changing button quail bedding

[sleepycat]

so i've been keeping my button quail on small animal bedding (the lil tissues) and have been considering changing their bedding to something different. the small pet bedding is very expensive, and i spend lots of money getting it for them every month. would i be safe to use soil or dirt for their bedding? the only thing im worried about is whether it'll be okay for indoors or not. anyones personal experiences are much appreciated

 

[Nabiki]

Dirt should be fine. You'll still need to clean it, but if you have a garden, you can rotate the used dirt in and take fresh out.

 

[NatJ]

If they are inside your house, you may not want dirt making everything dusty.

(That's not something that would bother the quail, just something that tends to bother people.)

 

[The Birb King]

I have my quail on pine shavings currently. I was thinking about changing it to sand so it is easier to clean. I can just scoop out the chunks instead of changing all the bedding and they can dust bathe anywhere. Im not sure if I should do it or not.

 

[Nabiki]

If they are inside your house, you may not want dirt making everything dusty.

(That's not something that would bother the quail, just something that tends to bother people.)

In my experience they produce a lot of dust no matter what their bedding is.

 

[NatJ]

In my experience they produce a lot of dust no matter what their bedding is.

Yes, good point.

I've only had chickens, not quail, but my experience is:
Baby chicks on paper towels produce a lot of dust.
Baby chicks on dirt, or any other bedding with a very fine texture, produce even more dust.

So they are never dust-free, but some beddings can make the dust even worse than it would be otherwise.

 

[TinyFarmCollective]

I might be an outlier but my buttons aren't really what I'd call dusty, but maybe I'm used to parrots and how incredibly dusty they are! I do vacuum up feathers every day as part of my general housecleaning, but that hasn't been an issue that has been bothersome either.

I have my quail in a hutch style indoor cage with puppy training pads on surfaces and then there's a wire mesh over a pull out tray that I line with paper towels. Once a week i take everything out, wipe it down, and replace. It's been super easy!

 

[ButtonNomies]

I use wood shavings in my tanks and fake grass on my wire cage.

The wood shavings get cleaned out twice a week and a handful of fresh added everyday between the cleanings. The fake grass gets hoovered (yes hoovered) every day

The fake grass is sat onto of wire surfaces not solid platforms so it doesn't sit in any moisture x

 

[sleepycat]

I use wood shavings in my tanks and fake grass on my wire cage.

The wood shavings get cleaned out twice a week and a handful of fresh added everyday between the cleanings. The fake grass gets hoovered (yes hoovered) every day

View attachment 3393588View attachment 3393590

The fake grass is sat onto of wire surfaces not solid platforms so it doesn't sit in any moisture x

i switched to wood shavings a few weeks ago and they work really well! i love the fake grass idea. your buttons are super cute!

thanks everyone for the recommendations!

 

[Fishychix]

I might be an outlier but my buttons aren't really what I'd call dusty, but maybe I'm used to parrots and how incredibly dusty they are! I do vacuum up feathers every day as part of my general housecleaning, but that hasn't been an issue that has been bothersome either.

I have my quail in a hutch style indoor cage with puppy training pads on surfaces and then there's a wire mesh over a pull out tray that I line with paper towels. Once a week i take everything out, wipe it down, and replace. It's been super easy!

Can you post a picture please? I'm getting some buttons and am looking at different indoor housing options.

I use wood shavings in my tanks and fake grass on my wire cage.

The wood shavings get cleaned out twice a week and a handful of fresh added everyday between the cleanings. The fake grass gets hoovered (yes hoovered) every day

View attachment 3393588View attachment 3393590

The fake grass is sat onto of wire surfaces not solid platforms so it doesn't sit in any moisture x

Love the setup and your birds! Thanks for the pictures! Never thought of using fake grass

I've had coturnix, but they were outside and I got out of them some time ago.