Worst Fid Mom In The WORLD! Nasty nasty sleeping hut!

[PickleMeDickles]

So I have had 2 Suns and a Green Cheek for a few years and they have always had a happy hut, or whatever they are called - the plush triangles that hangs down. My birds have ALWAYS had a hut and have NEVER even pecked at it.

Well.....today I was saying good morning to the fids and it is always the most exciting part of the day. You would think they hadn't seen us in days. Well, my female Sun (who is the least destructive of the conures) was in her Happy Hut and she did not look to be in any discomfort but something was definitely a little off. I almost thought that she was making a nest, and that behavior alone was causing me to double think the hut thing. Then, I saw what the actual situation was and almost passed out.

Lady, our sweetest bird, had indeed shredded the hut up a bit and got her neck entangled in a hut threat. Thank goodness my husband was home. I quickly removed the hut, bird and all and placed them on the counter. Then I very quickly but cautiously cut the string that was TIGHT around her neck. I almost cried at how trusting she was, she laid very still although she was completely alert, held my finger in her beak for support, and let me do this little microsurgery well she just hung on for comfort.

Please Please Please ditch your huts. This is probably the hardest thing I am going to have to do as these birds are Mr. and Mrs. Hut. I feel like I need to join Bird Huts Annonomys so I don't just give in!

Does anyone have any good alternatives? Thanks in advance, Jen

 

[SilverSage]

I’m
So glad your baby is safe! Please post this on as many Facebook groups as you can as well. People WILL be mean about it but every story helps protect future birds! It enrages me that so-called pet companies still produce and market these death traps!


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[LordTriggs]

WHEW! Extremely lucky you noticed and that she was so well behaved! Keep an eye on her of course.

goes to show how they can suddenly turn from "happy" huts into "Scary" huts

The only alternative I would feel comfortable with are "Chubes"

As you can see they do some impressive sized ones, unfortunately I'm not sure where in the US you would get them, possibly PetCo, take a look around. Over here I often find these in the Hamster/Guinea Pig section of the store so have a hunt around. They're pretty darn cheap too!

 

[LauraC]

Or, what about a hard coconut shell with a hole in it. I have seen those. The holes are not big enough for my Moustache Parakeet. The only thing would be if you have female birds and are worried about nesting and laying eggs.

 

[bill_e]

Glad everything is OK. If they really like the huts you can easily make one of bird safe material. A rectangular piece of cardboard folded in thirds into a triangle shape would work as would just about anything made of bird safe wood. It may take a while for them to like it as much as the polyester but I bet they will and the cardboard will be loads of fun to chew up.

 

[SilverSage]

I will add; please don’t replace it with a “safe” alternative. I know the birds love it and I know that just like the regular huts some people “have used them for years with no issues” but in a lot of birds they stimulate breeding hormones which is not just mean, but can also be deadly thanks to a little thing called EGG BINDING. Now that you have experienced the first major danger of happy huts, please don’t replace it with something that keeps the second danger.


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[AmyMyBlueFront]

Since being a member here,I have read so many sad stories about those "killer huts" At one point I was kicking around the idea of getting The Beebs one but I won't after reading bad things about them.

I'm very happy everything turned out fine for your little one. It may not be as happy the next time!

I don't know what to suggest as an alternative. Like some have posted,they could encourage egg laying. I guess if you only had males that wouldn't be an issue!



Jim

 

[dhraiden]

Bearing in mind what SilverSage said above, I've actually got a fairly nice recommendation as far as a safe alternative, since I looked into this very issue right after getting our fids. Get a Prevue seagrass hut from the Drs Foster and Smith website. It should give most birds a comfortable feeling of "enclosure", and even if they don't like "being in" it, they'll probably enjoy shredding it.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Bearing in mind what SilverSage said above, I've actually got a fairly nice recommendation as far as a safe alternative, since I looked into this very issue right after getting our fids. Get a Prevue seagrass hut from the Drs Foster and Smith website. It should give most birds a comfortable feeling of "enclosure", and even if they don't like "being in" it, they'll probably enjoy shredding it.

That looks pretty cool,and even has a Beebers in it
I have ordered stuff from that site before and never had a complaint. Maybe I'll surprise Beebs..thanks for posting!


Jim

 

[Carl_Power]

Think i will invest in one of these too then. Xander has a happy hut but reading this post has scared me.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

Glad that your birdy baby is ok! Those huts are terrible and have taken the lives of so many of our beloved feathered family members. The sea grass hut looks pretty cool, but I wouldn’t buy it because of what Silversage said.

Edit: I googled alternatives to Happy Hut and found this: it’s a hut made of coconut, with a ladder attached. I thought it looked neat and a good alternative if you absolutely must have a hut in your bird’s cage.

 

[Carl_Power]

What do you think of these for birdies to sleep in?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=j...hUHe8AKHcQuAUgQ9QEIRDAC#imgrc=Fra5x6pZKzovEM:

 

[Pureblood]

I also ditched the hut idea after reading comments about it on several pages.

People have offered some nice alternatives, you can always sew your own out of materials that don't get stringy when destroyed

Glad you were there on time to untangle her!

 

[Scott]

Happy Huts are monstrous killers, though not always in the way you nearly experienced. Birds will often peck at the soft fabric and ingest the fibers, leading to a lethal ending.

Those huts are right at the top of our Hazardous Toy thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-toys/38678-list-hazardous-toys-here-please.html

 

[LordTriggs]

Glad that your birdy baby is ok! Those huts are terrible and have taken the lives of so many of our beloved feathered family members. The sea grass hut looks pretty cool, but I wouldn’t buy it because of what Silversage said.

Edit: I googled alternatives to Happy Hut and found this: it’s a hut made of coconut, with a ladder attached. I thought it looked neat and a good alternative if you absolutely must have a hut in your bird’s cage.

I actually had one of these for Rio, though he didn't like it as his tail couldn't fit in, he did enjoy the ladder so I cut the rope attaching it to the coconut and made a toy he enjoyed out of it. Sea grass hammocks are always a choice as a safe sleeping spot with a couple toys

 

[Anansi]

I'm so glad that you came upon the situation in time! And you are most certainly NOT the worst fid mom in the world! You didn't know, but now you do. And you acted right away to change it.

Like Dani, I've always been strongly against those Happy Huts or anything similar. And as has been mentioned, there are other issues that even safe alternatives can cause - especially for female parrots. So think long and hard before seeking out a replacement. Birds are very adaptable when they need to be. They'll get over not having one.