Happy Huts - Watch Out For Them!

[Manard]

When we took Pablo to the vet for a checkup, we found that there were lots of fibers in his crop and stomach. They were from the Happy Hut we got him. This also irritated his throat and led to infection. So, if you already know about this, good, but if your bird has a happy hut, or similar fibrous toys/hidey-holes, be sure it's not affecting your bird in a negative way. These fibers get stuck in their stomach and ball up, creating a blockage.

On another note, they can make your bird very hormonal, because they claim it as their nest.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Thanks for the warning We currently have a dangerous toy sticky, and the Happy Hut warning is listed there. Some birds do poorly with them, whereas others like my GCC are lost without them. I tried to remove my Happy Hut from Avery's cage, and she cried for hours on end refusing to sleep until she had it back. But because of that, I watch it carefully and always remove loose threads. Washing it a lot also helps remove the fuzz and makes it easier to notice potential thread hazards.

Thankfully she's not hormonal based on her hut either! I think I lucked out with her, haha.

I hope your baby feels better soon!

 

[Allee]

I'm sorry Pablo had an accident with his happy hut. Wild quakers build amazing community nests, it's really incredible. I think their instinct for nest building makes our pet quakers a bit more prone to getting into trouble with their toys. As Dinosrawr said, all birds are individuals, what's safe for some, isn't necessarily safe for all.

I hope Pablo recovers quickly.

 

[Roanoke]

Teeko's previous owner had a Happy Hut in his cage. It's very, very torn up (A chunk was literally missing, exposing the innards) and missing patches of fiber. I can't believe someone would be so irresponsible as to leave it in the cage.