A point of concern

[Hezz]

milliej's thread on a dangerous toy has made me write this up as well.

Most of you know the type of cage I have, and it has been around for 5-6 years and still in tip top condition, but something I have seen a couple of times now, the last being just yesterday - somehow right in the top corner, and it has been the same corner, back lefthand, Smudge got either her toe or claw caught, enough to have her favouring her leg for about 20 mins to half an hour. I don't know how, what or why; I do know when and where. I had seen Spyro do the very same thing about a month or so ago, and that is all I have seen. I thought it might have been something to do with the top of the cage getting an ever so slight sag to it, but that doesn't hold up as it is in the very corner, where there is no noticeable gap. Anyway, as I can't find and rectify the problem, I have bought some of those soft plastic corner protectors made for protecting toddlers from cracking themselves on table corners and the like. I am going to have to cable-tie them into place I think, as they don't fit as snuggly as I had hoped.

There is always something to think about.

[jellybean]

I hope you get it sorted Hezz, and don't have any more problems.
Been wondering how you're liking the Robert Stroud book.

[samwiseg]

Necessity is the mother of invention Hezz - I have no doubt you will find something to sort it

[Hezz]

I did find a solution, I think! We took the top off the cage and turned it over ....... it may have been meant to go that way round all along, but who knows? We had no instructions. It means that the iffy bit is in the inside top corner of the cage and while a bat might, there really is not good reason why a budgie would want his feet there!Seeing as I had only seen anyone have a problem with it twice, I feel safe in saying problem solved.

The book, jellybean. The book is very interesting, but a bit of a study. I am really wishing I had a microscope of my own, but having used them in my former professional life, it would have to be a goodie ...... but the birdies, even though they don't know it, are probably glad I don't!!! Some of his ideas are different and there is the time to remember that he wrote most of it in the 1930's, and some of his experiments a trifle macabre ..............

[Shirls]

As you say Hezz, there is always a problem to solve. My problem at the moment is that Pickle likes to feed from the tube seed feeder that all the others feed from, (naturally) but she chucks out most of the seed, particularly the ones she doesn't like so I am losing a lot (and I mean a LOT) of un-eaten seed on the floor! Birds!!!

Hope the change round of the roof of your cage has worked.

[OP]

I had the problem with Whiskers chucking uneaten seeds out of the silo type feeder. I watched him one day from up close and he was after the groats and the other seeds were in the way, He used his beak like a scoop to dig out the groats. I had to go back to the stainless steel bowls that sit on the side of the cage. So far I have had very little on the cage floor. It's a pain having to clear the husks off the top of the seeds each day, but it's a whole lot cheeper. (pun intended)

[Shirls]

Can you post a picture of your little stainless steel feeder bowls please OP. Perhaps I could get some as an alternative. My buds won't eat out of the Ferplast feeders that are integral to the cage. Pickle will, but the others won't.

[OP]

I surely can Shirls

[Shirls]

Crikey - that was quick OP!! Thank you. Can I ask, would the two hooks bend easily, cos my girls tend to unhook things like that and whatever is in there obviously goes all over their floor (and mine). And - where did you get them from please?

[OP]

I've been under the shower this morning so I'm quite awake.
It doesn't show to well on that picture but there is a bit at the bottom the goes through the bars lower down to stop the holder from lifting off. There are other designs that have a screwed clamp to fix the holder in place. I don't know how good they are. There is also some wooden shelves that go across the corner of the cage with a hole in to take the bowl. I haven't looked but you may find something at Scarlett's

[jellybean]

Shirls, Karen at naturalbirdco, do a great selection of the corner shelves with the bowls under the "special needs" section of her website. I use the same stainless steel bowl as OP, but I use mine as a water dish as they are so easy to keep clean, Pets at Home sell them, if you have one near you, it would let you go have a look to to make sure you like it and it's suitable.

[Hezz]

Apr 15, 2015 7:33:11 GMT Shirls said:

Can I ask, would the two hooks bend easily, cos my girls tend to unhook things like that and whatever is in there obviously goes all over their floor (and mine). And - where did you get them from please?

Be careful with this, Shirls. My stainless steel pots were he same, but I didn't like how they sat on the side of the cage either - too easy to be thrown off. The bars on my cage are vertical, not horizontal. We bent the hooks in more so they sat better but the holders are only cheap plated chrome, the chrome cracked and soon there was rust on the holders. I tried putting silicon tubing over the rusted bits but that stopped the pot sitting properly in the holders and left room, I felt, for feet/claws to get caught. I no longer use them. I also remember Skysmum having the same problem , and am fairly sure she doesn't use hers now either.......... skysmum???

[skysmum]

Ive gone back to coop cups Hezz but these are the bolt on ones, they sit much tighter in the holders and don't move around catching their toes but i also have a perch right up to them so they can sit at the same level and feed from the perch. Im only using them for Jo and Freddy. I went back to them because they were wasting soooo much seed with the silo's.

These are the type, i use the small ones.
www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/Products/HB1764/stainless-steel-bolt-clamp-coop-cup-900ml

[rae]

This is really informative. Basal has cup feeders that came with the cage and I didn't really think about how much it was keeping him from wasting a whole lot. He picks through and gets what he wants, but he can't throw as much out, it just goes back into the cup. I was thinking about the silo type to try, but until he's a little less picky (transitioning to a diet with more pellet) it might be better for him to keep his cups.

[Shirls]

Thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions, I shall definitely go to the one you suggested skysmum. I will have a look first in Pets at Home too jellybean.