Let's talk about the mess!!!

[toltecgirl]

I have an Eclectus and he is so clean I coukdnt believe it. I had a cockatoo and macaw in the past. I expected my Eclectus to be just as messy. He's not!! He's even cleaner than my parakeets. No dust. I rarely have feathers flying around. He doesn't eat as much nuts so he doesn't leave as much nut droppings on the floor. Mostly he eats fruits and veggies. I put his dish on the cage bottom away from his perch and I was surprised to see how is such a dainty eater. He eats A LOT but he he eats with manners I love him. I have a small place so he doesn't need that much room. He's quiet and doesn't disturb my neighbors.

 

[drlisaort]

I love Mishka's potty chair. I want one!!!

 

[drlisaort]

I don't find Oliver is messy now that I have a routine down and my house NEVER smells--unless my dog gets wet...she can be smelly. I clean Oliver's cage morning and night...about 5 minutes each time and everything stays clean ( I use vinegar cut with water). As for seed and pellet mess (as some here mentioned), I don't feed him this with the exception of a teaspoon worth in his forager to keep him busy and thinking. All I can say, is my time with Oliver is totally awesome and the little things I do for him to keep him safe, clean, and healthy are so worth it. The first few months I did feel a bit like his slave but now it's normal and wonderful...choirs that I enjoy...

 

[Kimmied]

Do any of these people have a dog or cat? I have 2 dogs a pug talk about shed! And a Rottweiler. They make more work for me than my U2. She does not stink he cage is changed daily if you do that easy breezy no smell. I use grapefruit seed extract to clean her cage which is safe to use with her there and poop off smells good and takes second to work. If I take her out of her room she wears avian fashions bird diaper/ harness. My cats litter box stank no matter if I scoped it daily or not God rest his little soul. The cleaning is the easy part of owning a parrot trust me! Everything else is more challenging! If you take up the challenge, best of luck and don't worry about the mess you'll see your bird makes it all worth while.
Btw I love the potty chair where ever did you find it?

 

[getwozzy]

I don't have an eckie, but I do have a cockatoo!! Lol. When we had Jackie he was pretty "tidy" about things- hardly made a mess and was partially potty-trained. Chili on the other hand- MESS EVERYWHERE. I have to sweep and clean EVERY day no matter what because he flings food everywhere, shreds things, poops wherever (haven't started potty training yet). But! we also have 3 large dogs- 2 are huskies (LOTS AND LOTS of shedding), a giant cat who's very hairy, a toddler who's current job is to create messes and poop himself, and a husband who does construction and constantly brings dirt in. So, between all that- I do a pretty good job about keeping things clean and smelling normal. Lol. I've never noticed a stench from chili, but Jackie had that amazon muskiness when he was happy- makes you want to snuggle and just bury your nose in their feathers

 

[antoinette]

I love Mishka's potty chair. I want one!!!

Mishka loves his potty as well THANK GOODNESS
It is a baby's potty, purchased it in a baby store.
I taught him to pull his potty.
When out of his cage and he needs to go, he now pushes the potty THEN I have to place him on it.
He can climb onto it himself prefers being placed in it.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itq_elIF60U"]BEST TALKING PARROT IN THE WORLD MISHKA - learning to pull his potty - YouTube[/ame]


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[jroyal]

I think parrots are messy but they aren't nasty. There is a difference. I have a pigeon and I have a female ekkie.. Out of the two, the pigeon is obviously more messy. Now keeping your bird's area clean isn't much of a task at all. I have my cages in my living room so I'm a little more motivated to keep the cages clean because I entertain a lot. I've visited many bird owners that don't clean their cages as often and after a while the cage will let off a really musty smell.
I usually change out the news paper every morning before class and feed them. It takes all of 5 minutes. And I vacuum daily because it's my regular routine. I think vacuuming is a very important part if keeping the space clean because birds tend to fling food across the room and if you don't clean it up you can attract bugs (mainly ants and roaches). But all in all, keeping the cages clean will not totally disrupt your normal cleaning regimen.

 

[Kimmied]

Here is a question while we are talking about poop lol. I hear that potty training can cause problems like fecal impaction. Sometimes even a problem going. Have any of you heard of this? My friend is also my avian vet she is potty training her Too. I have to tell her about this potty!

 

[4Ziggy]

We feed our guy pellets and fresh food. You have to clean the food bowl a couple of times a day, so there isn't a mess or smell. We have a stand in our kitchen so he gets samples of whatever I am cooking/prepping. This keeps it out of his cage and the stand is easy to clean. We also got plexi-glass from Lowes and attached stick on plastic hooks and put it on the cage next to his food bowl. When he shakes his head with a messy beak, it catches it. I don't use anything but water to clean and hose his cage out a few times a year. I don't think there is any smell to these guys! Molting feathers drop straight down in the cage and they don't have the dander of other birds and if you don't feed seed, it is like cleaning your own dishes after eating. Our guy is truly one of the family. I potty trained him, so when we are holding him, he won't go. Just hold him over the trash can and say "go potty". I guess, for his safety, we have always either held him, had him on his stand or kitchen counter/table, or in his cage. He only poops on newspaper under his stand or his cage = no mess. Newspapers get trashed regularly - roll them up, lay more down, clean cage!

 

[natv]

I got the "Less Mess" feeder a couple of months ago and it's really helped cut down on the mess (Less Mess Feeder Sets)

Before this, there was chop mix thrown everywhere in the cage, all over the cage bars, the floor. Now he eats in the Less Mess and I'd say this has cut down 90% of the food mess.

Also one nice thing is if he throws a lot of stuff out of his bowl you can easily stick it back in his bowl (the bottom of the feeder has a removable plexiglass piece, so it's easy to slide out to clean or to push some food back into his bowl.

 

[drlisaort]

I love Mishka's potty chair. I want one!!!

Mishka loves his potty as well THANK GOODNESS
It is a baby's potty, purchased it in a baby store.
I taught him to pull his potty.
When out of his cage and he needs to go, he now pushes the potty THEN I have to place him on it.
He can climb onto it himself prefers being placed in it.

Oh my your Michka is too cute and too smart! Thank you for sharing the video and for where to get a potty chair. I can't imagine a baby that small to fit in the chair! I no doubt need to find one for Oliver, it's time to potty train....

 

[strudel]

Is Mishka's potty narrow around the edges? It would need to be, wouldn't it, so that they can grab on? The edge on this seems much wider, is it too wide for my galah, do you think? Buy Dymples Potty | Read Reviews | BIG W Online Store Australia

I might have to try to find a "vintage" potty, the modern ones all seem to have very wide edges.

 

[drlisaort]

Is Mishka's potty narrow around the edges? It would need to be, wouldn't it, so that they can grab on? The edge on this seems much wider, is it too wide for my galah, do you think? Buy Dymples Potty | Read Reviews | BIG W Online Store Australia

I might have to try to find a "vintage" potty, the modern ones all seem to have very wide edges.

I found on diapers.com one that looks quite similar to Mishka's called: BabyBjorn Potty Chair Turquoise

 

[strudel]

I bought a potty for my cocky which has a narrow bit in the front. She's happy to sit on it (I think she'd jump off a cliff if you offered her some cashews) but the plastic is quite slippery. Will she adapt to the slippery surface ok, or should I try to roughen it up or put something on it which has better grip? She can hang on, but climbing up there by herself seemed a bit slippery. (it was only her first go, so she might find her "potty legs" later on, but as a new owner, I just worry about everything that she might hurt herself on)