Cockateil chewing on perch wood

[Sam123]

Hi! So my 10 months old male cockateil has recently developed the habit of chewing his wooden perch. He has a round wooden perch in his cage. When he was around 2 months old he started doing the same thing and then stopped on his own. The perch is round and hard so I'm afraid he may end up damaging his beak. Can someone help me discourage his habit?

 

[Shezbug]

They need to chew to keep their beak and mind healthy, most of us here provide natural perches for our birds to keep their feet healthy (having only dowels are bad for their feet) and as a bonus lots of the natural perches still have bark on them for our birds to chew. Offering decent chewable and shredding toys also is a good thing to do.

 

[Sam123]

I don't have an idea about natural perches so can you please explain me. Also is it safe for the bird's beak to chew on a round hard perch?

 

[Shezbug]

Natural perches are simply just perches made from a branch that has been cut off a bird safe tree.

Not all wood is safe for our parrots so before cutting branches from any tree you check that the tree itself has no pesticides on it and that the wood is safe for birds.
The natural perches are really good for their feet because they’re not the same uniform shape and width like dowels are.

Your bird needs to chew wood to keep its beak healthy.
I’m guessing the wood you’re saying your bird is chewing is a dowel perch, if it is then it’s ok for your bird to chew but with it being a tiel you may wish to get him some easier wood like balsa to chew.

 

[Mizzely]

Dowels make better chew toys than perches They are perfectly fine to chew and many birds do!

 

[Sam123]

Thanks for helping

 

[sunnysmom]

Does you bird have some wood toys to chew on?

(And I once watched my cockatoo chew completely through his wood perch while he was standing on it. )

 

[Sam123]

No he doesn't. But I'm looking forward to get him those.
(My tiel always unfastens the knot of the rope tied to his swing while sitting on it lol.)