Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First of all, hello everyone! I've been gone or a few years. I've missed this place. Anywho...

I have a very, very old and raggedy bird cage and although it is perfectly safe and functional I'm in the midst of a move and thought it a great opportunity to revamp it. I know that cockatiels should be expoed to a minimum of chemicals and that paints are generally paticularly abrasive, so does anyone happen to know of any avian-friendly formulas? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

The H2O latex spray paint sold at Walmart works quite well and is children toy safe so also avian friendly (not to breathe in though!). Of course the painting would need to be done outside and the paint needs to cure for a minimum of one week before the bird is placed back inside. When we repaint a cage we always powerwash before painting and then again after the paint has cured well. If the paint does not seem to be sticking well there may be too much oil on the cage or it may be too smooth. You can try roughing it up just a bit with very fine grit sandpaper before painting to help this out.

Most companies say that a latex, quick drying, low scented spraypaint that is child safe will work for avian cages as long as it cures well and is not used directly around the bird.