Best way to clean wooden aviary?

[LemonCanary]

I have a very dirty aviary that is made out of wood I have to clean up. I know wood is a very difficult material to sanitize as it is so porous.

As far as getting rid of the poop and discarded seeds, from my research it seems a lot of people hose out their aviaries, would this work okay for an initial clean to get rid of the buildup in the aviary? It's currently winter here so I worry it wouldn't dry properly.

As for getting rid of bacteria, I also worry about using vinegar on it, as any liquids just get soaked right up. In the future I plan on having something on the floor of the aviary that can be either removed and disposed off or taken out and hosed off.

I imagine something like a dish soap would be gentler on wooden aviaries for cleaning than vinegar? My only worry is cleaning with dishsoap while my canary is in the aviary. We have ecostore fragrance free dish detergent. Would this be safe to use near her? How would it be best to go about rinsing it? I'm worried simply wiping with a damp cloth wouldn't remove enough soap residue off of the wood.

There is a lot of waste buildup in this aviary, and I worry about cleaning it all while she in there due to any buildup becoming airborne. She has never been handled so taking her out would be very stressful for her. Would it be safest to take her out or leave her in the aviary?


Thank you so much in advance for any advice

 

[Vampiric_Conure44]

I used a scraper when I had a wood cage and used dish soap. You could also use what I believe is called D10, which is a veterinarian disinfectant. A little goes a lot with that mix!

 

[LemonCanary]

I used a scraper when I had a wood cage and used dish soap. You could also use what I believe is called D10, which is a veterinarian disinfectant. A little goes a lot with that mix!

Thank you for the advice! Would dish soap be safe to use while she is in the aviary? I feel like rinsing would be tricky as I am hesitant to use the hose on the wood as it soaks up any liquids, therefore would simply wiping it over with a damp cloth suffice?

 

[Vampiric_Conure44]

Thank you for the advice! Would dish soap be safe to use while she is in the aviary? I feel like rinsing would be tricky as I am hesitant to use the hose on the wood as it soaks up any liquids, therefore would simply wiping it over with a damp cloth suffice?

Wiping it down with a damp rag would be safe if she's in the aviary. I agree - a hose would be just asking for trouble.

Good luck to you! .

 

[LemonCanary]

That is awesome news thank you heaps!!

Wiping it down with a damp rag would be safe if she's in the aviary. I agree - a hose would be just asking for trouble.

Good luck to you! .

 

[osklvste46]

Basically thats it, wooden scraper or scrub brush safe for ceramic in tight corners. There is a bird safe disinfectant you can ask your vet. The old stand by is water warm to touch with apple cider vinegar 1-12 or 12 ratio. Rinse as you go. Some use bird safe soap but an aviary would be difficult to rinse. The important part is to sun dry or dry slowly and steadily or wood will dry fast and can become brittle. Cracking later. I learned this from helping a pet store owner who had a wooden aviary on her patio.

 

[LemonCanary]

Basically thats it, wooden scraper or scrub brush safe for ceramic in tight corners. There is a bird safe disinfectant you can ask your vet. The old stand by is water warm to touch with apple cider vinegar 1-12 or 12 ratio. Rinse as you go. Some use bird safe soap but an aviary would be difficult to rinse. The important part is to sun dry or dry slowly and steadily or wood will dry fast and can become brittle. Cracking later. I learned this from helping a pet store owner who had a wooden aviary on her patio.

Thank you for the advice! This wood doesn't seem to be sealed well as it drinks up any liquid. Would a vinegar mixture be safe to use on the wood as long as it is diluted properly? Also is vinegar not as essential to rinse off as thoroughly as it is volatile and dissapears as it dries? I worry that this wood will just soak up anything I put on it and make it impossible to rinse!

I am also worried about cleaning the aviary while she is in there, as it has a lot of buildup and needs a deep clean. I worry about bacteria and ammonia particles going in the air as I'm scrubbing and wiping. She has only ever been handled a couple times before so taking her out would be very stressful for her, but I worry that leaving her in the aviary would be dangerous. Would it be safest to take her out?

Thank you so much again for your help

 

[osklvste46]

Pure apple cider vinegar is safe 1-12 or 1-15. The pet store owner had 12 exotic finches she was very protective of. Her wood wasn't sealed. Don't remember the lecture about why not. She removed food and water the night before. Put treats in area she could block off. Then put them in a carrier. They were used to it. She put them in the apartment. Closed patio door. We scraped, scrub, wiped w vinegar solution, rinsed with a wipe of plain water and continued. It wasn't enough to do anything more than dampen wood. She was extra careful in cracks and corners. The floor took a bit more work. It got a bit more scrubbing, solution and rinse. But not enough to require a mopping. If no sun, she used a fan on low. If you're worried because of build up. Best is a good scraping with tool for that. Then scrubber safe for ceramic surface like those new stove tops. You don't want to damage the wood. It's gonna take time. Do it a section at a time. Make it a pattern. Birds have favorite spots. Start there, proceed past to an area. Next start at favorite, past further since other shouldn't need much and repeat. Depending upon the size the favorite won't get build up and you'll get done fast. This will also give you an idea of how much time  and effort it's gonna take for your disinfectant plans. Plan carrier training sessions while the scraping is going on. Not longer than a few minutes with lots of verbal praise and a few favorite treats. She'll be used to being out for the rinse by then. Good idea to plan this out. Take your time. Ask questions.

 

[LemonCanary]

Pure apple cider vinegar is safe 1-12 or 1-15. The pet store owner had 12 exotic finches she was very protective of. Her wood wasn't sealed. Don't remember the lecture about why not. She removed food and water the night before. Put treats in area she could block off. Then put them in a carrier. They were used to it. She put them in the apartment. Closed patio door. We scraped, scrub, wiped w vinegar solution, rinsed with a wipe of plain water and continued. It wasn't enough to do anything more than dampen wood. She was extra careful in cracks and corners. The floor took a bit more work. It got a bit more scrubbing, solution and rinse. But not enough to require a mopping. If no sun, she used a fan on low. If you're worried because of build up. Best is a good scraping with tool for that. Then scrubber safe for ceramic surface like those new stove tops. You don't want to damage the wood. It's gonna take time. Do it a section at a time. Make it a pattern. Birds have favorite spots. Start there, proceed past to an area. Next start at favorite, past further since other shouldn't need much and repeat. Depending upon the size the favorite won't get build up and you'll get done fast. This will also give you an idea of how much time  and effort it's gonna take for your disinfectant plans. Plan carrier training sessions while the scraping is going on. Not longer than a few minutes with lots of verbal praise and a few favorite treats. She'll be used to being out for the rinse by then. Good idea to plan this out. Take your time. Ask questions.

That is all really good advice thank you so much!! In the past I have used a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water on various different materials including wood. I was clearly underestimating the power of vinegar. I will purchase a scraper and scrub brush safe for ceramic, I hadn't even ever considered a scraper before but it would be the perfect tool for the job. Thank you again!

 

[osklvste46]

That is all really good advice thank you so much!! In the past I have used a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water on various different materials including wood. I was clearly underestimating the power of vinegar. I will purchase a scraper and scrub brush safe for ceramic, I hadn't even ever considered a scraper before but it would be the perfect tool for the job. Thank you again!

To make easy she had a bucket marked for 10 cups of water. Then dumped the cup of vinegar. She always preferred to error in favor of water. Higher vinegar concentration is safe for non bird things.