bird bed?

[conureconnie]

would this be safe for a conure?

 

[itzjbean]

There is a lot of controversy surrounding happy/snuggle huts for birds. One concern is chewing -- birds love to chew, and if the materials/strings are ingested, it may not be able to pass and can turn fatal quickly. The other concern is that the chewed up strings and material can end up tangling and choking the bird and it ends up struggling so much it dies by hanging, unable to free itself.

Give this a read...

Happy Hut warning

Some people are okay with risking it if their bird isn't a big chewer and/or check the hut often for loose fabric, some really do like the huts but it can be dangerous especially if you can't keep an eye on them throughout the day. I would advise you to get a different one, one that isn't so fluffy/loose where it's all fabric where claws can get stuck too. I have one that's the hut shape but almost all carboard except for a small bit of fabric inside the hut. I have not yet used it with my cockatiels though and not sure if I ever will.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Thanks to our Bean for that. Another concern of mine is that enclosures can stimulate breeding and associated aggression/territoriality issues... something I do NOT need with my little rooster!

 

[conureconnie]

so it is okay to just sleep on a perch?

 

[Owlet]

yes birds are made for sleeping just on perches unless they're nesting

 

[GaleriaGila]

What Owlet said!

 

[BoomBoom]

Lots of great advice you've already received. I just want to reinforce what has been said, for anyone else who happens upon this thread in the future: The furry happy hut shown on the photo is indeed dangerous. Birds can either get tangled in loose, chewed up threads or they can ingest microfibers of the furry material which will later cause crop or track impaction. Both are fatal.

My conure also sleeps on a perch and does just fine. I think he'd still prefer a nice, cozy hut but until someone comes up with a completely safe alternative, I'm keeping my distance.

 

[conureconnie]

Thanks for the advice, but don't other bird toys have the same risk of ingestion with the perches or boings made of rope or the toys with stringy type material?
Thanks.

 

[Owlet]

yes they do and that's why lots strongly advise to stay away from products that have fibers similar to rope perches and these happy huts. Especially if your bird is a big chewer.

 

[conureconnie]

There is not any toy for a bird made of cement that is indestructible, right?? Wood or rope or straw, isn't all of that ingestible?

 

[Owlet]

the fibers that the happy hut and stuff are made out of are not easily broken down. If you ate a string it would likely come out exactly the same condition it went in. Wood and straw can be broken down. it shouldn't really be consumed in excess or really at all but again, it can be broken down if small portions end up accidentally consumed. cotton fibers cannot be. They can also get tangled up in the crop and cause compaction or tangled in intestines and cause all sorts of problems.

 

[Laurasea]

My GCC have slept in sleepy huts for 17 years with no problems. No breeding behavior, no agression, just happy snug birds. These birds like to sleep lying down. This is just my opinion and experience with my own two birds. My two Quakers also sleep in huts. My rescue I just got yesterday came with s hut she had been sleeping in for seven years. No

 

[Laurasea]

Owlets point about fibers is also very true. A swallowed string can cause twisting in the intestine leading to death. I wanted to add that to my previous endorsement, as a warning. But for me they will always have one, made out the safest material I can find and monitor for fraying, abd replaced. They are just to happy secure and content when sleeping in them.

 

[LordTriggs]

@lauresea sorry to say but birds in the wild don't lie down to sleep, bird brains have evolved to keep one hemisphere of the brain awake while the other rests so they can sleep standing perched and ready to take off if needs be.

It's lucky your birds haven't had issue with the huts, mine was terrible with his, tried it for about 2 days before I read the horror stories and he was a complete nightmare for territorial displays and lunging, not an example of all birds but it is what can happen and as I was taught when doing military training "plan for the worst, hope for the best" Once I removed the hut (and someone finished having their tantrum) the little guy became sweet and friendly again.Personally I feel everyone should stick away from happy huts and I personally would like to see them banned from sale in stores, if something had killed as many cats or dogs you can bet they would be banned from sale but because they're birds it doesn't matter and they keep getting pushed for sale

 

[wrench13]

If he must have a hut, you can make one from woven sea grass matts available on Amazon. Just fold it into a hut like shape and hang in with stainless steel chains from the top of the cage. SOme conures and similar parrots that like cozy sleeping, will settle for just a bit of safe towel hung on 1 or 2 side of their sleeping perch. Just enough to shut out the outside world.

Salty is not safe with any kind of furry or similar huts or toys as he does rip them apart and I cant be sure he does not ingest fibres, so they are a no no in our ours.

 

[EllenD]

My GCC have slept in sleepy huts for 17 years with no problems. No breeding behavior, no agression, just happy snug birds. These birds like to sleep lying down. This is just my opinion and experience with my own two birds. My two Quakers also sleep in huts. My rescue I just got yesterday came with s hut she had been sleeping in for seven years. No

I totally believe you, I'm sure you're being completely honest about your "Happy Hut" experience being a positive one...However, so are all of these people, along with literally thousands more, so many that the packaging on these things now says "NOT INTENDED FOR CONURES!" right on the front of the label!!!...:

Happy Hut Warning

So the question becomes "Is it worth the risk?" Now if you really think about that question, you're asking yourselves whether or not it's worth having your bird literally die so that he can have a little fluffy tent to play with and sleep in. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me at all...

The difference between the Happy/Snuggle Huts and other toys made with different materials that could be potentially dangerous (besides the fact that thousands of birds have been killed/died as a direct result of the Happy/Snuggle Huts, on record) is that the birds are actually sleeping/playing inside of these things, with the material hanging down all around them, right in their faces screaming "CHEW ME!!!" And for whatever reason, the material they use to make these things has been found to basically be 100% non-digestible by birds, whereas a lot of the other materials used to make safe bird toys (if you're choosing your bird's toys wisely) is digestible/natural.

***Any manufacturer that has had so many pets killed/died as a result of one of their products and they've been faced with so many lawsuits that they actually have to put "NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY CONURES!" right on the front of the packaging, yet they still produce and sell the product, well, does that sound like a product that you want to buy? Do you want to give your money to a company like this? Check their website, there is not one iota of contact information, not an email, phone number, address, not even a contact form...wonder why...

This is everyone's individual choice for their birds, I guess we all have to respect that, and I do...I just don't understand the "need" for your bird to have a fuzzy tent to sleep in being prioritized ahead of your bird being alive...:15:

 

[lplummer52]

I hesitate to chime in here, but can't resist. I think you have to really know your bird first. Birdie only sleeps in her cage. She has a few toys in there, but never touches them. She nibbles on pellets if she wakes up before I do. Very seldom do I catch her sleeping, but if I do, she is always snuggled up in her "hammock", always laying down with just her tail peeking out. She will also dive into my shirts and lay across my chest or neck for a nap in the afternoon or evening. When the sun goes down, she goes directly into her cage and I put the cover on. Her hammock is made of cardboard with a very thin layer of cotton fleece covering it. I would certainly remove it if I thought there was any danger. That purple, fluffy thing does indeed look dangerous and I would not use it. I did like Salty suggested and made my own before I knew about any dangers just to save money. But I do think Sun Conures (the only one I have experience with) like laying down to sleep. And since our birds are not in the wild, they can afford to sleep peacefully any way they want.

 

[Owlet]

And since our birds are not in the wild, they can afford to sleep peacefully any way they want.

Even if it potentially puts them in danger?

 

[lplummer52]

Like I said, if I thought there was any danger, I would remove the hammock. Lots of things around the house are "potentially" dangerous. We do our best to Birdie proof the house. But we also try to give her as much freedom as we can. There's nothing sadder to me than a caged bird. Safe, but sad.

 

[Owlet]

I didn't mean to imply that you were putting your bird specifically in danger, sorry about that, I was just referring to the "any way they want". happy huts are soft and fluffy and comfy, but they're also dangerous. A bird might want to sleep in these comfy beds, but is it really worth putting them in danger for it? As previously stated, there's already safe alternative to cloth / fuzzy / fibrous beds such as sea grass mats folded into a tent. But as also previous stated, providing such beds can lead to hormonal issues because it mimics nesting behaviors. Parrots aren't domesticated and are very very much still 'wild'. Wild parrots never (or rarely) "lay down" unless nesting. There's no purpose for it outside of nesting.