• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Small animal hay for foraging?

Parakeet88

Jogging around the block
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
8/18/17
Messages
879
I'm just curious, can birds have hay? Like the hay they sell for small rodents like guinea pigs? I've been browsing around etsy and some shops sell really interesting hay dispensers. It seems like it would be a fun foraging toy but not sure if it's safe for birds. Also, do you think it could encourage breeding behavior? The hay might seem like good nesting material.
 

Familyof12

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
9/25/17
Messages
1,362
Location
Santa Clara, California
Real Name
Liz
I don't believe hay is bad for birds. As long as it is dry and there is no mold on it. It may be used as nesting material. I just recently found that no matter what you do, sometimes, you can't fight Mother Nature. I've seen those toys and I've thought of buying one but putting in their food in it like fresh greens, or apples, nutriberries, etc. It looks like a great foraging toy. Let me know if you do this and how it goes! I've got six hookbilled birds all going through a chewing stage. Thank goodness I have some wood from a recent tree cut that I'm baking right now. They've chewed through almost everything including a boing!!! I had to replace it.
 

TikiMyn

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/13/16
Messages
6,723
Location
The Netherlands
Real Name
Robin
I also think hay is fine:) I have herb hay for the rabbits+ducks and give it to the birds sometimes too though they are not a huge fan (yet):D
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,969
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
I hope its not bad for birds, Roudybush just added alfalfa to their ingredients which is what most hay is?

If your bird is prone to nesting it indeed might trigger.
 

TikiMyn

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/13/16
Messages
6,723
Location
The Netherlands
Real Name
Robin
I hope its not bad for birds, Roudybush just added alfalfa to their ingredients which is what most hay is?

If your bird is prone to nesting it indeed might trigger.
Depends on the hay, but alfalfa is indeed at least part of most hays:)
 

Parakeet88

Jogging around the block
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
8/18/17
Messages
879
I wanted to try it with my green cheek. I'm always trying to think of ways to keep him busy while I sleep during the day. He's a male (according to my vet, not DNA tested) and doesn't have a mate so I'm not sure if he'd start nesting behavior. I just don't want to cause him stress by thinking he needs to make a nest and find a mate lol I'll look more at some of the feeders and give it a try.
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,969
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
I wanted to try it with my green cheek. I'm always trying to think of ways to keep him busy while I sleep during the day. He's a male (according to my vet, not DNA tested) and doesn't have a mate so I'm not sure if he'd start nesting behavior. I just don't want to cause him stress by thinking he needs to make a nest and find a mate lol I'll look more at some of the feeders and give it a try.

Luckily they don't build nests like we think. Most parrots are cavity nesters, meaning they look for or make holes in trees to nest in. So its not like grass is an immediate trigger like it would be for a finch or Quaker
 

Familyof12

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
9/25/17
Messages
1,362
Location
Santa Clara, California
Real Name
Liz
They do have alfalfa hay and regular hay. Alfalfa hay is more expensive as it is edible for our ladies. We buy regular hay for their area (not in coop I use eccoflakes) and I buy them alfalfa hay for them to dig through and pick and eat. It keeps them occupied for hours.
 

javi

Jogging around the block
Avenue Veteran
Joined
4/17/11
Messages
918
Real Name
JAVI
Just make sure you aren't allergic. Most timothy hay smells sweet but if you are allergic it will be murder on your sinuses. Also remember that they will pull it out and throw everywhere. So that could mean having to sweep up hay from around the cage. Always had birds that loved it though
 

Familyof12

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
9/25/17
Messages
1,362
Location
Santa Clara, California
Real Name
Liz
we use a lot of hay on the side of the house with the coop. It's crappy when it rains as we have to scrape up wet hay and toss it into the compost bin and relay dry hay. I add a bit of alfalfa hay so they have fun with that. By the way, this is what we do at 6:00 a.m. or 30 minutes before sunup. Round up dirty or wet hay, lay down dry hay, open the coop, give them their "extra greens and goodies" as their crumble with scratch, oyster and grit is in a five gallon bin and always available as well as two large bottles of water, each two gallons which we wash and re-fresh every other day. Then we clean the inside of the coop, and relay eccoflakes and make sure nothing is wet.

Then we wash ourselves in the deep sink in the garage and put eggs away and and after washing up, due to bacteria that can kill my parrots, I am super careful. Then I combine and begin making the fids' breakfast and opening their cages and turning on Alexa to Disney music, then open Charlie's cage and give him his food. Everyone gets fresh water three times a day. They seem to be able to sit right on top of wherever we put them and fill it up with poop soup.

In between, I throw the ball for the dogs to chase. Crazy.
 

SandraK

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avian Angel
Joined
3/21/11
Messages
1,000,000
Location
Palm Coast, FL. Carioca'55 when RJ was in GB.
Real Name
Sandra
My four Quakers -2 boys and 2 girls - have timothy grass tunnels ziptied to the ceilings of their cages. They sleep in them. JJ has done a great Quaker job of weaving stuff into his, while the girls seem to prefer weaving things into the bars of their cage and Baby randomly weaves into things like platform perches. The girls regularly chew up their sleep tunnel and Baby does some chewing too.

I think there are photos somewhere on AA of JJ's woven tunnel - he has it so woven at either end that only he fits in it.
 

csnake91

Strolling the yard
Joined
3/7/17
Messages
76
Real Name
Chris
My IRN Bowie absolutely LOVES to play in hay. I leave it on top of my rabbit's cage and she will jump right in and roll around. If she sees me get the hay bag she will fly to me at top speed to play in it! :D
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,969
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]

o

My four Quakers -2 boys and 2 girls - have timothy grass tunnels ziptied to the ceilings of their cages. They sleep in them. JJ has done a great Quaker job of weaving stuff into his, while the girls seem to prefer weaving things into the bars of their cage and Baby randomly weaves into things like platform perches. The girls regularly chew up their sleep tunnel and Baby does some chewing too.

I think there are photos somewhere on AA of JJ's woven tunnel - he has it so woven at either end that only he fits in it.


I love this idea!
 

OK Mike

Jogging around the block
Avenue Veteran
Joined
1/23/18
Messages
782
Location
Chelsea, Alabama
Real Name
Mike
I use Timothy hay in Blu's foraging cage along with unbleached movers wrapping paper. He enjoys pulling the hay out one piece at the time. He eats the seed heads and tears the larger blades into small shreds. Keeps him occupied for hours. Of course the nuts and dried fruit hidden it make it worth his time. 0128181553c.jpg
 

aooratrix

Macawaholic
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/6/13
Messages
6,049
Real Name
Matthew
I buy the small animal bales of hay for foraging.
 

SandraK

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avian Angel
Joined
3/21/11
Messages
1,000,000
Location
Palm Coast, FL. Carioca'55 when RJ was in GB.
Real Name
Sandra
o


I love this idea!
If you give any of your fids millet, keep the used twigs and give them to your Quakers to see if they weave with them. JJ will actually steal entire millet sprigs from the other birds' cages and weave them into his tunnel.
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,969
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
If you give any of your fids millet, keep the used twigs and give them to your Quakers to see if they weave with them. JJ will actually steal entire millet sprigs from the other birds' cages and weave them into his tunnel.

I've allowed Jingo to keep his happy hut only because he literally never chews it : he only unhooks it to send it crashing lol. But I still would like to change it out. And both boys have the desire to weave but never get far. The tunnel may be the perfect solution!
 
Top