Cage Cleaning

[kylie]

Hi all

I haven't posted here for a while as I have had the month from hell. My dad died, then we had to put our cat down, then my brother-in-law died. All within the space of 6 days! What a rollercoaster ride I have had. Anyway...life goes on.

I was wondering how often you all clean your birds cages?

I have Sunny the IRN who is in a large cage with lots and lots of daily fruit and vegis. They get thrown around the cage alot and stick to the bars etc when they dry out. I try to clean the bottom of the cage every two days (I put newspaper on the drawer which all the fruit and veg fall onto which she can't get at) and scrub the cage completely about once a month.

I have a tiel too who only eats seed, so I don't clean as often but it does get cleaned about once a month.

Both cages are inside all day, except for when it's not too cold we put them outside while we are both at work. But over winter, as I have come home, I can smell the birds not so much the fruit/vegi smell but the feathery powder smell that you get with indoor birds. The IRN doesn't powder but the tiel powders all the time, and I am noticing it more and more and hate it .

They get showered once a week.

So is it that I need to clean their cages more often or something else? I am usually a very clean person but not to the point where the house has to be immaculate, or else I wouldn't have birds in it!!

Thanks guys.

[Clare]

Hi Kylie

Sorry to hear about the loss of your father and brother in law.

My 2 IRNs share a cage in my lounge room and I change the newspaper daily and take it outside to clean once every week. Its very big (1.7m high and 1.2X1 m wide) but I wheel it outside, give it a quick hose and then use a bucket of warm water, a little detergent and some LOVITS Whistler bird cage cleaner and a dustpan brush to clean it. Then hose it off. This is pretty quick and gets the cage clean and smell free. The bird cage cleaner only costs $7 for 500ml at woolworths/safeway. It has a 'bactericide' in it to neutralise smells (Well, thats what it says on the bottle)

I have an 'airwick' airfreshener in my lounge too and I guess that covers any bird smell. I hope its safe for the birds. Hasn't worried them so far.

[Lauren]

Oh dear, you must have had a tough time lately. So sorry to hear of your loss.

I clean my 2 cages thoroughly once a week. If they've had messy fruits I'll clean it twice a week. I pick up scraps, poops from around the cage and clean food/water buckets daily though. I just use hot water and a little disinfectant. Then wash with water again. I havn't tried any cage cleaners yet. I try to keep the air in this room as clean as possible meaning no air fresheners, deodorants, smoking.. etc.

Clare, where did you find the cage cleaner at Safeway? The Safeway near here only sells seed treats for birds and mostly dog and cat food.

I'd be very careful of air fresheners like 'Airwick'. They are known to kill birds.

[Clare]

I don't buy it at safeway here becuase we have woolworths instead, but it is near the tablets and flea treatments and things for dogs and cats. I also sometimes buy it at coles if you have that, near the bird seed there.

I might get rid of my airwick thing, thanks Lauren.

[nil]

hi killie
sorry for your losts
i understand you so much because i have lost my father,my mother, my first ringneck ( i had him 20 years) and before a month my ten years dog, all of these in two years period
i hope stop this now.

i put to my cages white paper ( no newsparer, because it contain ink and may be dangerous) and sand for birds.

I change them once a week at large cages and twice at smaller.
Once a weak using a alcohol based with QAC (alcosan -Diversey Johnson) disifectand ,clean all his stands and all they food containers with chlorine.
They get showered once a week at summer time and once a month at winter with water and salts for birds. I showered them inside them cages so cleaned themselves.
once a year for large cages and every 2-3 months for smaller i disifectant cages with alcosan or a water solution of Qacs.

[Lauren]

Is the powder your seeing like a fine puff of dust when they shake the feathers out? This coats their feathers and helps keep the feathers nice and smooth. Special birdie dust!

Clare, You 'Qlders'. When I lived up there I was always referring to Safeway and no one knew where I was talking about. I felt so silly telling the bus driver I wanted to get to Safeway and he dropped me off 2 kms from the shops! Woolies/Safeway same thing. Thanx We shall keep an eye out for some cage cleaner. Even the local pet shop didnt sell it!

[swanwillow]

well, what a week! its hard having people pass, especially when they are close to you. I lost an uncle a few years ago, it hit hard. It sometimes helps to go out and help others that are in need; I work at an old folks home, and people die, I've become almost numb to the fact although at the place I'm at, people rarely pass. But, off that tangent.

I don't use grates. I do occasionally with my lorikeet if I'm going to be away a lot in the next upcoming days, cause she can get really sick eating old food due to her diet. With the ringnecks, they are in a .91m x .91m x .61m cage (ooh, thats my conversion.. 3ftx3ftx2ft for those of us not metrically abled) and I spot change their papers.. usually half of the cage a day, and they only take a second to change.

I'm guilty of not cleaning the cages enough.. the ringnecks are in a cage without wheels, and since its pretty cold out here... spot cleaning with water in a spray bottle as they get their baths.

[Elizabeth]

i do both my irn and ferret cage daily, and finch avairy weekly.

I like to keep them as i bought them, always clean.

for ferret or cat owners, the crystal litter is the best!!!

[swanwillow]

I don't like the crystal litter-I prefer more natural ones...

but, thats a personal choice

[Melika]

I use half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle to clean Hane's cage. It's big and upstairs so I can't just wheel it outside. ^_^

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant so I don't have to worry about it. And once the vinegar smell goes away, I can't smell anything.

If you don't like the smell of vinegar, you could use Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) instead. It's citrusy and more effective against strep, staph, salmonella, candida, and e-coli than Clorox! Twenty drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract to a 32-ounce spray bottle filled with water, you can even clean veggies with it.

Also, vent your rooms every few days. I read somewhere once that that can remove most of the smells in your house so I tried it. Lots of windows in old FL homes! But it did work. I just open the windows for ten minutes and let the air exchange (house was smelling dogified) and when I was done it was much improved, and that was before I vacuumed! I do it even in winter. Birds should be fine in winter if it's just for a few minutes. I've seen cockatoos in snow, bathing in it without harm. Or you could put your FIDs in another room and just do one room at a time if you're worried about drafts.

And yes, you would want to clean your 'tiels cage more often. Dust falls to the cage floor, bird flaps wings, dust now floats in your air. That's why 'tiels are bad for asthmatics and those with breathing problems, including allergies. And people wonder why my 'tiels are outdoors? I would venture to say most of that feather smell is from the 'tiel. I know it well.

Oh, and when cleaning the bird cages I gently spray the tray paper first, so when I'm cleaning , the dust and feathers don't float into the air.

Air fresheners just add more pollutants into the air. They have chemicals that actually coat your trachea. Ich. I'm not a fan and yes, they can harm your birds. You can boil a cinnamon stick and cloves in a little pot of water. Smells fantastic in the winter. Beware though of an increased urge to bake!

And newspaper is ok for the bottoms of cages, just not the glossy kind. As long as they can't reach it. If they can, white paper with sand is fantastic, as was said by nil.

[nil]

vinegar is a very good idea melika.
i dont know the Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) at all, where do they sell it?

[Melika]

GSE can be found at most health food stores. Or on the internet.

[Elizabeth]

I don't like the crystal litter-I prefer more natural ones...

but, thats a personal choice

I was using the paper pellets and was changing it daily because of the smell. With the crystals it stays dry and i change it ONCE A MONTH! Sounds gross but it really has worked for her.

[swanwillow]

I've been using some brown arm and hammer type that I like now-its advertised as biodegradable.. hated the crystals cause my cat likes to make them fly


when you guys are talking about white paper and sand; what do you mean?
I was reading an old book out of the early 80's, and they talked about using sand...

[nil]

there is at pet shops sand for birds, it is a clear white sand with shells and nice smell, it is excellent for cages, it is very absorb and give to parrots minerals, also good for their digestion sytem

[Melika]

there is at pet shops sand for birds, it is a clear white sand with shells and nice smell, it is excellent for cages, it is very absorb and give to parrots minerals, also good for their digestion sytem

The only birds that actually need sand are those that eat the shells of the seed, like doves. It helps them digest the whole seeds. Parrots shell their seeds before ingesting so don't need it.

Some 'tiels have had trouble with sand, so say some people and can die from eating too much of it. But my 'tiels never did have any trouble, but they didn't overeat it either. I did stop giving it to them as a precaution and they didn't need it so that saved money for toys, lol. But a little won't harm a parrot.