CAGE CLEANING and DISINFECTING. How Often?

[Miss Mary]

Because I have two homes Kai has four cages. One large cage in each home and one smaller cage that I move about from room to room (a suggestion I saw in a video) when the house is to quiet. I have not taken Kai to my second home yet as the weather has been to cold to travel with him but as it warms up and it is safe I will be taking him. I’ve been cleaning and disinfecting his two cages every four weeks as suggested. I also wipe over Kai’s cages every night before I put him in for the night. In a few more weeks I will have four cages to wash and disinfect. I am just wondering if I can go a bit longer or if it is really necessary to wash and disinfect that often. I want to make sure I do the right thing so Kai continues to be a happy thriving little guy. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[Zara]

I disinfect weekly. (I live on the Med and it gets hot here in the summer so I don´t want any bacteria growing)

 

[Mizzely]

I only disinfect every couple of months unless there is a need (illness, etc).

 

[Miss Mary]

I disinfect weekly. (I live on the Med and it gets hot here in the summer so I don´t want any bacteria growing)

I live in New York and have a house in PA. Summers can be warm but have air conditioner in NY but not in PA. I may want to think about disinfecting more often in PA. Thank you for your reply.

 

[Miss Mary]

I only disinfect every couple of months unless there is a need (illness, etc).

Sounds good. Thank you so much for your reply.

 

[PacificPaulie]

I've been doing it weekly with disinfecting wipes (always careful to let it completely dry and air out) simply because it's easier for me to stay on top of it before letting it become a big mess.

A nice trick I use, which I don't remember where I learned it, is to layer the newspaper so that when it's dirty you can simply remove a layer.

 

[Miss Mary]

I've been doing it weekly with disinfecting wipes (always careful to let it completely dry and air out) simply because it's easier for me to stay on top of it before letting it become a big mess.

A nice trick I use, which I don't remember where I learned it, is to layer the newspaper so that when it's dirty you can simply remove a layer.

I wipe out Kai’s cage every night with Nature’s Miracle Bird Cage Wipes. I also wipe the perches every three days. Not sure it disinfects it but like you I need to stay on top of it so it isn’t such a mess when I have to do the thorough job. Thanks for your reply.

 

[EkkieLu]

I wipe up daily, weekends I clean more thoroughly, and every six weeks I scrub and disinfect the entire cage for each baby. Because my ekkies eat mainly fresh fruit (they also get veggies and lots of other birdie foods too), I need to keep on it. They actually peel everything like blueberries, peas, grapes...and then fling the peels all over the place!

 

[Zara]

A nice trick I use, which I don't remember where I learned it, is to layer the newspaper so that when it's dirty you can simply remove a layer.

Not the most higienic trick nor effective. When the bird poops or drops a soggy berry, the liquid will go through all the layers of newspapers.
It is the same amount of time to remove the paper, quick wipe around the tray and whip some more paper down.

I live in New York and have a house in PA. Summers can be warm but have air conditioner in NY but not in PA. I may want to think about disinfecting more often in PA. Thank you for your reply.

Yes, in my winter I do it less. It´s just the heat and humidity get me all paranoid in the summer

 

[Mizzely]

I try to clean the cage weekly but actually disinfecting no. Absence of germs can be just as devastating to the immune system as to many germs.

Is it possible to be too clean? Researchers say yes - NBC News

 

[EkkieLu]

I try to clean the cage weekly but actually disinfecting no. Absence of germs can be just as devastating to the immune system as to many germs.

Is it possible to be too clean? Researchers say yes - NBC News

I totally agree Shawna! Fortunately that will never be a concern around here. My babies all see to that! LOL

 

[finchly]

I wipe up daily, weekends I clean more thoroughly, and every six weeks I scrub and disinfect the entire cage for each baby. Because my ekkies eat mainly fresh fruit (they also get veggies and lots of other birdie foods too), I need to keep on it. They actually peel everything like blueberries, peas, grapes...and then fling the peels all over the place!

I'm finding that out with my Mynah. Ernie Pi (my avatar) makes a mess but gosh. This is a MESS.

I am always behind on cleaning but here's what I try to do. Vinegar/water or a bleach wipe each morning. Paper changes as needed, or every other day. Weekends scrub grates/pressure wash them, wash toys, disinfect cage. I try to keep cages vacuumed/cleaned so that I only have to haul them outside every 6 months or so. That's the big cages. Smaller ones that I can carry, I sort of rotate birds around and give them an identical but clean cage and take the old one out, that's every couple months I guess.

 

[fashionfobie]

For my cages I actually use pillow cases as liners, cheap ikea ones. I have a separate washing machine for my pets. The liners are changed every day. Every day my partner wipes the cage bottom and perches with paper towel just to clean any food debris. I rarely disinfect. When I do I use vinegar or Home - Vetafarm

I roll my cage outside and hose it down when it needs a good wash, really depends on how much of a mess the boys are making. I let it dry under the intense Australian UV. So this works in my climate.

I need to wash the walls around the cage weekly, because the boy LOVE tossing food. I also vacuum every night.

All in all my birds morning ritual of salad prep takes about 15 min. In the evening our clean up of the cages and play stands takes about 15 min. Currently 3 cages, it isn't that bad My partner tackles some things and I others so it is time effective. I like cleaning the boy's cages right before bed time because then they can sleep in comfort without any fumes of decaying food debris. In the morning they happily mess up their salads and the process starts over. If I hose it down I will do that in the morning so the cage can dry all day. The boys will be on the play stand or in their travel cages for this time. My travel cages are really dodgy.. I need to get something better.

 

[aqualover9]

I've been doing it weekly with disinfecting wipes (always careful to let it completely dry and air out) simply because it's easier for me to stay on top of it before letting it become a big mess.

A nice trick I use, which I don't remember where I learned it, is to layer the newspaper so that when it's dirty you can simply remove a layer.

What are the wipes called?

 

[Miss Mary]

For my cages I actually use pillow cases as liners, cheap ikea ones. I have a separate washing machine for my pets. The liners are changed every day. Every day my partner wipes the cage bottom and perches with paper towel just to clean any food debris. I rarely disinfect. When I do I use vinegar or Home - Vetafarm

I roll my cage outside and hose it down when it needs a good wash, really depends on how much of a mess the boys are making. I let it dry under the intense Australian UV. So this works in my climate.

I need to wash the walls around the cage weekly, because the boy LOVE tossing food. I also vacuum every night.

All in all my birds morning ritual of salad prep takes about 15 min. In the evening our clean up of the cages and play stands takes about 15 min. Currently 3 cages, it isn't that bad My partner tackles some things and I others so it is time effective. I like cleaning the boy's cages right before bed time because then they can sleep in comfort without any fumes of decaying food debris. In the morning they happily mess up their salads and the process starts over. If I hose it down I will do that in the morning so the cage can dry all day. The boys will be on the play stand or in their travel cages for this time. My travel cages are really dodgy.. I need to get something better.

I also wipe the perches, sides, and bottom of the cage, and change the liner at night. Like you I like Kai to have a fresh clean start come morning. I use Nature’s Miracle Bird Wipes for nightly cleanups and to disinfect I use a mixture of 3 cups of hot water, 3 tbsp of baking soda, and 3 tbsp of lemon juice.

 

[Mizzely]

I only disinfect with F10. While vinegar and lemon juice do some disinfecting, the things that really could be harmful for our birds are not phased by it.

F10 is safe for all my animals (bird, gecko, rats, cat) and is a vet grade disinfectant. So perhaps that is why I don't use it often, as it is much more powerful than the natural stuff.

F10 Products

 

[Hawk12237]

I try to clean the cage weekly but actually disinfecting no. Absence of germs can be just as devastating to the immune system as to many germs.

Is it possible to be too clean? Researchers say yes - NBC News

I do a total clean once a week, but dang, I need something good to dissolve the poo. I hate to have to get the Jack hammer out on cage.
Some birds poo isn't so bad, other birds it like concrete when it drys!

 

[Miss Mary]

I wipe up daily, weekends I clean more thoroughly, and every six weeks I scrub and disinfect the entire cage for each baby. Because my ekkies eat mainly fresh fruit (they also get veggies and lots of other birdie foods too), I need to keep on it. They actually peel everything like blueberries, peas, grapes...and then fling the peels all over the place!

I also wipe the cage bottom, sides and perches and change the liner every night before covering Kai up for the night.

I try to clean the cage weekly but actually disinfecting no. Absence of germs can be just as devastating to the immune system as to many germs.

Is it possible to be too clean? Researchers say yes - NBC News

I agree. At least with humans I know this to be true. Thank you for this. I appreciate it.

 

[Mizzely]

I do a total clean once a week, but dang, I need something good to dissolve the poo. I hate to have to get the Jack hammer out on cage.
Some birds poo isn't so bad, other birds it like concrete when it drys!

I use Nature's Miracle for birds. Spray, let sit, wipe

 

[Miss Mary]

I only disinfect with F10. While vinegar and lemon juice do some disinfecting, the things that really could be harmful for our birds are not phased by it.

F10 is safe for all my animals (bird, gecko, rats, cat) and is a vet grade disinfectant. So perhaps that is why I don't use it often, as it is much more powerful than the natural stuff.

F10 Products

Do you wash the cage down first? I wash the cage down first then I use a mixture of 3 cups hot water, 3 tbsp baking soda, and 3 tbsp lemon juice to disinfect. I think I might like to try F10. Where do you purchase it?