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Post by zim on Dec 11, 2015 22:01:51 GMT -5
So after almost 2 weeks of being in his new home, Yoshi has become very comfortable exploring his cage. The past few days however, he's decided he wants to spend a lot of time sitting on his food bowl. The problem is, he's pooping in it quite a bit.
I think the reason he wants to be there might be because it's the closest spot he can get to where I'm at most of the time. I could be wrong on this thought, however.
His favorite perch sits higher than the food bowl, and I put another perch at the same level, but closer to me, hoping he would move to that instead, but so far no such luck.
Any advice?
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Post by easttex on Dec 12, 2015 4:53:39 GMT -5
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 12, 2015 9:03:22 GMT -5
Mr P used to SLEEP in his food bowl, you can just imagine what it looked like every morning. I added another bowl to his cage and put his food in the new one. I left the old one there as a sleeping bowl so it was empty when he pooped in it.
Eventually he decided his hut was more comfortable but I still have the extra, empty, food bowl there just in case.
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Post by bruce on Dec 14, 2015 3:00:09 GMT -5
I had a terrible time with Chuckie pooping in his food bowl and his water dish. So I invested in the time to train him to drink from a water bottle that has a small switch to start the flow, and bought a food bowl that has a clear plastic shelter. A few weeks ago he looked like he was trying to poop in the dish. Fortunately his aim was way off. Given how I have placed it in relation to the perch he uses to reach it, he cannot figure out how to poop in it. Problems solved. One of the few times I have outwitted him.
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Post by easttex on Dec 14, 2015 5:18:29 GMT -5
One of the few times I have outwitted him. I hope you savored the experience, Bruce.  |
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Post by aaron on Dec 14, 2015 13:36:51 GMT -5
Cupcake poops in her food bowl sometimes, but not the one in her cage... the one on her feeding station. And it's because she goes away from the pellet dish and over to the plate with her cucumber and sprouts and decides to poop while she is eating the fresh food, while her butt is positioned over her food plate. It's like she just forgets where she is. She really doesn't seem to care. Given that they clearly think about whether the location of their pooping is an appropriate one or not, it's funny how frequently poop ends up in the food bowl. I can't say I understand. |
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Post by biteybird on Dec 15, 2015 2:08:24 GMT -5
I had a terrible time with Chuckie pooping in his food bowl and his water dish. So I invested in the time to train him to drink from a water bottle that has a small switch to start the flow, and bought a food bowl that has a clear plastic shelter. About a month ago I bought a guinea pig glass water bottle that attaches to the outside of the cage. It has a ball bearing that lets the water out when Bonnie pushes against it with her beak. I wasn't sure if she'd realize how to use it, but it only took her once - she watched me tap the end with my finger and that was that (she's quick!).
I got it because Bonnie has a new habit of transferring about half of her pellets to her water dish, one at a time. It must take her a good portion of each day to do it. At least I know she has access to fresh water, as I've seen her using the glass bottle.
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Post by julianna on Dec 15, 2015 12:08:26 GMT -5
I think Bonnie wants to have her pellets pre-soaked. I know Oscar does the same thing and his bowl used to be full of bits of cracker or bread... finally he has learned that this stuff sinks. When I give him these little treats I always dunk them for him so he doesn't loose it.
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Post by aaron on Dec 15, 2015 16:23:37 GMT -5
Cupcake just dunks each of her pellets individually as she eats them... so typically there's just some debris at the bottom from whatever mess was on her beak whenever she does the dunking... but she doesn't drop any pellets in the water. Funny how they each have a different approach  |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Dec 15, 2015 22:29:30 GMT -5
Mr P is a dunker too. He does that with just about everything, including his toys occasionally. |
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Post by cnyguy on Dec 16, 2015 21:11:48 GMT -5
I think Bonnie wants to have her pellets pre-soaked. Ralph quit dropping pellets in his drinking water when I started giving him his soaked pellets. He will still sometimes drop pieces of cracker in the water, or will dunk his cinnamon toast when I give that to him. I can understand his soaking the salt-free, whole wheat crackers 'cause they're hard as rocks (and to me, taste like cardboard, but Ralph likes them, once he's dunked them). |
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Post by beccilouise on Dec 23, 2015 17:00:48 GMT -5
Byron does that ALL THE TIME. I agree, try moving the bowl away, maybe move a favourite perch to that location instead? Although these guys are clever, like all of us, they have some elements of stooped and unfortunately, not pooping where you eat is a rule many of them have not learned! In the wild, when they defecate, their poo just drops to the forest floor and they don't have to worry about where it lands. They've never learned to be clean with where they poo because the 'toilet' is the forest floor and the 'food bowl' is the canopy. I'm afraid you may just have to resign yourself to checking and changing his food regularly. I do Byron's at least once a day anyway, even if he hasn't pooped in it.
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Post by aaron on Dec 24, 2015 13:00:53 GMT -5
It seems like the one place they have an instinct about is the nest. As long as the poop isn't in the nest it's okay. |
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Post by julianna on Dec 24, 2015 14:18:15 GMT -5
It is funny you mention this aaron because I was coming on here today to tell you about Oscar's new nest. This one (about his 6th one I think) actually has a poop hole in it... wow.... I am truly amazed and happy. There is one corner of his house (nest) that isn't covered in and he sleeps right there every night. Now in the morning all I have to do is remove the dirty paper below and the house is cleaned.
Before I used to need to remove Kleenex and some tie wraps, wash them and return them to Oscar. No more of this.
I don't think he liked it when I would pull out some of his tie wraps for cleaning, so he decided how to get around this. What smart boy.
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Post by aaron on Dec 24, 2015 18:26:42 GMT -5
Haha wow! The Quaker condo floorplan has evolved to include a bathroom! That is seriously impressive. What a smart little chicken!
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