Safe litter/bedding/cage lining for birds.

[kherrmann3]

Hello, everyone! Thank you for looking at another one of my random topic threads! Woo!

I just have some questions concerning litter/bedding/cage linings for birds. Basically, it all goes around how much it costs, how big of a bag, and how effective is it. My mum has birds and wanted to know about litter. These are her questions. I am just helping her out. There is some specific information about my mum's birds followed by the questions. Thanks in advance!

Here are the "specifics" for my mum's birds:
- She has two Cockatiels.
- There is no wire rack between the birds and their cage lining.
- She uses newspaper as a cage liner with a corn cob bedding covering it.
- The birds do go on the bottom of the cage and play in the lining, looking for food, etc.
- I have seen them playing with the litter/bedding, picking it up, chewing on it, etc.
- Their cage is HUGE for Cockatiels. It is roughly 2x3 feet at the base.
- I believe she cleans their cage out weekly.
- They are able to leave their cage all day.

These birds are my mum's babies. Their cage is opened up in the morning, and they can leave it if they want to. They sit on top of it, play around on the dresser next to it, and have a play area or two that have perches, toys, etc. for them to hop around on. They even have a TV in the spare room (where they live) and watch Animal Planet all day. When my mum is home, they ride around on her shoulder while she does chores. These birds are SPOILED! I am just trying to help my mum out and find her the cheapest safe litter there is for birdies.

Here are my questions:
1. If you have birds, what kind of litter do you use?
2. What is the best litter you can get for a good (cheap) price?
3. Is corn cob the cheapest, but most effective litter for birds?
4. Where can I (or my mum) acquire this litter?

I added a poll for some quick-reference information. You can select multiple options. Example: If you use newspaper + corn cob bedding, please select both.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Hi there! I also have two cockatiels in a big cage. Their cage doesn't have a wire rack (hard to clean and keeps them from foraging on the floor). I just put white paper towels in the bottom of the cage, nothing else. They spend a lot of time down there, picking at the towels, running around and eating food. When I change the papers, I just have to roll them up and spray a little Simple Green on the cage base, then wipe it off. Takes maybe 2 minutes, tops! It's very easy.

Corn cob bedding can be dangerous. If it gets wet, bacteria and mold and stuff can grow in it, and it's dangerous if the bird eats it. The best thing to do is just use paper towels or black and white newspaper.