"Poop Toe"

[timmyhay]

I use the 8x10 plastic inbox type paper trays from the school section in target. I put like half to a full inch of water and let them splash around, after a few mins you can usually break off the balls.

Another great suggestion!

I'm so glad I posted this! Thank you, all.

 

[HillGuy]

I do the plastic box trick and put pebbles on the bottom and cover them with some water. Cover the top with hardware cloth and leave then it there a while. The walking & soaking knocks off a poop ball.

 

[Ravenlover]

I do the plastic box trick and put pebbles on the bottom and cover them with some water. Cover the top with hardware cloth and leave then it there a while. The walking & soaking knocks off a poop ball.

Love that idea

 

[Ravenlover]

Just gotta say it cuz i was shocked when i found out, each button quail will poop 25-50 times a day. Also like nabiki I started using pine shavings and haven't had that issue ever since, and slightly warm water just enough to cover feet in a small pot with a drop or two of dish soap(stir with finger) then soak use finger nails to gently peel and squish off/pick, is how the book says to do it which is what i did and it worked

 

[shrimpsilkies]

I second the water box idea, but make sure the water is really shallow and that they can’t fly out too easily... I learned that the hard way when I had all my Fee chicks in the water thinking they would stay put, and then they were all over the house with little wet poopy foot prints everywhere too.

 

[Ravenlover]

I second the water box idea, but make sure the water is really shallow and that they can’t fly out too easily... I learned that the hard way when I had all my Fee chicks in the water thinking they would stay put, and then they were all over the house with little wet poopy foot prints everywhere too.

I hold my hands over them the whole time cuz buttons are small and the pot i use is too lol cuz i was always scared they would drink the soapy water

 

[timmyhay]

Thank you all for your replies! They were so helpful. We employed the water box trick, with a bit of aquarium pebbles on the bottom, and all four are now Poop Toe Free! There may be some damage to a couple of the toes, but they are all running around and being quail, and seem fine. I made a couple no-mess feeders out of some plastic bottles, the design of which I will modify over time. I'm also switching food, and hoping this alleviates the problem. The next batch of bedding I buy will be pine shavings. I had read that it wasn't safe for them, but that may have been a specific type of pine shavings?

 

[Nabiki]

Thank you all for your replies! They were so helpful. We employed the water box trick, with a bit of aquarium pebbles on the bottom, and all four are now Poop Toe Free! There may be some damage to a couple of the toes, but they are all running around and being quail, and seem fine. I made a couple no-mess feeders out of some plastic bottles, the design of which I will modify over time. I'm also switching food, and hoping this alleviates the problem. The next batch of bedding I buy will be pine shavings. I had read that it wasn't safe for them, but that may have been a specific type of pine shavings?

If you use the fine pine shavings for chicks, they'll eat them. I use bigger shavings. It's really cute when a chick picks up a large shaving and goes running around with it. It looks like its carrying a flag while all the other chicks chase it around trying to see what it has.

 

[Cazook]

coarse sand bath helps a lot. also the dishes that have a lip on them to stop the sand and feed escaping to other parts of the floor work great.

a lot of the time you can just grasp their toes and gently the toe ball pulls off. i used to soften them by using warm water but it seemed more stressful for the quail, messy and didn't actually have a better outcome. just make sure you are not actually pulling too hard. the quail will chirp if this is so