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Growing plants for my birds?

I want to grow some grass and other plants for my budgies and cockatiels to eat and play in. My question is, what kind of dirt can I use to grow it in? I was thinking potting mix but I'm worried it would harm them because they would dig in it and possibly chew it a little. The warnings on potting mix for humans saying do not inhale make me think it would be the same problem for birds? I'm hesitant to dig dirt from my back yard because I'm only renting and I'm not sure what kind of chemicals etc were previously used on the garden. Would potting mix be harmful and is there anything else I could use? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. I don't know if organic potting soil would make any difference on the 'warnings' part. You may check that out. I think a lot of potting soils now contain premixed fertilizers which may account for the warnings. I can't imagine what would be in plain potting soil that could warrant a warning like that. You can also sprout most seeds in water. In addition if you grow things outside of their cage and cut off pieces and rinse them before putting them in the cage that would be ok. If you want to encourage foraging on the ground (cockatiels do this in the wild, I don't know about budgies though) you can put the clippings and sprouts in a cat litter pan on the bottom of the cage for a while. If it gets soiled with poop you can dump it, sterilize the pan and refill. Good Luck.
2. You could actually go organic, which means find a horse or cow farmer and use the manure for the soil. Yes that means they have old manure laying around. Let it sit for another 7 days and it will be good to be used as soil. Sprinkle your seed on the top and allow it to sprout.