Senegal Parrot 15+ years old. Happy Bird, sociable 1 hour minimum out out of cage time a day
Ever since he was a baby he has loved to chew things which make noise. Some toys he loved to scrape the plastic, there was a perch which he could get at the washer and he loved scraping that and more recently he has found the cage to chew on. His current cage is powder coated and he resisted having a go at it for a while but then started to pick at the powder coating. I email the manufacturer who told me that it was a parrot safe, non-toxic cage. Phew.
Despite that, when I cleaned last week there was rust developing. Quickly called the shop who said that material was steel - searched this forum and as I expected rust is not the best for parrots. How bad are we talking here?
I live in a small flat, in an attic space. The only place which does not have built in furniture is the corner he is housed in. The cage he is in, is perfect for the corner so I am inclined to buy the same cage again. I could get a smaller cage which does not fit the corner but I don't want him to down size after all these years.
A few questions.
1. Is this a behavioural issue? I have noticed that when he starts to scrape his food bowl is empty and have been waiting till the scraping stops to fill the bowl.
2. Is he bored, he gets out of cage time, new toys. Toys to shred etc but just LOVES to go at the cage. What else can be done?
3. Could I DIY the cage and sort the rust out myself, I have seen a few thing written about this but is that practical in the long run. I would prefer to spend money rather than mess around with the health of the bird.
Thanks
Ever since he was a baby he has loved to chew things which make noise. Some toys he loved to scrape the plastic, there was a perch which he could get at the washer and he loved scraping that and more recently he has found the cage to chew on. His current cage is powder coated and he resisted having a go at it for a while but then started to pick at the powder coating. I email the manufacturer who told me that it was a parrot safe, non-toxic cage. Phew.
Despite that, when I cleaned last week there was rust developing. Quickly called the shop who said that material was steel - searched this forum and as I expected rust is not the best for parrots. How bad are we talking here?
I live in a small flat, in an attic space. The only place which does not have built in furniture is the corner he is housed in. The cage he is in, is perfect for the corner so I am inclined to buy the same cage again. I could get a smaller cage which does not fit the corner but I don't want him to down size after all these years.
A few questions.
1. Is this a behavioural issue? I have noticed that when he starts to scrape his food bowl is empty and have been waiting till the scraping stops to fill the bowl.
2. Is he bored, he gets out of cage time, new toys. Toys to shred etc but just LOVES to go at the cage. What else can be done?
3. Could I DIY the cage and sort the rust out myself, I have seen a few thing written about this but is that practical in the long run. I would prefer to spend money rather than mess around with the health of the bird.
Thanks
They certainly are not cheapy-cheap but for peace of mind and no more issues with wonky powder coating or corrosion they're worth it!
