proper cleaning of used cage

[Crazy4Birds]

I am buying a used cage from someone and I want to clean it so the birds won't catch a disease or anything like that. Do you think Dawn dish soap will do the trick? Thanks.
Also, how do you normally clean wood and rope perches?

 

[Ecclipse]

Hi there,

I would recommend that you ask your local vet for a disinfectant that is safe for birds and use that to disinfect the whole cage - you can also get soap from the vet but you can use normal soap to clean it but make sure it has been rinsed thoroughly in case your bird decides to clean its beak on the bars or sides of the cage. I scrub my rope toys and wooden perches with normal soap and make sure they are rinsed properly. I then leave them to dry and then place them back in Rosie's cage. Hope this helps

Disinfecting that cage is vital because soap wont get rid of any germs that could be on it

 

[nofearengineer]

I would use a very mild chlorine bleach solution, but only if you have the ability to thoroughly rinse it off. A home power washer works wonders for rinsing.

 

[Bobby34231]

A soft nylon brush, some straight vinegar, a little elbow grease, thoroughly clean with the vinegar, rinse and let air in the sun, viruses and bacteria can't live in a high PH which vinegar is, totally non toxic, inexpensive and environmentaly friendly

 

[Aussie Ben]

All suggestions above are great, especially for the cage. The rope and wooden perches always get me worried though, because they are absorbent materials and things can be buried under the surface. In this case a simple surface wash won't do the trick. You could probably clean the wooden perches (are they dowel or natural?) in the same way you clean natural branches by using a 1 part bleach/10 part water solution. Soak the perch in there for a few hours and then rinse it VERY well. Then leave it in direct sunlight for a few days for the UV to break down any remaining bleach.

As for the rope perches, depending on how 'used' they are, I would probably replace them. I assume they are the multi-coloured kind with the screws at either end? They are very hard to clean.

 

[Ecclipse]

A soft nylon brush, some straight vinegar, a little elbow grease, thoroughly clean with the vinegar, rinse and let air in the sun, viruses and bacteria can't live in a high PH which vinegar is, totally non toxic, inexpensive and environmentaly friendly

Thanks for that post Bobby, learnt something new I didnt know that. I have no doubt now that using vinegar would be better than using soap as soap can be harmful.

Hi Aussie Ben, how long do you keep your perches etc before throwing them out? Need to check mine as it would make sense to get rid of them - thank goodness they are the cheapest part of the cage Unless your rope is long and thick

 

[Aussie Ben]

Hi Aussie Ben, how long do you keep your perches etc before throwing them out? Need to check mine as it would make sense to get rid of them - thank goodness they are the cheapest part of the cage Unless your rope is long and thick

Well it depends on what type of perch it is I guess:

Rope perches: Mine usually break at the ends before I want to throw them out. Poor Eddie was sitting on one when it broke the other day lol (I don't think he was laughing so hard ). To clean I just soak them in boiling hot water for an hour or so and scrub them down. This probably contributes to loosening the ends lol, but its the only way I can think of to get them clean without using chemicals. Rope perches are so expensive so I try to look after them. I try to position them in places where they won't get pooped on . Some of my rope perches I have had for over 3 years , but some only last a few months, just depends on where they are located and how much they get used I spose. Oh, and of any of that glue on the end bits starts to show, that generally means 'bye bye' for the perch .

Dowel perches: I only keep them as long as I can keep them clean, this usually isn't very long. You can try sanding them and scraping them down, but they really don't come up very well as everything seems to absorb into them. Usually any dowel perches I have just get replaced after a fairly short while, I just make my own. I buy a 2 meter length of dowel and cut it to size and it works out to like 50c a perch so its fairly cheap. The shops charge you a few bucks for them.

Natural Branches: I can keep them as long as i want as they are MUCH easier to clean. I use the method I described here http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/5501-cage-aviary-maintenance-tips.html.
As long as I keep doing this, I can keep the perch until it becomes a twig lol. Just today I recovered an old branch that was covered in Eddies poop and has been sitting out in the sun/rain for the last 4-5 months. It came up as good as new. I just used the method described, hosed it off and next week I will give it a bleach bath to make sure there are no nasties that have taken up residence.

 

[Ecclipse]

Hi Ben, thanks so much for the info and the link ummmm....Im a little guilty with having my perches and stuff for long periods of time. Will change that so I get new ones on a regular basis. Thanks again, blessings....

 

[Cowtown]

I took my used cage outside and cleaned it with vinegar and water.
I let it sit outside all day and then rinsed it again.

I had thought about taking it to the car wash and use the high pressure rinse but I didn't. A lot of car washes around her are using recycled filtered water.

I think Ben's advice is great.

Just check for rusty spots on the welds and any screws or bolts. You do not want your fid to chew on them and get a piece of rusty metal in their system.

 

[Crazy4Birds]

Thanks for the advise. I will definitely have to go out and buy some vinegar. What about washing the cage with bleach and water as long as I rinse really well?

 

[Spiritbird]

Steam cleaning is excellent if you have a steamer.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Thanks for the advise. I will definitely have to go out and buy some vinegar. What about washing the cage with bleach and water as long as I rinse really well?

If I had a steam cleaner, then I would do as Spiritbird suggested as it is a very safe way to clean. Bleach water theoretically should be fine, as long as you rinse very very well and leave it in the sun for any remaining bleach to break down.

 

[Gshepdog]

I pressure wash Dusty's cage when the weather allows it. It is wrought iron. I use Poop Off to clean perches and cages. That stuff is awesome. My husband will simply make me new wooden perches if I think they are old. I do not use wooden perches that were used by someone else's birds.

Just got something from My Safe Bird Store that is used in veterinary and avian situations. I don't use my dog cleaners from the kennel even though they are used in vet hospitals since they don't specify avian use.

The secret is to rinse, rinse, and rinse and not to put back in the cage until they are completely dried.

Lee

 

[Clueless]

I bought used cages - I power washed first, then used the bleach & water solution on every single solitary bar in the cage . . . .then rinsed and rinsed and rinsed - then let sun dry. One year in with 2 different cages- everybody seems okay.

I've taken a power washer to the cages a couple of times - just was warned that that is not a good thing to do because it can pit the cages and shorten the life span. One cage is showing wear already. I was told to take a regular garden hose to the cage on those sporadic times when you feel that there is stuff packed into or on the cage. So - I'm changing my philosophy for my own cages. . . . but would still use a pressure washer on a second-hand cage before putting the bleach-water solution on it.

I kept 2 wooden perches (did sterilize) simply because I trusted the previous owners implicitly. The other perches - went into the trash. Maybe that was wasteful - but would rather be safe than sorry.

Also - for the person with the tip about cleaning of the soft perches - THANKS! I have 2 large perches in my garage because I didn't know how to safely clean those! Now the parrots can have 'em back after cleaning! Woo-Hoo!

 

[BirdSquawk]

You can get grapefruit seed extract from a health food store, according to Parrots For Dummies you cannot overdose it and it is more effective then the soap surgans use. You can also put some in your birds water to keep it clean of any bacteria.

 

[Boysmom]

BirdSquawk, would you just add a drop or two of the GSE to the water ? Also to clean the cage, use the GSE straight or dilute it? would it work to sanitize a manzanite perch also ?

 

[BirdSquawk]

According to the book, a drop or two of GSE for every ounce of water should suffice. The author of Parrots For dummies uses it as a disinfectant for her whole house and swears by it, so soaking your perch in GSE water should clean it.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

I recently took Pritti on a trip by plane and his vacation cage here is a used one. So we had cage outside and cleaned it with really well with white vinegar. Dried it. Then wiped every part with rubbing alcohol. Then washed the whole thing again with water and lots of paper towels. Dried it. I kind of figured it had to be pretty well sterilized after that. I brought a couple of favorite perches from home cage, cleaned first. And I purchase a few new ones and hand them shipped ahead, including a short thick calcium/mineral perch. Pritti loves it! It's light purple.

 

[BradGC]

I used diluted bleach in a spray bottle, then dried in the sun properly before putting the bird back.