Eating paper

[Shoegoo]

My 4 yr. old GCC has started eating paper. I have been placing a single sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper on top to the grating in the cage to catch droppings. It makes my clean up easier. At first I thought she was just taring off small scraps like she does with her birdie kabob. But I can't find anything below the grating. Today she started doing the same thing with newspaper that I place in front of the cage door.


Should I be concerned that she might get sick or blocked up?

 

[noodles123]

Yes- paper can cause blockages--My cockatoo crumbles paper into TINY balls and so they are hard to find, but if that isn't the cause, I would remove it or firmly tape down the edges (BELOW THE GRATE) so he can't fish them out from below the grate. Stop putting it on top of the grate for sure.
Tape adhesive can be harmful if ingested, so if using tape, make sure it is nowhere where your bird could ingest it.

 

[Chirpy]

Yes- paper can cause blockages--My cockatoo crumbles paper into TINY balls and so they are hard to find, but if that isn't the cause, I would remove it or firmly tape down the edges (BELOW THE GRATE) so he can't fish them out from below the grate. Stop putting it on top of the grate for sure.
Tape adhesive can be harmful if ingested, so if using tape, make sure it is nowhere where your bird could ingest it.

Thankyou Noodles
I was wondering the same thing but about paper towel. My parakette loves paper towel. I googled it and I think it said they don’t usually swallow it just peck it.
Whether I had the paper towel on the top or bottom of the grate she’d rip it up after I put it in.

I ended up making a false bottom with cardboard and use gravel paper on top of that which is like sand paper but you get it from the pet shop . It’s supposed to be good for their claws and beaks so I don’t worry so much if she chews on it.

 

[noodles123]

Yes- paper can cause blockages--My cockatoo crumbles paper into TINY balls and so they are hard to find, but if that isn't the cause, I would remove it or firmly tape down the edges (BELOW THE GRATE) so he can't fish them out from below the grate. Stop putting it on top of the grate for sure.
Tape adhesive can be harmful if ingested, so if using tape, make sure it is nowhere where your bird could ingest it.

Thankyou Noodles
I was wondering the same thing but about paper towel. My parakette loves paper towel. I googled it and I think it said they don’t usually swallow it just peck it.
Whether I had the paper towel on the top or bottom of the grate she’d rip it up after I put it in.

I ended up making a false bottom with cardboard and use gravel paper on top of that which is like sand paper but you get it from the pet shop . It’s supposed to be good for their claws and beaks so I don’t worry so much if she chews on it.

Parrots aren't supposed to have grit in their diets so if they ingest that paper it will be an even bigger issue (1. they would still be eating paper, 2. they would be eating paper with sand on it)..
Place a paper towel below the grate (in the tray) and tape down the edges so that you can pull it out for cleaning, but they can't get to it. Make sure they can't get to the tape, but it should work---the paper would tear before the tape would give and they won't be able to pry it out if it is flat.

 

[Chirpy]

Yes- paper can cause blockages--My cockatoo crumbles paper into TINY balls and so they are hard to find, but if that isn't the cause, I would remove it or firmly tape down the edges (BELOW THE GRATE) so he can't fish them out from below the grate. Stop putting it on top of the grate for sure.
Tape adhesive can be harmful if ingested, so if using tape, make sure it is nowhere where your bird could ingest it.

Thankyou Noodles
I was wondering the same thing but about paper towel. My parakette loves paper towel. I googled it and I think it said they don’t usually swallow it just peck it.
Whether I had the paper towel on the top or bottom of the grate she’d rip it up after I put it in.

I ended up making a false bottom with cardboard and use gravel paper on top of that which is like sand paper but you get it from the pet shop . It’s supposed to be good for their claws and beaks so I don’t worry so much if she chews on it.

Parrots aren't supposed to have grit in their diets so if they ingest that paper it will be an even bigger issue (1. they would still be eating paper, 2. they would be eating paper with sand on it)..
Place a paper towel below the grate (in the tray) and tape down the edges so that you can pull it out for cleaning, but they can't get to it. Make sure they can't get to the tape, but it should work---the paper would tear before the tape would give and they won't be able to pry it out if it is flat.

Thankyou so much Noodles
I got Grinchy right on Christmas so had to wait a week after Christmas before I could get to the pet shop to get her any toys etc. I already had the cage there but no toys.

This is my 1st parakette, my other bird is a jap quail so she gets wood shavings and soil.

When I went to the petshop my best friend and I spent ages choosing toys etc we thought Grinchie might like lol. I even asked the girl at the pet shop if the grit paper would be ok as she was chewing the paper towel in the bottom of her tray and they told me it would be ok :25:.

I’ll have to change back to paper towel and do your suggestion. Should I keep the cardboard in as the false bottom or take that out and just put the paper towel in the bottom tray?

Thankyou again

 

[noodles123]

If she is just chewing the towel, that is fine (unless it is poopy). The issue is if she is actually eating it and/or licking paper that contains fecal matter. I called my vet a few years ago because I believed that Noodles way eating bits of her towel liner. They said that if she was actually swallowing it, that it could cause problems, but chewing alone is a non-issue, as long as you are sure it isn't being ingested and as long as it is clean.

If you have a metal grate (like a tray of bars) that slides over a seed/poop-catch tray, as long as your birds can't get to what you have down there, it really doesn't matter THAT much (as long as it isn't something like wood-chips, corn-cob or something that could produce fumes---e.g., certain colored news-print). Since they are masters at prying things up, you also want to avoid anything toxic (obviously). The goal is to be able to see your bird's droppings clearly, while minimizing clean up effort and keeping bacteria at bay.
If the cardboard will end up absorbing a bunch of urine and molding etc, then you should change it out often--even if it is underneath the grate. I would't leave anything on top of the grate, as you know they are possibly eating it.

The tape suggestion requires you to be sure that your birds can't get to the tape (as tape can contain zinc which is toxic for birds). That having been said, if taped properly, there should be no way for them to come in contact with the tape (unless your tray/grate setup is way different from mine). The whole point of the tape would be to keep the paper flat so that they couldn't pull it up through the grate.

The whole point of the grate is to keep poop away from your birds (it falls through the cracks so they can't get to it as easily). I am all about leaving the grates open (not covering them) so that things can actually fall through into the waste tray below.

In terms of beak and nails, you can buy sweet-feet pumice perches which are safer for birds than the sketchy sand-paper type. You will just want to make sure that the size is appropriate for your birds. Also, if you are using any dowel perches, work on phasing those out, as they can lead to bumble-foot long-term.

 

[SailBoat]

Truly great advise provided above...

Have never experienced a Parrot that chewed and then eat the paper as they commonly just create piles of bits and pieces.

 

[Chirpy]

If she is just chewing the towel, that is fine (unless it is poopy). The issue is if she is actually eating it and/or licking paper that contains fecal matter. I called my vet a few years ago because I believed that Noodles way eating bits of her towel liner. They said that if she was actually swallowing it, that it could cause problems, but chewing alone is a non-issue, as long as you are sure it isn't being ingested and as long as it is clean.

If you have a metal grate (like a tray of bars) that slides over a seed/poop-catch tray, as long as your birds can't get to what you have down there, it really doesn't matter THAT much (as long as it isn't something like wood-chips, corn-cob or something that could produce fumes---e.g., certain colored news-print). Since they are masters at prying things up, you also want to avoid anything toxic (obviously). The goal is to be able to see your bird's droppings clearly, while minimizing clean up effort and keeping bacteria at bay.
If the cardboard will end up absorbing a bunch of urine and molding etc, then you should change it out often--even if it is underneath the grate. I would't leave anything on top of the grate, as you know they are possibly eating it.

The tape suggestion requires you to be sure that your birds can't get to the tape (as tape can contain zinc which is toxic for birds). That having been said, if taped properly, there should be no way for them to come in contact with the tape (unless your tray/grate setup is way different from mine). The whole point of the tape would be to keep the paper flat so that they couldn't pull it up through the grate.

The whole point of the grate is to keep poop away from your birds (it falls through the cracks so they can't get to it as easily). I am all about leaving the grates open (not covering them) so that things can actually fall through into the waste tray below.

In terms of beak and nails, you can buy sweet-feet pumice perches which are safer for birds than the sketchy sand-paper type. You will just want to make sure that the size is appropriate for your birds. Also, if you are using any dowel perches, work on phasing those out, as they can lead to bumble-foot long-term.

Grinchy only chewed at the papertowel a couple of times when I covered it on the tray.

I was watching her once and she was dropping her apple in the grit and trying to pick it up again like a game. It all landed in the tray which is why i put the towel on the top of the grit and she started shredding it. I was watching her and looked like she wasn't swallowing but just ripping it up.

I've since worked out how to stick her apple through the grates on the perch, left it there one day while i was at wrk and to my amazement it was still there lol.

Thanks again.