My budgies came from a pet store,and I still need to hand train them.In the meantime,I want to see if they'd bathe if I put a bowl of water in the cage,since they don't trust me to move them and place them in a bird bath for a little splashing.The only bowl that will fit is through the door a Styrofoam bowl.Is it safe for them?Also,I've heard newspaper ink can be harmful to them,but I use it to cover the tray that catches everything,and the cage came with a metal grid to cover the bottom and they can't get to it.Is that okay,or should I line with something else?

dont worry about them bathing right now at all..wait several months for that yet...and absolutely do not use any styrofoam...newspaper ink can be nasty...for easy clean up what ive done is ...go to walmart in the kitchen area they sell white plastic flexable cutting boards which bend and are VERY cheap...buy the size closest to your cage size then just trim out with a scissors to fit the bottom of the cage OVER the wire grill which is not a good idea really as they need different surfaces for their feet and not always wire wire everywhere wire...this includes different types of perches...not just the standard ones that come with a cage or standard wood...flat soft platforms are nice and the booda rope perches too...also a couple of these PEN PLAX oyster shell perches shown in different lengths in top row and beginning of second row so they can keep their nails and beaks nicely groomed...

http://www.birdguys.com/bird-conditioning-perch.html

those white plastic cutting boards rinse off very easily and can be reused over n over n over...i got two sets so i can just take the dirty ones out and replace with the clean ones in a jiffy then just rinse of the dirty ones and give them a wipe with those sterilizing hand wipe towels you can also buy at walmart really cheap to wipe down all the cage also and their toys etc.

here is the rope perches im talking about and they are flexable to bend into dips an hills which they love if you buy a size a bit larger than your cage you can easily do this...


http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOODA-COMFY-PERC...=item4845b4ea5d

and this pic shows all the varieties of perches in cappys cage and part of the green soft covered wire platform also the bottom of the cage with the plastic cutting boards i told you about...you can see a reg wooden dowel perch the oyster shell perch the booda rope perch a SAFE WOOD natural branch perch and the green platform perch and a reg plastic green perch which came with my hagen vision cage...you can also see more than just one food station which every cage should have at different heights and locations...there is even more than what you can see and he is just one bird...

Okay,thank you so much!I'll get a cutting board tomorrow when we go to Wal-Mart and different perches later in the week when I'm in the city with my closest pet store.What kind of fabric is on the platform?I looks like felt.And they're in a bigger cage than they are in my picture,and they're much happier.

before spending too much money on incidentals put that money you would spend on other things into buying a good size cage...and those cutting boards have more than one in a package...they are very thin an very bendable not the hard counter top ones..

the fabric on the platform sells separate from the platform itself...but like i said the single most important thing to get right now is good size cages...the rest can come later...this is part of what you need to learn about...let the rest come as you go...then once you get the proper housing we can talk turkey errrrrrrrm keets after that for the other things

you would easily spend at least $20 on perches and swing and toys and food cups etc etc that would make a big difference in the size of the cage...thats the single most important investment to make is the cage

EDITED

do it right the first time and your house wont end up looking like a bird cage store which many of us have gone thru myself included...

and for sure if this is a tough one for you to come up with money for this BEST START SAVING seriously...for other things...these birds are not cheap with all they NEED...and breeding would be out of the question if you dont have the time money and space...they need A LOT for that

do you see how tiny my bird looks in his cage ...thats a HAGEN VISION MODEL M02...and with all the toys etc it needs to be that big lol here is a full size pic of it...find the birdie lol

The thing is I'm 14,so my mom is paying for almost everything at the moment.I don't have a job and the only money I get is for special occasions and birthdays,but I don't have any real money.I'm setting up a savings account soon,but that's about it.The cage we have is the largest they had for parakeets,it's 16.5Lx11.8Wx16H.The others were for parrots and cockatiels and those were too expensive.If I want a bigger cage I'll have to order it offline.

no you will need to be a very inventative young lady to earn some money in the house and selling some things in a yard sale that you have to help...maybe if you do babysitting as your old enough now to do that and save that money also...mom shouldnt have to pay for it all...these are YOUR lil alive not stuffed animal friends ...so thats a big responsibility to their health and a lot like what parents have to do with us...

make sure we are fed right have a good housing and taught right and all our needs are met...thats why they work and do what they can too for extras...

not easy...but it can be done...

offer to do dishes an laundry and dusting in the house for a allowance things like that ...and do a good job too ..when your asked to not when you feel like it...

Newspapers these days use soy ink so while it can get messy if wet is fairly safe and if it is under the grate makes cleanup easier - or if the bottom try slides out then you can slide it out and wash it every day.

Okay,thank you

Using newspaper under the grate is fine. It will make for easier clean up of the side out tray.
Those flexible plastic cutting boards illusive is talking about work great for covering the grate so they have a flat surface to walk on..and yes, also very easy to clean, and pretty cheap to buy also.
Just be sure to measure your cage before you pick up the cutting boards so you are sure to buy enough to cover the bottom. They may be a bit larger than the cage bottom, but they can be cut to fit.
IF you, or mom, have enough try to get TWO sets..that way when you take one set out to clean you'll have another to pop right in its place.
IF removing the bottom grate does not leave a big gap at the bottom where your birds could get through, you can remove the grate completely and just line the tray bottom with the cutting boards..or cheap white paper towels for easy quick clean up.
I use paper towels. The cheapest I can find at dollar store.

They really do need a larger cage if the one they are in is only 16 1/2x 11.8 and 15H. I think the smallest for 2 keets should be at least 18x30x18H..which is a flight cage. Bigger than that, double that, would be best. So start saving any way you can for a bigger cage. Look on ebay...and you can even start checking craigslist, sometimes you find used cages there really cheap. You have to keep looking tho because there may be none one day and then someone lists one the next.
If buying a used cage it must be thoroughly cleaned/disinfected before using it for your birds.
If you have access to SAFE branches you can use them to make natural perches to give them a little variety without having to buy them.
Here is a link to toxic and non toxic wood and foliage, fruits n veggies for birds. You need the NONtoxic of course.
Bookmark the page so you can find it easily to refer to in the future.
If collecting branches do NOT get them from a roadside where they have been exposed to toxins, and be sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides. Know the area you are getting branches from
http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/non-toxic-for-birds.html

yah and when you remove or cover those dang grates no time is now needed to scrub them with all the little cement poops that stick like glued with gorrilla glue to them.

i just dont like anything shreddie like paper towel unless you have males then it doesnt make a difference...but to much enticement with females lol