Bedding: Pellet vs Sand

[gummylick]

I had pine shavings on the cubby side of my quail hotel but decided to put in sand since they love it so much. It's going great but I also noticed they do well on the wood pellet (powder) and bathe in it as well. I'm thinking it's more absorbent than the sand? Would there be drawbacks to using wood pellet powder vs sand?

 

[thecatumbrella]

I'm assuming this is outside? And do you get any water runoff in your quail enclosure? Sand is top notch at dehydrating poo, but it's meant to drain vs absorb liquid. Assuming the quail don't eat the pellets, I would go with whatever performs best in your climate for ease of cleanup. You could also do what I do and have a mixed medium run. I use mulch on the perimeter (because I need something that REALLY soaks up water) and sand on the interior.

 

[gummylick]

In southern TX so very hot climate and the right side (cubby side) is fully enclosed with a door to open side. There's no drainage, I scoop or sift out to clean. I see them peck thru the sand and heard they sometimes use it for grit, so was concerned that if i switch it out for wood powder, it'd be a problem.

 

[thecatumbrella]

In southern TX so very hot climate and the right side (cubby side) is fully enclosed with a door to open side. There's no drainage, I scoop or sift out to clean. I see them peck thru the sand and heard they sometimes use it for grit, so was concerned that if i switch it out for wood powder, it'd be a problem.

If the sand's working well, I'd stick with it (if only because it will be a massive pain to move!) Give them a separate dust bath area with broken down wood pellets. Best of both worlds!

 

[gummylick]

Ah! I have a tray I put in with different textures/rocks/treats for them to peck around in. I'll do that, thanks much!