computer cord destruction???

[dmiller91]

Is there anything you can spray on cords that tastes bad to a bird? I know for dogs you can use bitter apple?

I would hate to have someone wreck my cords and kill themself in the process.

[LovelySydney]

I dont know of any sprays but we put tape around them or there is a plastic you can buy to put around the cords so they arent exposed. The tape sometimes makes our animals more curious = )

[Jan]

Well you can always buy some clear tubing like at Home Depot or Lowe's and use it as a classing like to help protect so at least they would have to chew through the tubing first. You can buy softer tubing or more rigid like tubings. I always try to hide my cords. I did one time have my Scarlet Macaw who chewed on my keyboard cord while I was happily typing away and all of a sudden it did not work so I look to see and there she was under my desk and she could reach up enough and grabbed it and bit it right in half... that put a stop to my typing. Had to go buy a new key board and later hubby fixed the cord on it as he knows how to do that sort of thing. I did not even relaize she was under my desk at that time!!

I also use protect cords that are like behind the desk by using cardboard in front of the cables to shield them from the birds who might be down on the floor and get under a desk - now I have my PC stuff in in a spare bedroom that I now use as my office area and only one bird comes in here that is my B&G Kuka ans she is always on her t-stand.

I use a cordless mouse so no cord there to worry about should I have one of the smaller birds in here with me. I never allow birds to get on my keyboard ever or play with the keys!

[MissV]

Originally Posted by dmiller91

Is there anything you can spray on cords that tastes bad to a bird? I know for dogs you can use bitter apple?

I would hate to have someone wreck my cords and kill themself in the process.

How funny....I was actually looking through my Drs foster and smith catalogue just yesterday and saw something for this!

They have a plastic casing they sell exactly for this purpose. Well...I actually saw it in teh ferret one I got for a friend. Don't know why they don't list it for birds, cause they're faster than any small mammal I've seen at snaping cords in half!

Marshall Pet Cord Protector at Drs. Foster and Smith

[Rubytoo]

I tried something called Better Bitters, I think it is made by Kaytee.
But it did not help us at all. (this was with some boots and a rubber mat edge that was getting chewed.)
A certain birdy here took no notice what so ever of the taste.

There is spiral plastic you can get that wraps around cables to tidy them and keep them together.
Not sure it would be beak proof though, even wrapped closely as it is not solid.

I do think that any thing like power cables we just have to place inside a piece of piping, or as we have used here, strips of perspex/acrylic stuff to block them from the birds.
We just wedged it slightly behind the piece of furniture the cables come from and along the wall to the power point.
Hope this helps.

[sailorkelly]

I need to find something that will keep Abbey off of my keyboard. She stole one earlier.

[Newticus]

It's funny I was just thinking about this, but for a different application. I had my "mother in law" make curtins to put behind the bird cages to protect the walls, well Chester and Jacob have gone to town ripping them up. I have no idea what to put on the curtains to keep the birds from chewing them up.

I am secretly thinking that there will be nothing I can do, but if any one has any suggestions I would love to hear them

Melanie

[NotEnoughTime]

I found a "bitter apple" spray for birds in my local pet store that seems to deter chewing. It is supposed to be for feather pluckers - but I found it didn't work very well with my plucking parrotlet (it just made the feathers "weird" and more attention was paid to the feathers it seemed). But it does seem to reduce chewing of things that I don't want chewed in the house.

But I also try to give my girl other things to chew that are similar to the things she likes to chew - so she has a few baby toy keyboards and push button devices that she is allowed to chew and they are beside my "toys" so she can chew around me...

[dmiller91]

My sun actually rips the keys off my work laptop in seconds flat. One did not go back on properly, the N key, one that I do like to use now and then. I'm taking it in Monday. I sure hope it can be fixed, yikes!

[MissV]

Ditto. But I got reeeeally good at putting laptop keys back on.

I actually had to construct them all over again (the little plastic things, the rubber botton, all pulled apart). Took me probably an hour the first time to figure it all out and to handle such tiny tiny pieces.

...man, I'm stubborn.