How to clean wrought iron cage

[wolfdog01]

Hello everyone, I just finished deep cleaning the bird cage with the water hose outside. I've never cleaned the cage this way before, I usually use a toothbrush and white vinegar to scrub the whole cage. The hose method took me like 20 minutes and got almost all of the poop off, the vinegar method takes me an hour or more and it's a bit more tedious. I have one quaker in the cage (I'll post pics of it below) and he only poops in like three spots, so usually I don't have to clean it as often as usual. I've heard that wrought iron can rust so I am a little worried about the hose method long term, is there anything I need to do to the cage to make it not rust? Maybe dry it off right after or something? Should I use the hose anymore? I did the same thing with the night cover as well and I figured I would just hang that up to dry.

 

[saroj12]

Dowel perches?

 

[Shezbug]

Try to make sure any open areas of the tubing don’t get water inside them and dry it off well and hopefully you should be fine.

 

[wolfdog01]

PVC, wooden, and rope perches. The wooden ones came with the cage. I used a towel to dry off everything as best as I could, so hopefully it will be good enough. I've heard of people pressure washing cages but I would be scared to do that.

 

[Farlie]

YES, dry it off with a towel by all means!

 

[Farlie]

PVC, wooden, and rope perches. The wooden ones came with the cage. I used a towel to dry off everything as best as I could, so hopefully it will be good enough. I've heard of people pressure washing cages but I would be scared to do that.

You should replace those dowel perches ASAP before issues arise. They are not healthy for birdy feets.

 

[wolfdog01]

I always heard that certain sandpaper ones were bad. He usually only uses the top wooden one to sleep on, during the day he's either out of the cage or on the PVC ones.

 

[Dona]

My GW macaw was in a wrought iron cage for over 20 years (that had originally been a friend's monkey cage for some years). It never rusted. Back then I think I cleaned the cages with Blue Dawn dish liquid, but I did rinse and dry well. I didn't use a hose, just a cloth.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

When I have to take a cage outside for a big scrub I use the lawn leaf blower to blast as much water off it as possible and tip the cage to make sure any water that may be inside the tubing drains out and then blow it more. I usually do this on a sunny day too so the heat will help in drying.

 

[wolfdog01]

Thank ya'll for the adivce. I asked my manager today, who owns a bird as well, about the wooden perches while also doing some research. I'll use my dremel to make the wood have dips and uneven areas, going to do the same thing for the PVC. Going to move the rope perches over a little and add a cement perch between the food bowls.
Also, when I told my manager how I cleaned it, she said that I should try to not get the wooden perches wet...any reason for that besides the wood expanding?

 

[Dona]

she said that I should try to not get the wooden perches wet...any reason for that besides the wood expanding?

I don't think there is any way to make sure they are clean except by getting them wet, but I do have enough perches that I can rotate them out of the cage so Gigi is never standing on a damp perch. Maybe that's what the concern could be.

 

[wolfdog01]

Hopefully this will be good enough, he's never chewed on his perches since I've had him (about 2 months, he's a rescue). This was too much work to have it chewed to bits lol.

I know I won't be able to get the PVC like this, it is good at taking up space but if it's going to cause issues then I am considering taking it out. I've heard of vetwrap before, but you have to replace it real often. I don't know if it's worth covering all of the PVC perches or if there is a better cover out there, like that rope stuff. He only poops a little on the two bottom perches, so maybe something easy to clean with a hose that won't fall apart. I am really into symmetry and balance, so that aspect is kinda required lol.
I know I went waaaaay off topic, but this is my very first bird so any type of advice will send me into a search lol.

 

[HolliDaze]

Hopefully this will be good enough, he's never chewed on his perches since I've had him (about 2 months, he's a rescue). This was too much work to have it chewed to bits lol.
View attachment 308849
I know I won't be able to get the PVC like this, it is good at taking up space but if it's going to cause issues then I am considering taking it out. I've heard of vetwrap before, but you have to replace it real often. I don't know if it's worth covering all of the PVC perches or if there is a better cover out there, like that rope stuff. He only poops a little on the two bottom perches, so maybe something easy to clean with a hose that won't fall apart. I am really into symmetry and balance, so that aspect is kinda required lol.
I know I went waaaaay off topic, but this is my very first bird so any type of advice will send me into a search lol.

Some perches with even width are okay, the main issue is if the feet get too used to being in the same position. Lots of us use pvc stands, so a few won’t hurt your fids

 

[wolfdog01]

Right now, I have two ropes, one cement, three woods, and four PVCs. I have no idea how many perches a bird needs or how much of a variety. I had toys in there for over a month and he never played with them, I don't think he knows how because his old home didn't have toys. I've tried stuffing one of them and he losses interest after a few minutes. So now he has no big toys in his cage and I just buy smaller, less expensive ones to test out. In other words....his cage looks kinda empty. I look at my fish tank and it is a jungle with plants and PVC tubes, but my bird cage looks...naked? He's more of an attention hog than anything and wants to be wherever I am, so I want to make his cage nice and comfy for when I'm not there. But also durable, I've read stories of birds chewing up perches within a day, and that scares me lol.

 

[HolliDaze]

Right now, I have two ropes, one cement, three woods, and four PVCs. I have no idea how many perches a bird needs or how much of a variety. I had toys in there for over a month and he never played with them, I don't think he knows how because his old home didn't have toys. I've tried stuffing one of them and he losses interest after a few minutes. So now he has no big toys in his cage and I just buy smaller, less expensive ones to test out. In other words....his cage looks kinda empty. I look at my fish tank and it is a jungle with plants and PVC tubes, but my bird cage looks...naked? He's more of an attention hog than anything and wants to be wherever I am, so I want to make his cage nice and comfy for when I'm not there. But also durable, I've read stories of birds chewing up perches within a day, and that scares me lol.

That’s usually the bigger birds and softer perches. I’d suggest manzanita but those are very much not symmetrical

I don’t think there’s a set rule, just give them a variety.

 

[wolfdog01]

I've been looking into java wood, it looks really cool. Maybe get a few pieces and divide them on both sides of the cage. I mean, is an all wooden cage bad if it's the natural stuff?
I have too many questions, wondering if I should just start another thread...

 

[finchly]

I think natural wood is great. Plus a rope perch for softness and a rough surface to keep nails worn down

 

[wolfdog01]

Hmmm...now I have an idea. Even though I will have to take out most of my perches, it might be kinda cool.
Get a few large pieces of java wood and put them on either side of the cage walls with a rope swing on the top and the cement perch with the food dishes. It might give it a more wild feel. Would probably be expensive but animals are like the only thing I waste money on lol.

 

[Farlie]

Hopefully this will be good enough, he's never chewed on his perches since I've had him (about 2 months, he's a rescue). This was too much work to have it chewed to bits lol.
View attachment 308849

And is why you should replace them with natural hard wood perches.

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Amazon.com : SNNplapla 2pcs Bird Parrot Natural Wood Fork Stand Perch Toy-15CM Birdcage Stands Pet Bird Toys : Pet Supplies

 

[melissasparrots]

For a cage that size, I'd break it down, put it in my car and go to the car wash. Pressure sprayer, soap option and a good rinse. Then let dry in my sunny yard. Iron cages will rust, but how badly depends mostly on how much your bird chews on the cage and how good the powder coating is. I have one that is about 15 years old and rusting around the juncture between bars, but not badly.

You can get a quick natural branch perch from most large pet stores. I get most of mine for the little birds from Petsmart. They are usually bolt on 8-12 inch perches that don't go all the way across the cage. I've never had a problem with quakers chewing perches.