Should i get my conure a cuddle hut?

[petbirds101]

Good evening, I have a 1 and a half year old green cheek, he loves to cuddle with really about anything and its the cutest, I have noticed that at night he sleeps right in between two of his toys and recently i have been thinking of getting him a cuddle hut for him to sleep in. The thing is I know they don't have the best reputation because birds tend to start chewing on the material and, and getting their claws stuck in them, but i found some at the pet store the other day that where made of rope material instead of the fuzzy fleas material, now i'm wondering whether i should go back for one or not?

 

[LaManuka]

Personally I would urge you to stay well away from the fabric cuddle/happy hut. They can and very sadly do cause a range of issues from hormonal aggression all the way up to traumatic injury and death. Because of their resemblance to nesting sites, happy huts can stimulate unwanted egg laying (and possible egg-binding) in females, and extreme territorial aggression in males. They are also a health hazard, as parrots will chew on them and can ingest the synthetic fibres which block the intestinal tract and, tragically, many birds have died this way. They can also get their necks caught in loose threads and strangle themselves, or get feet or toes trapped which may require amputation if blood circulation is stopped for long enough.

As with everything, individual results will vary, but I have seen way too many horror stories on this forum and elsewhere, and in my opinion they are just not worth the risk.

So thanks for asking the question before buying, your bird is way better off without one

 

[chris-md]

Very well stated above, nothing to add. Do NOT get one.

 

[Skarila]

I am on a bit different opinion than the others, it depends on the bird WHEN will you keep a sleeping hut/tube.

I am against happy fuzzy huts, instead I use a big carton tube layered with some yuta fabric which is natural, so if my Pascal wants to chew on his sleeping place, he can do it freely without fear of ingestion of fabric and stuff.

When it comes to hormonal issues, this is something you need to see and follow, if the bird uses the tube/natural hut ONLY for sleeping, that's ok, you can keep it. As soon the bird is spending time during day in the hut, remove it. What you can do is put in the hut/tube back into the cage only for sleeping. My Pascal will only sleep in his little tube, I have never seen him spending his day there. Like, ever. If he starts doing it, he will get the tube in the evening right before sleep, problem solved.

Another natural way to make a hut can be out of seagrass mats - I have seen many people making the huts out of it, plus it is kind of see-through so it should discourage the hormonal behaviour too as it doesn't give too much privacy, but is, well...snuggly enough.

That being said, I love seeing Pascal just scurrying into his little tube as soon the lights are off, he's all like "oh, night night time!" and goes immediately into the tube and waits me to cover him.

 

[petbirds101]

Good Afternoon, Thanks for all of your kind suggestions, I have decided to stay away from any fuzzy, or completely dark covered huts. I would like to give the seagrass mats a try and see how it goes, but will surely remove them if my bird begins having any issues. Skarila I am very glad to here that Pascal loves his his sleeping tube, i can only imagine how cute it is to watch him run in at night ready to sleep. Once again Thank you all for your suggestions and have a great day

 

[Lucabird]

My conure has always had a cuddle hut and uses it to sleep every night. He’s never pecked at it and isn’t aggressive at all but I guess every bird is different

 

[Scott]

My conure has always had a cuddle hut and uses it to sleep every night. He?s never pecked at it and isn?t aggressive at all but I guess every bird is different

Exceptions to every rule! Not every bird chews fabric and becomes hormone challenged with dark enclosures. I'd respectfully advocate you inspect hut daily for potential chewing!

 

[Littleredbeak]

I have sea grass Matt’s and all my birds love them!! Even the one who doesn’t like toys!! You maybe interested in the Seagrass rabbit balls too. I tie the ball up with twine and stick treats in side the ball- they seem to all really enjoy taking it apart.

 

[petbirds101]

Good evening, Thanks for all new the suggestions, I know some birds are not the type to chew up fabric, but knowing my little conure and how curious he is about everything i'm just not wiling to risk it. I made him the DIY seagrass mat hut and so far its been going great he's been sleeping in it every night, and there is yet to be any behavior changes thankfully, I also went ahead and ordered some Seagrass rabbit balls to see how he would take to those. Once again thanks for all of your king suggestions, and ideas and have a great day

 

[Scott]

Props to you for using good judgement and finding workable solution!!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I am of the do NOT get a cuddle hut crowd. I have a sun conure who loves to burrow, loves to chew and LOVED his cuddle hut. I hated getting rid of it. But what I did instead was I got safe materials he could chew up like paper and cardboard. I'd use old tissue boxes (glue parts and plastic removed) and also plain paper towels and unscented tissues and put them in his cage for him to make some bedding. I got some 'blankies' from MSBS and hung them in the corner and he LOVES them. He literally LOVES them.

My suggestion is this. Find something that does NOT contain threads (so there is not risk of strangulation or nails getting caught) nor use of any material that can get built up and cause digestion problems leading to health problems or sudden death. (Aim for all natural or biodegradable products just in case they happen to digest them). I've never seen Skittles swallow any of the bedding he chews up, I've actually seen him go out of his way to get it out of his mouth, but I still won't chance it. I still go with natural.

 

[widor]

Actually I have 2 conures from the start( they are brothers) ,we gave them a wooden box to sleep in -which they immediately took and felt so much relaxed after that knowing they have their own hiding place. Now as they grew up they only use it at night-but still use it and like it.

 

[Niteldy]

I am curious- what about the "cozy Corners" I hear so much about?? They are what looks like kids blankies made from fleece that are tied into a knot on each cut strip...I am sure you have all seen those lap blankets/kiddie blankets... Well they made these out of 12 inch squares and took one corner and hung it from a corner in the cage for the bird to cozy up to. And then there is the actual one called cozy corner. you can buy them from walmart too

 

[LaManuka]

I am curious- what about the "cozy Corners" I hear so much about?? They are what looks like kids blankies made from fleece that are tied into a knot on each cut strip...I am sure you have all seen those lap blankets/kiddie blankets... Well they made these out of 12 inch squares and took one corner and hung it from a corner in the cage for the bird to cozy up to. And then there is the actual one called cozy corner. you can buy them from walmart too

I think these would probably cause less problem in terms of hormonal response or aggression as they don't resemble a nesting site so much. However they're still made of those nasty synthetic fabrics that birds seem to love to chew so much, so hazards with gastro-intestinal blockage or getting toes/legs/claws etc stuck in loose fibres would still be the same. Personally I would avoid.

 

[hiriki]

I am curious- what about the "cozy Corners" I hear so much about?? They are what looks like kids blankies made from fleece that are tied into a knot on each cut strip...I am sure you have all seen those lap blankets/kiddie blankets... Well they made these out of 12 inch squares and took one corner and hung it from a corner in the cage for the bird to cozy up to. And then there is the actual one called cozy corner. you can buy them from walmart too

My lovebird came with one of those from her foster, foster said "it's her favorite cage accessory, she cuddles it all the time!"

Well, at my house she shredded the strings you use to tie it to the cage and managed to wrap a thread around her neck. That was terrifying! I had to very very gently cut it off, I almost took her to the emergency vet to have a vet tech do it because it was so tight.

 

[Niteldy]

My lovebird came with one of those from her foster, foster said "it's her favorite cage accessory, she cuddles it all the time!"

Well, at my house she shredded the strings you use to tie it to the cage and managed to wrap a thread around her neck. That was terrifying! I had to very very gently cut it off, I almost took her to the emergency vet to have a vet tech do it because it was so tight.

I have recently seen that because of those they are making them without the ties- they are seaming all around it- and its just folded- I chose this pic cuz it looks like a banana, but its all open!

 

[ZoeyBear]

Good evening, I have a 1 and a half year old green cheek, he loves to cuddle with really about anything and its the cutest, I have noticed that at night he sleeps right in between two of his toys and recently i have been thinking of getting him a cuddle hut for him to sleep in. The thing is I know they don't have the best reputation because birds tend to start chewing on the material and, and getting their claws stuck in them, but i found some at the pet store the other day that where made of rope material instead of the fuzzy fleas material, now i'm wondering whether i should go back for one or not?

There are some seagrass mat huts that would be the safest option I personally would not suggest getting a fleece or rope one because even if your bird doesn't chew on it it can make them very hormonal I have a pineapple one but it stays out of the cage and they can only use under supervision (my birds never chewed on it they preferred to just sit on it) The only reason I have it is because when I rescued my first bird he had a pineapple hut that came with him and his cage but I soon took it out because he would get angry/hormonal with it and start fighting it so since then the pineapple stays out of the cage

This is a link to one of the ones I like. Make sure that if you get one, get one of the more open ones, not the really inclosed ones because those ones can cause hormonal issues to
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Bird-C...FT5CGPM/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B01FT5CGPM&psc=1

 

[zERo]

I would not personally ever use any kind of fuzzy sleeping 'hut' or corner but I do know that my GCC especially loves to cuddle, so I made him (and all my other birds, but they all just chew on them) a 'flower.' It's basically cupcake liners two faced outward and two inward over and over until it resembles a thick 'flower', he snuggles next to this every night. I just prefer this because there is absolutely no risk of anything happening.

 

[Koko_the_fluf]

I wouldn't recommend to use cuddle huts. They can cause lots of harms for your bird. They can get hormonal aggression; they can get Impaction for chewing on the fabric and also the bird's nail can get stuck. So, I wouldn't recommend them. Try using a platform perch.