[blinknsnowbunny]

Well its one week down and hopefully one more week to go until we bring home our babies. Very excited but a little nervous about having everything ready and doing things right.

Still have to give the cage and toys a bit of a clean and buy something to protect the carpet under the cage.

I have two more questions for you guys at this stage (I'm sure there willbe more to come once the little ones arrive).

1. Covering the cage at night - what kind of material/how thick should a cage cover be? The weather is warming up here in Australia so I don't want to overheat them.

2. I read on another thread thar natural perches taken from gardens etc should be baked before placing in the cage to avoid bringing bacteria etc in. Is this really necessary? Can perches be soaked or washed in a vinegar/baking soda solution instead?

 

[pep4uk]

hiya cant help with perches
but i cover my baby at night with a bed sheet as its not to thin or to thick,
and im in scotland
sure other members will help you out here with your questions
they have helped me out a lot
and a great site for info etc
xxxx

 

[geenz]

I'm in north QLD and we used to use a large towel to cover them at night but don't cover them anymore. They get a lava lamp nightlight now

 

[chloe92us]

I use a cotton knit sheet to cover. I think to kill any bug larvae or bacteria from wild animals, you have to soak in a bleach solution (a very small amount of bleach--I throw mine in the pool for a couple hours, lol!) and then bake at a low temp for about 30 mins. Personally I think the bleach solution would be fine and then let dry in the full sun for an afternoon.

 

[igottafeelin]

I use whatever blanket/ towl I have nearby at bedtime. I don't cover all the way just the front and leave a ou nightlight on. As far as the stick goes first make sure the branch you use is from a tree that is not harmful. You can use This Link for that. I just washed in hot water and set out in the hot sun to dry.

 

[blinknsnowbunny]

Thanks guys
I was going to use an old bedsheet but our cage is quite big so it doesn't quite cover the whole cage.

The link for natural perches is useful, though I notice that dried eucalyptus is listed as toxic. I wonder if this is just the leaves or also applies to branches? I wouldve thought , being an Australian bird, eucalyptus would be ok. Also, I'm sure I read on another website that Eucalyptus and Wattle were suitable for use as perches and that leaves could be left on for them to shred and entertain themselves.

It's confusing when there's conflicting information.

 

[blinknsnowbunny]

Also, I presume a children's night light is suitable to prevent night frights?

 

[chloe92us]

Also, I presume a children's night light is suitable to prevent night frights?

Yes. And I only cover the front and one side of the cage. That allows the night light from the fish tank in.

 

[igottafeelin]

good point the confilcting information. I appreciate you pointing that out.

 

[tielfan]

The link for natural perches is useful, though I notice that dried eucalyptus is listed as toxic. I wonder if this is just the leaves or also applies to branches?

Eucalyptus is fine. Some sites will list something as toxic if there is the slightest possibility that it could cause a reaction in sensitive individuals, and it seems to me that Cockatiel Cottage is hyper-cautious about EVERYTHING.

Eucalyptus oil is toxic and could cause problems if a large amount of leaves/wood or a small amount of pure oil was ingested. It has also been suggested that fresh eucalyptus shavings shouldn't be used as nestbox bedding, since the scent will be much stronger than what you'd find in a natural hole in a tree. Wild cockatiels are born in eucalyptus trees and spend much of their lives there, and are free to chew on the leaves and bark any time they feel like it, so obviously they don't have any problems with it under normal circumstances.

 

[morla]

I just hope everything gos well!

 

[blinknsnowbunny]

Interesting. Thanks Tielfan and thanks everyone for the advice. Two more sleeps till we pick up our feather babies this info will come in handy!