I think my boy is eating wood!

[RobEckie]

Hey Everyone,
We have a few wooden toys that we have purchased from pet stores and we also have a new portable perch that is made of wood and all our boy loves to do is really bite hard into the wood and chip bits off.
I have been keeping an eye on him and he bites of large bits of wood and I am pretty sure he is actually swallowing some of the wood!
Could this be possible and if so, could it be harmful?

 

[mimi88]

If you suspect he is eating the perch I would remove it immediately, i'm not too sure if it could potentially cause impaction/blockage but it's better to be safe than sorry. Good luck with your boy.

 

[LoveMyParrots]

If you think your parrot is eating a lot, I would remove it. For the safety, I wouldn't risk it if he is swallowing it.

Is he on a pellet diet? Parrot will also eat stuff they don't usually eat if they are missing something in their diet.

 

[sodakat]

Wait, why take away wood that he's chewing! That is the goal. I doubt he's ingesting much. If you are worried about store bought toys made from "unsafe" wood, just bring in some branches from outside, with the bark on. He can peel the bark and chew on the branch.

I'd be very happy to have a parrot who uses his beak correctly if I were you!

 

[Echo]

I doubt he is actually eating the wood. That's what parrots do to exercise their beak. Mine are chewing the heck out of their playgym. I have never heard of a parrot ingesting enough wood to hurt himself, though I would like to know if that happened to any!.....

 

[sodakat]

I doubt he is actually eating the wood. That's what parrots do to exercise their beak. Mine are chewing the heck out of their playgym. I have never heard of a parrot ingesting enough wood to hurt himself, though I would like to know if that happened to any!.....

Good for you for offering a play gym they can chew! I always wonder why people buy play gyms built out of wood too hard to chew or make them from PVC.

I remember the first time I saw a pair of Hyacinth Macaws. They were in a huge outdoor flight about 30 feet long that was spanned with 2x6 lumber in several areas. They had chewed all along the lumber and the owner said each piece is replaced once they chew all the way through. Their nest was an enormous wooden barrel with a hole cut in one end. They had enlarged the hole to suit their needs!

Untreated fir or pine 2x2, 2x4, 2x6 lumber is great to use for perches and building stands, IMO. The square edges and ends give them someplace to start working with their beak.

 

[RobEckie]

Hi All,
Appreciate all the responses. He has a great diet consisting of mainly a variety of fruit and veges. Doesn't each much pellets and has seeds maybe once a week with nuts for treats.
He seems like a very happy bird to us.. The only reason why I think he's actually swallowing it is because I think if he bites of a big piece and just chews on it, not all of the piece comes out.. Some surely is swallowed!
I am not 100% certain this is the case, but I just wanted to ask you all if this is possible at all.
I know our boy loves to chew real hard on things and am happy for him to do so, just concerned that he may get ill from it if he's swallowing wood.

 

[Annageckos]

Swallowing a bit of wood will not hurt your bird. It is completely normal. My gcc loves to chew on the birch branches I give.

 

[Echo]

As long as the wood is safe, I wouldn't worry....that is why it's important to only use safe wood for parrots....

 

[rbreck]

This is the best forum EVER - I am learning so Much!!! Thanks to everyone- good questions GREAT answers!

 

[drlisaort]

I always thought the goal was for our birds to chew wood as this is what they would be doing out in nature. Of course it must be untreated wood from what I understand.