Bird Cage Cleaning 411

Bird Cage Cleaning 411

By Wyld’s Wingdom

As lively and engaging pets, birds require much human attention to thrive. From affection to stimulation and conversation, owning a pet bird comes with responsibilities. One of these many roles is to ensure a safe and healthy environment and this means maintaining a clean birdcage including play stands, accessories, and perches. A great approach to the upkeep that comes with bird ownership is to create a daily and weekly cage-cleaning schedule to tackle the tasks at hand efficiently and thoroughly to help keep yourself organized and your bird’s environment in the best shape.

Daily Items
Keeping a daily eye on your bird’s environment not only helps you keep a comfortable space for your pet but also is a great way to relay important information about your bird’s habits. By observing how much your bird is eating or if there are excess droppings or feathers, you can deduce if your bird is healthy or is facing any worrying issues. Additionally, monitoring toys on a regular basis helps you know when to replace worn items and can help avoid potential health complications from ingesting broken plastic.

When it comes to the cleaning tasks, it is recommended to replace the liner of your cage each day. Regular black and white newspaper is best as it allows for an easy palette to read droppings on. Not to mention that color ink can pose hazardous for many birds. Many people find it is convenient to stack several layers of newsprint on top one of the other to simply remove the soiled layer as fit throughout the day.

Food and water dishes also need frequent attention. Consider purchasing two or more sets to allow you more flexibility when it comes to cleaning. Stainless steel or high impact plastic dishes can easily be washed with hot soapy water and thoroughly dried before being disinfected to help maintain a healthy eating and drinking area that is free of droppings or crusted food matter.

Weekly Items

Each week, depending on your specific bird and cage set up, it is recommended to perform the larger cleaning tasks such as emptying your bird’s cage completely and washing with hot soapy water. After a thorough rinse, let it dry completely before finishing off with a disinfectant. There are many bird-safe disinfectants on the market that can help facilitate an easier clean. All walls, flooring, and bars should be scrubbed clear of any materials that your bird may have flung against them including droppings or foodstuffs. Enlisting the help of sandpaper or an old toothbrush may be necessary for a big mess.

Attention also needs to go towards cleaning all large toys and accessories. They can be placed in a hot soapy bath while you work on the cage. A common dishwashing detergent can aid at removing seeds and droppings as well as sandpaper for the more difficult items. All toys and accessories also need to receive a disinfecting treatment and to dry completely before being placed back into the cage.

As pet bird owners, it is your responsibility to make your bird’s environment a safe and happy place. A major part of this is keeping a clean and sanitized cage!  Wyld’s Wingdom carries a number of products to help with cage cleaning.  Check out the selection at www.wingdom.com.

Categories: Accessories, Cages |