Can you use fleece as bedding instead of newspaper, etc?

[Winter & Moon]

So I have two masked lovebirds named Winter and Moon, and I have had them for a while. I'm slowly running out on newspaper and though it is a cheap alternative it still costs a bit to get. I have so much fleece at home, and since I know a lot of people who use it for other animals, I was wondering if I could put it to good use. With this, I could wash and replace without much hassle. Thank you so much!

 

[saroj12]

What if they crawled under and suffocated?

 

[hrafn]

I have fleece in my disabled Afgrey's cage to keep her from being hurt in a fall, and @Brittany0208 has a lot of fleece in Java's cage too. I think it works great as an alternative to newspaper since it absorbs and washes out very nicely.

 

[MiniMacaw]

I have fleece for my disabled parrotlet (I generally use baby blankets folded in half) and it works wonderfully. It’s what her avian vet recommended and I see no safety issue so long as any loose strands are cut and it’s in good shape.

 

[MiniMacaw]

What if they crawled under and suffocated?

I worried about this also at first, however Gemma (my parrotlet) crawls under the edges of her blanket sometimes and pops back out to play. It seems like she’s quite a bit stronger than the fleece and she’s a tiny thing. My vet said it’s the best bottom for her condition and I think so long as I check for fraying or holes it should be as safe as something can be.

 

[JLcribber]

So I have two masked lovebirds named Winter and Moon, and I have had them for a while. I'm slowly running out on newspaper and though it is a cheap alternative it still costs a bit to get. I have so much fleece at home, and since I know a lot of people who use it for other animals, I was wondering if I could put it to good use. With this, I could wash and replace without much hassle. Thank you so much!

Keep your bird's nail tips blunted/rounded/smooth. It's those needle sharp nails that cause the problems and accidents with any kind of rope/cloth. Address the safety problem with the nails.

 

[Winter & Moon]

Thanks you guys! this really helps decisions

 

[Brittany0208]

Yep, I use fleece for Java's cage, and since I've run out of newspaper, I haven't bothered to get anymore. I find it much easier to just spot clean the fleece and swap it out with new fleece when it gets dirty. I did, however, take the thread out of all the blankets just in case he ever decided to play with them. I don't have a single regret about switching to fleece, and he seems to prefer it much more. I can tell he's comfortable when he perches and sits on his sundeck.

 

[nu2birds]

And if your cage uses a grate, you could use the fleece under the grate (where paper goes) and then shake out and wash and switch out with clean fleece when cleaning the cage. No harm can come to the bird with fleece under the grate.

 

[LSA]

I used paper towels on receiving blankets then fleece in Sherman's, WCP, cage. (She's missing the nails on one foot.) After asking members, my AV and my breeder for comments, her perches were changed. By changing the diameters of her perches, the problems with eating and sleeping were solved! Again, I used fleece, but, luckily, solved the problem.
Something else that helps still is an LED night light. The blue color allows Sherman to sleep, but then, if she falls, she can see her way back to her perch. I won't even go into the baby monitor.
The way I did fleece was to have several layers in cycle. I took out the top dirty ones, washed them on regular laundry days, then put those clean ones back under... back into the cycle.
The lack of newspaper was solved by asking the ladies at church for weekly paper donations. I was down to torn cardboard boxes and wrapping paper.

 

[Brittany0208]

I used paper towels on receiving blankets then fleece in Sherman's, WCP, cage. (She's missing the nails on one foot.) After asking members, my AV and my breeder for comments, her perches were changed. By changing the diameters of her perches, the problems with eating and sleeping were solved! Again, I used fleece, but, luckily, solved the problem.
Something else that helps still is an LED night light. The blue color allows Sherman to sleep, but then, if she falls, she can see her way back to her perch. I won't even go into the baby monitor.
The way I did fleece was to have several layers in cycle. I took out the top dirty ones, washed them on regular laundry days, then put those clean ones back under... back into the cycle.
The lack of newspaper was solved by asking the ladies at church for weekly paper donations. I was down to torn cardboard boxes and wrapping paper.

I'm still trying to figure out a fleece system on keeping them clean for days on end. Spot cleaning gets up the poop, but the urates stain the blankets. I was using paper towels on top of the fleece for Java to sit on, but I realized it was irritating his foot, so I took those out (the paper towels). I still occasionally use disposable puppy pee pads, but I wonder if those are just as irritating as the paper towels. I'd love to just have him on fleece 24/7, but keeping it clean is tricky at the moment. I could do layers, but I don't wash clothes regularly like I used to, so I'd probably run out before a batch was clean. Any ideas?

 

[LSA]

Well, in my line, washing every other day is a necessity. I tried pee pads but only managed to pay more for something she hated. In fact, she would try to "hold it" and refused walking on them.
It was too easy to find out Sherman's favorite poop spots. As well, it was easy to learn her poop cycle.
The cyclical method was/is used for several situations. It's the ONLY thing that for sure works for me. I even use it for papering all cage bottoms so that birds start everyday with a clean cage tray.
If anyone has other ideas, please post them!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND JAVA!

 

[Brittany0208]

Well, in my line, washing every other day is a necessity. I tried pee pads but only managed to pay more for something she hated. In fact, she would try to "hold it" and refused walking on them.
It was too easy to find out Sherman's favorite poop spots. As well, it was easy to learn her poop cycle.
The cyclical method was/is used for several situations. It's the ONLY thing that for sure works for me. I even use it for papering all cage bottoms so that birds start everyday with a clean cage tray.
If anyone has other ideas, please post them!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND JAVA!

Thank you
Yeah, he hates the pee pads, but I think it's more because they are a solid light color, which he doesn't like for some reason. So far, he hasn't given me a problem with fleece, and seems to REALLY like it compared to any other type of material.

 

[LSA]

Yeah, Sherman HATES two colors, white (or whitish) and red. I think it's a bird-thing. That's why I stopped using paper towels on receiving blankets!
Actually, grass green fleece was about all Sherman tolerated. I wonder if Java would go for "poop" colored fleece? HAHA
Washing less often really doesn't change the total number of pads. It just changes when you put clean ones back underneath. Like Sherman, his cage is big enough to stack several up! Besides, unlike Java, it builds trust between she and I. We each do our daily duty, of sorts. She doesn't have to threaten or lunge, because it happens regularly even if she does. Trust me, it gets changed and cleaned though neither of us likes it. It's just part of life. HAHA

 

[Brittany0208]

Yeah, Sherman HATES two colors, white (or whitish) and red. I think it's a bird-thing. That's why I stopped using paper towels on receiving blankets!
Actually, grass green fleece was about all Sherman tolerated. I wonder if Java would go for "poop" colored fleece? HAHA
Washing less often really doesn't change the total number of pads. It just changes when you put clean ones back underneath. Like Sherman, his cage is big enough to stack several up! Besides, unlike Java, it builds trust between she and I. We each do our daily duty, of sorts. She doesn't have to threaten or lunge, because it happens regularly even if she does. Trust me, it gets changed and cleaned though neither of us likes it. It's just part of life. HAHA

Lol I find that he prefers darker colors like burgundy or olive-green or navy blue, but anything like mint or light blue or light pink, he freaks out. I'll just to have to stay on top of his fleece, and keep it in a separate laundry pile, because the last thing I want is for bacteria to form and make him sick. I'm thankful that now I can put my hand in his cage (and even my head) to clean up and all he does is look curiously. Before, as soon as I opened the door, he stuffed himself in a corner and did everything he could to get away from me.

 

[LSA]

Hey, I just thought, Sherman doesn't get upset when I clean using the recycled, brown napkins from McDonald's!
Also, she isn't upset by and will walk on them. In fact, that's why I said in a thread earlier that anytime anybody went to McDonald's, their mission included bringing me napkins!

 

[LSA]

LOL Olive green? That would be perfect! Then you'd only have to worry about those pesky white marks. LOL

 

[LSA]

Sherman had a laundry basket just for those fleece liners!