If you have a bird at home, you’d know that cleaning up the cage of the bird is an intimidating and daunting task. As an owner you would always like to ensure that you don’t miss a spot and keep the level of your bird’s safety at the highest. So, did you just bring home your favorite bird? If answered yes, it is most likely that you’re confused about how to clean your bird cage.
The best way to go about bird cage cleaning is to be thorough about whatever you do. Use cleaners which are organic and also safe for your pets and clean the cage often so that your delaying doesn’t post any health risk to your bird. As long as cleaning your bird cage is concerned, there are daily, weekly and monthly tasks. Keep reading the post to know more on cleaning your bird cage.
Table of Contents
Cleaning the cage – What does it entail?
You should include the act of cleaning your bird’s cage in your daily routine so that it is easier to maintain. Once you know that this is a repetitive task for you, you’ll learn the tricks of cleaning faster. There are many bird parents who think that cleaning the cage is a tough job but this won’t be the same if you make it a part and parcel of your everyday routine.
Cages for larger birds should be cleaned once in a week while those that accommodate smaller birds can be cleaned once in a month. Regardless of where you keep the cage of your bird, it is always vulnerable to attracting germs. Hence it is advisable that you keep an eye on the cage and inspect it for signs and symptoms of bacteria, fungus and other diseases.
Disinfecting and dusting the cage
In order to make sure that all the components of the cage are cleaned thoroughly, you have to wipe off all the dust, debris from perches, bird feces and food items from the surface of the cage. In case you use a disinfectant, make sure it is applied watchfully and left there untouched for about 10 minutes.
If you use a disinfectant that is eco-friendly or pet-friendly, you should take care that it is rinsed off thoroughly. Once you rinse it off, allow it to air-dry while you clean off the other components of the cage like perches and toys.
- Ensure you are thorough with cleaning
- Take a minute look to clean off all debris
- Rinse off cleaners thoroughly
Cleaning the Cage Accessories
As the process of cleaning is on, you should ensure that any kind of liners for the birdcage are replaced or removed everyday. The liners have to be cleared away much before you begin to disinfect your cage. You should also replace the liners after you dry up the cage so that the liner is not saturated.
If you include any accessories or toys inside the bird cage, make sure you clean them too. Dip the accessories into hot water and soap and rinse them with clean water. The surrounding areas of the cage also have to be cleaned. Sweep up before you choose to vacuum clean the bird cage.
Expert Tips for Bird Cage Cleaning
Preventative maintenance is a must
Does your bird cage rest on the floor? If yes, the first thing to do is to place a mat underneath the cage to protect the floor. You can just choose any of those mats that are placed under swivel chairs in an office. You may even use an old rug that none will miss. This is particularly helpful for those who keep their birdcages inside rooms with a plastic mat to avoid the debris from falling on the carpet.
Get separate food dishes
Do you have birds that feed on seeds? If yes, there are many ways of keeping things neat. Birdcage food bowls should be more than halfway full as larger birds have a tendency of poking which leads to throwing them here and there. In such a situation, if you have to keep things orderly and clean, you need to get separate dishes for pellets and water. Keep few extra sets on hand.
Keep bird feces under control
Birds have a cloaca which means that their urination and defecation is combined within a single dropping. Bird droppings look black and white, the latter being the urination and the former that of defecation. The droppings usually harden up. Do you know the ways in which you can keep droppings under control? For the smaller birds, put a folded piece of newspaper on the floor and the food dishes on top of it. You may even invest in anti-microbial paper for the cage.
Choose to have a bird cage steamer
How about having a hand-held steam cleaner around the house for cleaning your upholstery? Did you ever plan to use this for cleaning your birdcage? This is in fact great for the times when you require deep cleaning the bird cage. These small units are the best ways of disinfecting and cleaning the cage and also the toys, perches and food dishes used inside the cage. A steam needs very little quantity of water and hence the cage even dries up pretty fast.
Clean the cage often
A bird owner once said that the more often you clean a cage, the less often you’ll have to clean the cage in future. There are few things that need to be done every day and when you do it religiously, you’ll have an easier time doing the job. Moreover, cleaning often will keep your bird in a the pink of its health. You should clean the water and food dish of your bird everyday with soap and hot water. However, make sure you do this in a place that is different from your food area. Use pet-friendly and eco-friendly soap.
The cage of the bird is its home. Much like you try to keep your home clean s that you can eat, sleep and remain comfortable, you should do the same with your pet bird too. Cleaning effectively will keep your bird happy and healthy.