Chewing grate

[roxynoodle]

Merlin has been chewing on her cage grate and has gotten off a bit of powder coating. I am wondering now if this is why she had the seizure. I'll be talking to the vet about it tomorrow, when she is back in the office. It seems that even though powdercoating is called "safe", it still isn't if birds are actually ingesting it. I had to take her grate out of the cage, and of course she is shredding newspaper like crazy.

She has a ton of shreddable toys, pinecones to shred, wood toys, foot toys and other toys, all of which she plays with as well.

Anybody have a good idea of what to do here? I can't really afford to buy another new cage for her. I have found 2 companies that can make me a custom sized stainless steel grate. My only other option is maybe an anodized aluminum cage from King's. I am wondering, if I buy the SS grate if she will be content to chew on that, or if she actually likes to eat powdercoating and would just start eating the bars on the sides instead.

 

[BillsBirds]

Having used the same cages over & over for different birds, I have noticed many places that have been chewed. But, none of my birds ever seemed to get sick by this. Of course, when a cage was chewed badly, I replaced it. But, never had problems from this. See what the vet says. And, yes, if she likes the taste of powdrecoating, when you replace the grate with a SS grate, she probably will chew the side bars. Wish I could be of more help.

 

[stephend]

From what I have read I would discourage the use of an aluminum cage. Depending on what the vet says, you may want to check craigslist for a cheap temporary cage and then save up for a nice ss one.

 

[lene1949]

She's probably chewing the grate to get to the newspaper and whatever else is down there... I would go for a stainless steel crate for now...

Did she do the same in her old home?

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, her previous owners never mentioned her chewing the cage, but in pics they sent me, I noticed there was no grate in it. No, she actually seems to enjoy chewing on the grate itself, rather than trying to get the paper. Remember she can't see so paper under the grate may not be the attraction.

After $1250 in vet bills, I absolutely can't afford a SS cage. The aluminum one is anodized, and less than 1/3 the price ($600 compared to $2000). There are some SS cages on ebay for under $1k but they are in China. I highly doubt they are surgical grade SS; who knows what they are.

I've never had a bird that wanted to eat it's cage before. My other cages are both more than a decade old and are not missing any powder coating anywhere.

And of course I just bought this cage 6 weeks ago, grr!

Right now, while I'm trying to figure out what to do, I'm just going to leave the grate out and see if she starts eating the sides of the cage.

 

[roxynoodle]

This is the cage I'm looking at:
King's Cages - Avian and Pet Bird Cages, Supplies, Food, Toys, Perches, Aviaries, Pluck No More

I think she likes having a flat top cage because she goes up there to hang upside down by one toe and twirl around. She also likes to exercise her wings up there, which she won't do anywhere else, including outside the cage. I think the bars give her a secure grip to do that. She also prefers a very square cage according to her previous owners, and the vet agrees due to her vision issues.

Maybe she likes chewing the grate more than her wood toys because it doesn't move around? She does have a big block of wood to stand on and chew, but she likes the grate more.

I also considered yesterday going to the hardware store and having them cut me a piece of plexiglass to stick in there instead of the grate, but wondered if she would just chew the bars instead.

 

[Safira]

This is going to defeat the purpose of the newspaper and grate, but you could put a towel down over the grate so she doesn't get to it. Then rinse the towel clean before tossing it into the washer as a temporary fix. Or maybe a thin piece of safe wood that was cut to the size of the grate..again only temporary fixes. What about a stainless steel mesh instead? you could tie it to the cage bars with wire so it can be removed.

 

[Spiritbird]

You do not know if the seizures have been caused by metal? Has you vet taken an X ray to see if there are any metal particles inside the birds body? Merlin is a medically compromised bird for sure. Poor baby, give her a little smooch for me.

 

[roxynoodle]

No, I need to call the vet here shortly. She wasn't in the office yesterday, but after the second seizure I called them and asked about her chewing the grate as a possible cause. I also called 3 companies that make cages to ask about ingesting powder coating and they all said, well, it's not really safe for them to ingest, you should get a SS cage. I have to assume she did ingest some as it would have been coming off in itty bitty dust like particles.

I thought about the towel, but didn't know if she would tear that up, too. I would probably need several of them to keep the cage clean though. I suppose I could buy myself all new bath towels and give her the older ones.

 

[roxynoodle]

Vet wasn't in yet last I called, but maybe is now. I guess they must open later on Fridays, but I think they are open til later in the evening today as well. So far Merlin is not chewing her cage bars and is happily playing with her foot toys and shreddables.

Maybe she will do fine with no grate as long as I clean her cage several times a day? That would be great as I would have no other expenses for the time being like a whole new cage or custom made grate. She does still have at least one more vet appt I have to pay for when she gets the check up on the infection again.

 

[osnyder]

I've noticed that Stitch seems to have been scraping/biting his cage bars for a long time (we only brought him home last week). You can't see it unless you look closely, since the coating is dark green; but there is missing coating on most of it in places. I don't really know what to think about it; it looks like a nervous habit to me, which has a long history.

 

[BillsBirds]

Oh, Roxy, this poor bird is putting you through the wringer! As I have told you in PM, Bless you! My thoughts & prayers are with you both.

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, she really is, lol! At least I'm laughing about it, but Merlinmakeusbrokus. I feel like getting a shirt that says that.

There is a SS cage on ebay for $550 including the shipping from China, but I don't know what to think about Chinese SS. For all I know it will be as poisonous as eating powder coating/paint. It's about the same size as the cage she has, unless they are including the seed skirt in those dimensions. If they are, then it's too small IMO.

I left a message with the vet that I need to discuss cage options with her. The last thing I need is to waste money on another cage I can't use with her. I still have Pete's old cage sitting here, which is about the size for a lovebird, cockatiel or small conure. Now I may have Merlin's cage sitting here as well, although maybe my conure would move into it and give up her cage that I hate because it's hard to clean.

 

[Spiritbird]

I do not mean to offend anyone but I would not trust anything made for a bird made in China. That is most of the reason I make the toys myself.

 

[roxynoodle]

I don't trust it either. First, their metal tends to be very weak. They also don't have the stringent safety codes we have, nor the quality control.

Merlin is going in for a radiograph tomorrow at 11am. First, we need to see if she even has any metal in her before I decide what to do regarding her living arrangements. They are not going to charge me for the office visit since she was just in on Tuesday (thank you!). The radiograph will be $90 plus any medication she may need if she does have metal in her.

They seem to think if it comes down to it, the aluminum King's cage would be fine. The ebay seller who has it for less has made me an even cheaper offer, which would help if I do need to buy it.

 

[MissyMe83]

Oh wow I just caught this thread. So sorry Roxy. Wishing you guys luck tomorrow! Hard to say what to do until after your appointment,like you said..... let us know how it goes! Fingers crossed!

 

[roxynoodle]

Yeah, I can't make a decision until I know if the cage has actually harmed her or not. Just read a ton of reviews on the King's cages, and if it comes down to it, I'm just going to have to fork over the bucks for an aluminum cage I guess.

Anyone in my area looking for a good deal on 6 week old powder coated cage? If my bird wasn't actually EATING it, I would say it's a well constructed cage with good quality hardware. It would be nice for any bird that doesn't eat it's cage! It is on the small side for a Grey, but remember my bird can't see and kind of needs a smaller cage. It would be nice for a conure, caique, pionus or similar sized bird, or a very lazy amazon, lol!

 

[BillsBirds]

Maybe since she's blind, you don't need such a tall cage. Maybe you could use a cage that's made for a small animal. It would be wide and deep, but, not tall. I had an old Grey that had arthritic feet, and couldn't climb well. I used a guinea pig cage for him. It was wider than tall, and the flat top was good because I could take him out, and he'd walk around on top. It was wider than his old cage, but, not as high. He lived fine in it for a few years.

 

[roxynoodle]

Thanks, Bill, I will check those out as well. She has not chewed on the cage for 2 days now since I removed the grate. Maybe she just doesn't like grates for some reason. Or she finds it easy to chew on.

She does like though to go up to the top now to hang upside down, and to exercise her wings. She also spends about 1/3 of her time up in the top and sleeps up there now. The first couple of weeks she did spend most of her time in the bottom and sometimes slept on one of the perches I put down there.

Let's just see what the Xrays show. I've never had a bird that gnaws on the cage like a rat.

 

[Spiritbird]

I think many greys like to swing from something and hang upsidedown. It is just another one of their charms. Hope the x rays go well and nothing is found.