Aussie Finch Forum

In the new aviary I'm building, the pavers of the pre-existing concrete pavers a have a section of a kind of carpet moss. This is common in Singapore, I have read some comments that it could be useful but wonder about the health aspects. The moss grew because of a previous structure shading the area, but this has insincere been dismantled. Should I remove it or let it be? Any experience or knowledge about this? Thanks

Hi,

Moss is a very temperamental plant, can't handle change, and you'll probably find that if the pre-existing shade has been removed, it will die off naturally. Personally, I don't think it could really harm finches - I have moss in odd pockets of the planted section of my aviary, no problems - though of course different species may have different properties.

Would be more worried about the moisture that is allowing the moss to grow, rather than the moss itself, most mosses need constant moisture, not exactly ideal for the birds

VR1Ton wrote:Would be more worried about the moisture that is allowing the moss to grow, rather than the moss itself, most mosses need constant moisture, not exactly ideal for the birds

With the humidity in Singapore, does it even need rain to grow?

Sorry Andrew, can't offer any advice on the safety of moss.

Hi thanks for the thoughts so far. The key factors are shade and very high all day humidity. The sun will dry out exposed areas but vegetation tends to create its own little microclimate - I was wondering if anyone knows about any disease etc related to moss growth; likewise, feeding or nesting benefits for certain species etc... The point about excess moisture is worth keeping in mind VR1Ton, though the high humidity is a major source of the humidity and unavoidable.

VR1ton's point is very valid & implies that if the area in the aviary is permanently shady & moist enough for moss to grow it is likely to also create ideal conditions for bacteria &/or protozoans which are likely to be harmful to finches. Any permanently moist areas in an aviary are significant hazards for infection for birds.

I gather the moss was once shaded but is no longer. If this is so, I would simply scrape the excess off and then treat the area with a bleach solution.

If the area is now under cover but dry, things should be fine. If the dampness remains, then you may have a problem with infective agents.

The best preventatives for moss and for healthy floors is driness and sunshine imo.

Tom

I recently went too taronga Zoo and they have moss growing in all their aviarys so I guess it's fine

I would say due to there clinical nature to display birds they are hosed and raked daily so it gets very little chance to dry out hence the moss, so it's clinical moss with no bugs. Craig