could try again I guess.
 

YSGC

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Pico, gender unknown, is a hand-fed Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conure, born 2015.
IMO a grate is the best compromise.
Since you don't like your grate, be careful about making a new one out of wire mesh from a hardware store.
Wire mesh is often made of metals that are toxic to birds.

I'd consider using those plastic screen things that are used as covers for fluorescent ceiling light fixtures.
Maybe Home Depot sells them.

They present a good ratio of plastic to air space, so more poo falls through.
Being plastic they are easy to clean outside with a garden hose.
And since they are not metal they can be left to soak in water without rusting.
The plastic is too hard for a conure to chew up ... but probably not a large parrot.

I'd make two.
Then when you remove one for soaking to soften the dried poo, you can immediately install the other clean one.
They're cheap too.

Click on this image to enlarge it:

002.jpg
 
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itzjbean

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Jan 27, 2017
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Use newspaper on the bottom of the cage and NO bedding at all! It's great, easy to clean up, access and does not promote nesting.
 

YSGC

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Jan 6, 2019
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Pico, gender unknown, is a hand-fed Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conure, born 2015.
Use newspaper on the bottom of the cage and NO bedding at all! It's great, easy to clean up, access and does not promote nesting.

Newspaper did result in nesting with my conure.
See my post above.

Conures vary apparently.
 
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Oliver

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Dec 3, 2013
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IMO a grate is the best compromise.
Since you don't like your grate, be careful about making a new one out of wire mesh from a hardware store.
Wire mesh is often are made of metals that are toxic to birds.

I'd consider using these plastic screen things that are used as covers for fluorescent ceiling light fixtures.
Maybe Home Depot sells them.

They present a good ratio of plastic to air space, so more poo falls through.
Being plastic they are easy to clean outside with a garden hose.
And since they are not metal they can be left to soak in water without rusting.
The plastic is too hard for a conure to chew up ... but probably not a large parrot.

Make two so when when one is soaking you can install the second clean one.
Cheap too.

Click on image to enlarge it:

View attachment 22873

I really like that idea! Do you have a suggestion on where to find those screens? After some light googling I am finding a lot of different styles.
 

YSGC

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Jan 6, 2019
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Pico, gender unknown, is a hand-fed Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conure, born 2015.
IMO a grate is the best compromise.
Since you don't like your grate, be careful about making a new one out of wire mesh from a hardware store.
Wire mesh is often are made of metals that are toxic to birds.

I'd consider using these plastic screen things that are used as covers for fluorescent ceiling light fixtures.
Maybe Home Depot sells them.

They present a good ratio of plastic to air space, so more poo falls through.
Being plastic they are easy to clean outside with a garden hose.
And since they are not metal they can be left to soak in water without rusting.
The plastic is too hard for a conure to chew up ... but probably not a large parrot.

Make two so when when one is soaking you can install the second clean one.
Cheap too.

Click on image to enlarge it:

View attachment 22873

I really like that idea! Do you have a suggestion on where to find those screens? After some light googling I am finding a lot of different styles.

Actually I'm on my way to Home Depot now to look for them.
I'll let you know.

Like everything else they're probably available online.
 

Ellie777Australia

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Apr 12, 2019
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Queensland, Australia
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SI Eclectus Female, Ellie; RS/SI Eclectus Male, Bertie (both adopted as rescue/re-home)
If I use exposed newspaper Ellie shreds it and starts nesting behaviour. However, I use newspaper under both Bertie and Ellie's cage grates without problems and cleanup is easy.


Oliver, it appears that Capt.Kirk is doing a great job in assisting with ideas....let us know how you make out with the grate plan.
 

Jexnell

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Jul 28, 2019
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That screen is called 'egg crate'. You can get it from Home Depot, I use it for seperators for my fish.
 

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YSGC

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Pico, gender unknown, is a hand-fed Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conure, born 2015.
YIPEE!
I found it at Home Depot in the lighting department.

It comes in white and a highly-reflective metallic silver.
I would not buy the metallic one because a bird will probably chew off and swallow that silver coating. :eek:

On the receipt Home Depot calls it, "EGG CRATE WHT LOUVER".
Price is $16.65 for one 2' x 4' sheet.

Awesome.

Click on these to enlarge them:

egg crate .jpg

FWIW, here is the label with the SKU.

egg crate label.jpg
 
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Laurasea

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Aug 2, 2018
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Full house
My friends cocktail does this , with no problems ever. I myself use newspaper, and have a cage that doesn't let them get to the waste anyway. You can give old paperback books for shredding fun, I learned this from another member and my birds have fun with that. Conures live to untie knots too, I read this tried it and found it to be very true!! You can buy those shredder rolls and thread through cage bars, all my birds have fun with that. If you have a bored bird, or even a hormonal bird providing more activity helps. I read a great article on toy types, and why different types are important, having a noise maker toy, a shredding toy, a toy they can pick up and move with their feet, a puzzle type toy, and foraging type toy, having at least one of each helps. I float plastic bottle caps in shallow dishes and put a seed in them, they have to fish around and learn to manipulate the cap to get the seed, lots o fun. Anyway I would add that to your advice above. Find ways to stimulate the mind. Good luck!
 
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Oliver

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Dec 3, 2013
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YIPEE!
I found it at Home Depot.

It comes in white and a highly-reflective metallic silver.
I would not buy the metallic one because a bird will probably chew off and swallow that silver coating. :eek:

On the receipt Home Depot calls it, "EGG CRATE WHT LOUVER".
Price is $16.65 for one 2' x 4' sheet.

Awesome.

Click on these to enlarge them:

View attachment 22875

FWIW, here is the label with the SKU.

View attachment 22876

Awesome! I'll see about getting some of that and giving it a shot! Thanks everybody!
 

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