Birds chew and lick their toys and cages and if the cage has rusty bars then birds will also chew on it. Rust is the result of the corrosion of iron. Rust is formed by the reaction of iron, oxygen, and air moisture. Let us understand if rust in a cage can hurt your bird or not.
Short Answer:
Birds are prone to chew and lick everything they find therefore birds can chew on the rusty cage. Rust is toxic for birds hence we recommend you to put salt, grit mineral, or cuttle fishbone for your birds to chew.
Remember to remove rust from the cage and repaint it for future use.
Will Rust in a Cage Hurt a Bird: What Happens if Birds Eat Rust
Birds like to chew on things and rusty flakes are easy for birds to chew on. These flakes are iron flakes and these cannot be digested. Several problems can occur with your bird if they eat rust.
Vomiting
If your bird has eaten rust from the cage or their toys then it will irritate them and cause them to vomit.
Weakness
Rust flakes will not come out easily after vomiting and they keep on trying to puke it out. This will cause weakness in your bird.
When your bird is irritated by ingesting a rusty flake that is not coming out after vomiting or in a poop then your bird will not be able to eat food therefore it will result in death.
Baby Feeding
A mother bird usually digests the food and then feeds their babies. If the bird has eaten rust then it will try to feed rust to its babies which will kill the baby bird instantly.
How to Remove Rust From a Bird Cage
To remove rust from a bird cage you need to do the following steps,
- Remove all birds from the cage and move them to another cage that is not rusty
- Apply sandpaper, scrub, or wire brush on the rusty part to remove rust
- Oil-based paint and water-based paints are safe for birds, apply them on the cage
- Sun dry your freshly painted cage so it will not release gases that can be harmful to the birds
- Place the birds when the paint is dried out.
Drying the paint is also important because birds will lick and chew the fresh paint. Follow the instructions above to remove rust from the bird cage and paint the cage.
Stainless Steel Bird Cage: Option to Save Your Birds from Rust
Another option to save your birds from rust is to buy cages made of stainless steel. below are some of the best options that you can choose from,
Prevue Pet Products Large Stainless Steel Play Top Bird Cage
This large stainless steel rust resistant birdcage with playtop is suitable for cockatiels, amazons, African greys, and similar sized birds. Rolling casters allow you to move your bird cage easily from room to room or indoors to outdoors.
Prevue Pet Products Wrought Iron Select Bird Cage
Durable wrought iron construction enhanced by a non-toxic powder-coated finish with 4 Stainless steel cups, 2 wood perches, cage stand, playtop and rounded seed guards are included.
Prevue Hendryx Silverado Macaw Dometop Cage
Three stainless steel, non-tip, bowls and one hardwood perch included. Interior Space-45 1/2 L x 35 1/2 W x 63 H inches
Non-toxic and pet safe powder-coated steel mesh with metal tray
Prevue Pet Products Stainless Steel Play top Bird Cage
All Stainless Steel Bird home – even the perches!
23 3/4’’ long, 22 7/8’’ wide and 61’’ high (to top of play top) with 3/4” wire spacing
Conclusion:
Rust is harmful to birds as they can chew it. We recommend all bird keepers, avoid keeping their birds in a rusty cages and paint the cage. Put salt, grit minerals, or cuttlebone in the cage for your birds which they like to chew on.
These minerals have an abundance of calcium and other healthy minerals for birds.
