My birds chew wood perches. What durable, safe options can I use?

It's definitely normal and is more of a nesting/boredom behavior rather than an indication of a vitamin or mineral deficiency. You can get them to chew on other toys or other objects if you want to minimize the damage to the perches and ladders. Below is a link to some good ideas for keeping them busy. http://www.parrotenrichment.com/ I hope that helps and all is well with the Budgies.

It is not uncommon for birds to chew at one particular spot on a perch. It looks like you have a number of wooden dowel perches in the cage - you could try to vary these by providing Manzanita wood perches (they look more like branches) and this may provide them with some areas that they can clean their beaks and wear their nails as well. For your question about the food dishes - it is very common for birds to only utilize materials (including food, water, toys, and perches) that are at the top of their cage. The reason for this is that they typically live in the trees, so they like to be high up the majority of the time. I would advise removing the dishes that are down low, and only providing dishes high in the cage. You can still provide multiple dishes if desired, in case you have some competition for food among the birds in the family. I hope that answers your questions, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

There is no one perfect toy for all parakeets. They need toys that can be destroyed and toys that can't. Cardboard boxed, paperback books work well. Forging toys to stimulate puzzle solving, can be beneficial. Good luck.

Some toys or changes to the environment are definitely a great way to help reduce boredom. You can look for toys that are soft or fuzzy to encourage preening and chewing behavior, or toys that can move around such as swings or bendy ladders for exercise. Treats that have to be pecked at are also great enrichment. Just be sure to choose toys that are designed for your bird's size and activity level. If you have a pair, you may also want to add in a nest or some nesting material to encourage building and give them extra enrichment.

Hi there. Here are some good resources on how to make bird toys at home. Hope this helps! Best wishes! http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/ideas.htm http://www.parrotenrichment.com/toys.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbo2f-pIsRA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDDX9r_uixw

Hello, actually wood is not the best for your dog. This can lead to splinters and foreign objects that I've seen end up in tracheas, esophagus, stomach, lungs, free floating in the chest or abdomen, or causing major injury to the oral cavity (teeth and gums). If you are going to give Donut a chew toy, I would recommend a Kong toy. You can find these online or at your local pet store. These are better for their teeth and durable. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It is best to provide Ava with a few different types of perches. They should range in diameter. Natural perches are best, as they provide varying shapes which is best for your bird’s feet. A pedicure perch is also recommended (ie: "sweet feet" perch) which is a textured perch that helps keep toenails trimmed and smooth, as well as the bird’s beak. You can find a plethora of perches on Amazon. ( https://www.amazon.com/natural-perches-Parakeets/s?k=natural+perches+for+Parakeets )