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Both of my birds seem to destroy everything made of wood in their cage whether it be a ladder or their perches, what is somethjng I could do about it, I don't want to switch to plastic perches.

Both of my birds seem to destroy everything made of wood in their cage whether it be a ladder or their perches, what is somethjng I could do about it, I don't want to switch to plastic perches.

Updated On June 4th, 2017

Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Male | unneutered | 3 years and 1 month old

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Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

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Destroying wooden toys and ladders is actually natural behavior in birds and is good enrichment. Some things you can do is offer a variety of other toys and things that they can destroy. Use newspaper or cardboard rolls to wrap and hold treats to give them something to destroy and forage at the same time. You can consider getting slightly thicker woofer toys that may last longer or combining some plastic perches and ladders with wood. A variety of shape sizes and textures is healthier than one size and style only. Concrete type perches help to file thier nails. Wood such as Manzanita is extremely hard and much more durable than the plain wood perches. Below are some toy ideas. There are also resources available on the web to see what tree branches you may have in your yard that are safe for perches. https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/top-toys-for-parakeets/ https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-owners-can-find-new-uses-for-these-recyclables/

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