My cockateil is eating the newspaper at the bottom of his cage! Help?

Question

I noticed lately that I haven't been replacing my cockateil's food as often as usual. I was wondering why he wasn't eating it as much. He wasn't sick and was his usually lively and happy self. Then I noticed that the newspaper at the bottom of his cage is all chewed up. I put 2 and 2 together and realized that he's eating the paper and not his food. This can't be good for him! The obvious thing would be to remove the newspaper, but what else could I put at the bottom of his cage. I heard that grit and gravel is not good for cockateils.Any suggestions as to how to solve this problem?

Answer 1

are you sure he is eating it? birds will chew on anything they can chew on, and this is healthy behavior. many bird-toys are made of paper and in fact you need to have toys in your bird cage (even if the bird doesn't know how to play with them for a few months) so if the paper is all he chews on i suspect he may not have toys, which as a vital part of bird-owning.

you are right, grit is bad.

i suggest getting a scale and weighing your bird. any drastic change in weight should be to take it to the vet. a cockateil should weigh around 95 grams, maybe 93 to 100 grams? i think. they hide illness so if you weighed him you'd kow instantly if he was sick or if he wasn't. if he is 90 grams or less bring hiim to a vet.

for food he should have pellets with a little seeds or veggies, or -- if you are one of those "no processed foods!" people -- then 50% seeds and 50% vegggies.

it sounds to me that he's maybe not throwing his food around as much as he used to and instead playing with the paper? get him some toys and make sure he is not loosing weight. if you can't weigh him, you can catch him (if he lets you handle him without freaking out totally) and run your finger down his chest. there is a bone like a ship's keel down their chest, if it is really sharp and stands out he is too thin and should go to the vet. (and if you can hardly feel the bone, he is too fat!) but thats' not as godo a way to tell then weighinig them.

Answer 2

Are you sure he is ingesting it?  I've had birds and my boyfriend currently has a lovebird and she loooooves to rip up any sort of paper.  She doesn't eat it, just makes little strips that I presume is from her nesting instinct.  Next time you clean out his cage, make sure he isn't just shredding it up.

Maybe you could try to put a screen or something over the newspaper so he can't get to it directly.  Might make for more cleanup, but at least he won't be eating it all up.

Answer 3

Feed him fruits, seeds, and leafy greens. Throw in some clay too. They will love you for it.