Are the bars on the cage ok for my conures feet?

[kimbell]

ok - sorry I didn't really know how to word that question.
basically, i'm wondering if the bars on the bottom of the cage are fine for Pico's feet or not.
Every morning when i'm still asleep then Pico just paces back and forth on the bottom of his cage, eyeing me and waiting for me to wake up (because he knows he gets to hang out with me in the mornings once i'm awake)
But it doesn't look very comfortable on his feet, and it worries me that he spends so much time at the bottom. Even though the cage has a removable tray, should I put newspaper at the bottom of the cage so that he has a flat surface to walk on? does anyone else do that?

Thanks!

Kim and Pico

 

[Piasa]

The bottom grate is fine for Pico if he has other places that he can go too. So long as the cage is finished properly, no sharp edges still on it. You can put newspaper down there, but he may chew it! And his waste will be accessible to him, whereas if it's at the bottom tray he can't get into it.

I've heard about vertical bars being bad for a parrot's beak and feet if they hang there too much or have nowhere else to go, but never anything about the grate.

My green cheek is a hanging conure - he's always on the sides or bottom of his cage and it took a lot of experimentation for me to find other things he would perch on. If you are worried about something like this, I found Beau likes sitting on woven raffia toys, big flagstone perches (he won't go to small ones for some reason), and cholla wood perches. I have to put them in areas he wants to be too, or else he won't use them.

 

[Midnight]

I'm pretty new to birds but I am wondering if your bird has a lot of perches in the cage? My bird occasionally comes to the bottom but she usually prefers the higher places. If you bird likes the bottom better then maybe put a rope perch or something across so he can walk on that instead? I'm not sure if it is bad for their feet but my conure seems to have a hard time walking on it. If you do have perches down there then maybe put a soft blanket or newspaper but becareful if they like to chew.
Hope that helped a little

 

[Mango7218]

Newspaper is actually bad for a birds feet if they walk on it because of the ink it absorbs into their feet.

 

[kimbell]

Thanks Piasa!!
He definitely has other places to go, but I guess he finds it easiest to look at me through the bars when he's at the bottom, lol! When he does this, I ask him "are you creepin on me?" and he answers it's hilarious but I just wish he wasn't so obsessive about waiting for me to wake up and spending so much time pacing.
But you definitely just gave me a good idea to maybe put some perches and accessible toys closer to the very bottom of the cage.
but maybe if I do that, then he will distract himself while he's being a creep. good to know that the bars don't affect his feet.
I read somewhere in the forums that it's not good to only have the evenly rounded standard perches in the cage because they need variety for their feet, and I wasn't sure if the bars would be the same type of issue.

I probably won't put newspaper because you made a good point about the waste. I guess i'll just move different things around and see if anything changes in the mornings.

 

[kimbell]

Midnight,
thank you as well! he does have 4 perches throughout his cage but like I said in my last reply, for some reason he just likes to creep at the bottom and peek at me through the bars while he's waiting for me to wake up. However, I don't have much of anything close to the very bottom of the cage. so I will move things around and pick up some new stuff (great rope idea!) to see if maybe I can get him to entertain himself while he's walking around in the morning. I agree it does seem like he has a hard time walking at the bottom which is why I was a little concerned.

Also thanks for the advice Mango, I definitely did not know that!

 

[Mallory]

You've gotten some good advice already. I wanted to add my $0.02 here though because two of my three cages are simple plastic pans (converted critter nation cages) instead of a grate setup. I have a third cage (Eva's) with a grate and I've also had a lot of foot/grate/cage experience in wild bird rehabilitation and spending awhile working for a pet store. There are some pros and cons to either choice, I'll break it down - based on my opinions and experience - very quickly and simply...

GRATE
Pros: birds can't get to feces, birds can't get to spoiled food, discourages birds from tearing up papers at bottom of cage, in some cages required (if there is a gap when only tray is used)
Cons: grates are messy and harder to clean, birds can't forage dropped food and toys, birds can get sores if they spend too much time walking on grates, birds will have no flat surface option (unless you have flat platform perches)

TRAY ONLY
Pros: birds can forage, get to any dropped toys, easier to clean than grate, birds should not get sores walking on flat surface
Cons: birds will have total exposure to poop and dropped spoiled food, requires more frequent cleaning, birds can get to bottom papers to tear them

I have seen birds - especially doves and pigeons who tend to spend lots of time on the ground foraging - get nasty foot sores from grates. If I was using a cage with a dove and the grate was not removable, I added paper towels or newspaper to help smooth out the surface. In parrots, the same can happen if they spend a lot of time on the grates. A flat tray is a bit better for their feet but it doesn't matter if you can encourage your bird to use platform perches and spend less time on the bottom. I have even used dog frisbees (plastic and durable fabric) to make very affordable platforms for Eva and she loves to roll around and play on them!

If your bird can get to the paper at the bottom of the cage (even if it's behind a grate) make sure any print is with soy-based ink. Most newspapers only use soy-based ink now but never assume. Regardless of whether you have a grate, a bird will be exposed to much more ink chewing and mouthing the paper than walking across it. If your tray is low enough from the grate that the bird cannot reach the papers this is less of a concern.


EDIT: While we're talking about feet I just feel the need to add this for anyone reading. Please always check your bird's feet for human hair. I once was given a pair of ringneck doves who had been (neglected) family pets for years. The hen had a long strand of hair around her foot and she was unable to remove it. Over time it embedded itself into her foot and cut off circulation. By the time we took the pair in, the infection had spread to the rest of her body and while we were able to remove the foot she later died of sepsis. The male was in better condition and ultimately able to find a loving home but I hope her story will serve as a reminder of another thing to be wary of!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Newspaper is actually bad for a birds feet if they walk on it because of the ink it absorbs into their feet.

So long as the print was soy based, it is perfectly harmless for the bird’s feet. 

 

[Poeia]

Newspaper is actually bad for a birds feet if they walk on it because of the ink it absorbs into their feet.

That's not much of a problem any longer. There was a time when color ink, especially, was toxic when wet but newer ones aren't.

You can buy plain newsprint to use instead. It comes pre-cut so you can get it a little bigger than your cage. It's not expensive but you usually have to get a buy a big box (so get it delivered -- a thousand sheets are heavy.) Staples carries some sizes but you can probably get it cheaper from a packaging supplies store via google.