Timothy hay? Grass?

I've always been interesting in using Timothy hay as foraging enrichment, but I don't know what the risks are. I know people give it to finches, but is it common to give it to parrots?

My main concern is dust from the hay, and if there is a risk of asper. Also are there any other risk, like what would happen if our parrots are it.

i dont know. but it would be a really good thing for foraging! it would be like a replacemtn to crinkle paper! i want to know too now.

I use timothy hay for foraging all the time my birds love to shred it! there isnt much dust if any in what I use for them.

When I posted this I was on my phone, Now that I'm on my computer I looked around some and I found this. It's making me a little scared to try it

question

Timothy hay okay for a cockatiel?

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Answer

No - you should not be using dried timothy hay, or any other dried grass hay, like alfalfa.
Dried grasses that are baled or bundled can carry aspergillus spores and birds should not be exposed to them.
Fresh cut alfalfa without seeds, is fine - and very high in nutrients. I recommended alfalfa sprouts - found in most grocery stores.

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Guess I'm a terrible pet owner then...

MonicaMc said:

Guess I'm a terrible pet owner then...

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Those photos are so cute! How long have you given them Timothy hay? I bet the chances of them getting sick is low unless you have a asper prone bird like a pionus. I won't be trying it with Rosie, I'm disappointed but I don't like taking unnecessary risks. I'm kinda paranoid about stuff like that lol. When I worked at Petsmart we had to have Timothy hay available to finches/canaries all the time, none of the birds ever got asper.

I'm going to try to find a good alternative.

MonicaMc A question Can the animals that it is packaged for be bothered by that same fungus? I have been looking at the tunnels and toys made for rodents, rabbits and ferrets at the pet stores made out of hay and I had thought they would be great for small parrots to chew and play with. Your cockateil looked like he really enjoyed that hay

Wow, that would be GREAT if I could use it for foraging for my lovebirds! I buy 50lbs at a time for my chinchillas, lol...

Copperarabian said:

Those photos are so cute! How long have you given them Timothy hay? I bet the chances of them getting sick is low unless you have a asper prone bird like a pionus. I won't be trying it with Rosie, I'm disappointed but I don't like taking unnecessary risks. I'm kinda paranoid about stuff like that lol. When I worked at Petsmart we had to have Timothy hay available to finches/canaries all the time, none of the birds ever got asper.

I'm going to try to find a good alternative.

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I first introduced it in July of last year. I don't give it all the time, either, but Casey loves the stuff! I do understand the concern, especially if it gets wet. But that can be said for any bedding, if it gets wet. Heck, even newspaper can be a danger if you keep it around for too long, even if it doesn't get wet.

aliray said:

MonicaMc A question Can the animals that it is packaged for be bothered by that same fungus? I have been looking at the tunnels and toys made for rodents, rabbits and ferrets at the pet stores made out of hay and I had thought they would be great for small parrots to chew and play with. Your cockateil looked like he really enjoyed that hay

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Aliray, I don't know. I would assume so, but I am not a small animal person. I have kept rabbits before, in the past, but they were never given hay. They had pellets and the occasional fresh grasses (i.e. whatever grew in the yard). That was years ago when I was in elementary school and knew limited info about caring for them.

I've never owned any other kind of rodent before, although my sister did own a hamster at one point in time. He never received hay, either.


I thought about those same tunnels, toys and houses, but my concern would be if a bird thought it was some kind of nest, so I've stayed away from them. I think it might be great for a larger parrot if you could stuff it with foraging thigns, but many of those aren't in packaging, so there's always a concern of cross contamination, too.

And yes, she does enjoy the grass!


BTW, the wooden perch in front of the hay feeder is also from the small animal section. One side is flat, the other has bark on it and is rounded.

I think I am going to try some of that. Thanks for your answer. I used to have rabbits over the years and always had the timothy hay with no problems. It is good for them for the fiber content and help prevent impaction I also used it for my guinea pigs, with no problems

mistywaterwoman said:

Wow, that would be GREAT if I could use it for foraging for my lovebirds! I buy 50lbs at a time for my chinchillas, lol...

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I also buy A LOT for my chinchillas and give that to my birds they love it and Ive never had problems with any of them the timothy hay looks very good and clean what I buy I buy it in small bags but many bags at a time.

Hello, I am new to the forums. I’ve been having my cockatiels for quite a while now and I recently got some bunnies. They are two from a friend who couldn’t keep them anymore. I have plenty of alfalfa hay for the bunnies in their cages and their cages happen to be close to the cockatiels cages. The alfalfa hay is not directly for the cockatiels, I do worry about them coming in to contact with it. Should this be a big concern for me? Also if anyone has dealt with having both of these guys at the same time and could give me some tips, that would be great Thank you!