What's better? Grill or no grill?

[Ashling]

I was wondering what's better?
1: Using the grill at the bottom of the cage with the tray and newspaper underneath or;
2: Having only the tray with newspaper so the birds can walk on the paper?

Until this year (as in 7 years of bird keeping) I had never used grills, because I thought the birds liked walking on a flat surface when they needed to- at the bottom of their cage.
The grills are so hard to clean- needing to be soaked, scrubbed and picked at -as opposed to just lifting out a few soiled layers of newspaper each day and replacing with fresh layers.
It doesn't really prevent the birds from walking in their poop either, as it sticks to the grill in places. It makes it harder for the poop to be watched for changes in the bird's health too...
Also, they can't reach any food that falls to the ground and thus causes wastage. It also prevents floor foraging.

So what's the purpous of the grill? Am I missing something?
Ash usually has the grill in, but today I took it out and it was so much simpler...
What's everyone's views on using grills or not?

[KDK241]

I think the main purpose of the grate at the bottom is for birds who pick at/eat their poop and to keep them from walking in a lot of poop. Zeke used to do that but he just picked at and ate the poop on the grate. I don't use them for the same reasons you listed, and because none of my cages have pull out grates so I have to take the whole cage off the base to take them out and it's such a pain. It depends on the bird and the owner but it is soooo much easier without the grates!

[dustbunny86]

I use the grate on Phoenix's cage because it prevents Phoenix from pulling up all the newsprint. Phoenix loves to shred paper into little tiny pieces and if she has access to the newsprint on the bottom of her cage, she will chew it all up and the floor pan will be bare... with a mound of shredded paper in one area.

The grill does get dirty though and it is tough to clean. I use a stiff wire brush to scour the dirty bars of the grate. It slides out though so it's pretty easy to remove and return it to the cage.

[amanda143]

I have considered taking out the grill on the grasskeets' cage because they love to forage around on the ground, plus it's so damn hard to keep clean as you say. I may experiment and see what happens.

[nvranemptynest]

I keep the grate in the 'tiel cage because they drag their beautiful tails through all the mess...and they don't seem to care either way. I used to have the grate in the U2 cage, but it was a huge hassle. She would reach through the grate (trying to forage) and tear up the newspaper. I removed the grate and she leaves the paper alone...go figure. She opts for her toys and fallen food now. She poops in one area which she avoids, so she doesn't get messy from that...but newsprint isn't the best on a white bird, either!

It really depends on the bird. Try it and see how she responds. The worst that can happen is you'll have to put the grate back for her.

[huntress]

I guess it all depends on the bird and the user and the cage. I have some cages that must have the grill in place to keep the bird in,lol. I have my too who will make a HUGE mess in minutes and 24/7 365 with the newspaper and other debris in a joyful bliss which is not my joyful bliss. My grey like to play and tumble and fall - if he didnt have the grate he would be covered in poo always. I have a steamer and a power washer - grates take two minutes. I keep the grates out for the grass keets which are ground type scavangers. I take grates out for the babies till they are fully winged. Parrotlets will shred and pick poopy seed. Since i got the power washer I do not even use paper in the summer. Its much cleaner and faster to pull all the pans and dump them and power wash them. I can do 15 pans in less than a half hour. I can do the three big grates in about ten minutes or less if you include hauling them outside,lol.

[sweetpeaches]

All the reasons listed for not having a grate seem to be very valid and thot provoking reasons to consider. I had a tough time with this decision too as caiques love to lay on their backs and roll around and play. So I thought the grate would stop him from doing this or at the very least not be that comfortable. And it does seem a waste when the food drops through and he can't get to it...But with all that said i decided to keep the grate in, mostly because i don't want him walking around in his poop or playing in his wasted food. i do have a powder coated cage so it's very easy to clean..even the grates. when i wipe them off the "dirt/poop" comes right off. and even tho their may be some poop on the grate it's not as much as there would be if there wasn't a grate.

and i also have observed that bailey doesn't have any problems playing on the bottom like i thot he would.

if i should decide to ever take the grate out, i would not use printed paper like newspaper as i do now because i would be worried about the ink on the pages of the paper. i would probably use some type of unprinted paper.

[jimpierce7]

the paper wouldn't last 5 minutes in my house with out the grates. I don't find cleaning the grates to be that much work really.

[anbrownucsd]

I keep the grates in my birds cage, and I have never had a hard time cleaning them. I use 'poop-off' which is made to be safe for birds, and it is an amazing enzyme cleaner. I spray that stuff on perches, the grate, my couch, anything and the poop cleans up really easily.

I have never thought about leaving the grate out of the cage... maybe I should try it. Hermes loves to roll on his back on tables and the couch, maybe he would do that in his cage if there was no grate. Then again, I'm not so sure that I want him rolling in his poop.

[Ashling]

It would be horrible having to take apart the whole cage! Mine's a pull out too, so it was quite easy to get out, but then... soaking and scrubbing!
Ah yes I forgot about that- Ash chews at the edges of the paper, but doesn't shred luckily. She did it worse when the grate was there, completely shredding in places. I forgot about the shredding problem! That's a very good reason for a grate, unless they can reach through anyway! hehe newsprint on a too!
My main reason for not having grates, amanda143, was because I mostly had foraging birds like tiels and budgies. Grass keets forage alot, so I think they'd benefit from it- good luck on your trials.

I'd love to have a steamer and a power washer! That'd make cage cleans bliss! I guess you have alot of cages to clean though, huntress- more than my three!

I forgot to mention that since Ashling's poop is liquid and soaks right into the paper and dries- it means that even if she rolls on her back and plays with her toys, she won't get soiled. I put a box in there today and she was down on the floor for hours, wheras she hardly ever went down with the grate there.
I might look into some poop-off too! Sounds like magic, and would be my mother's gift from god (she HATES all the poop!)