Many years ago, my then-husband would not allow me to attend
my Grandmother’s funeral until all the bird cages were immaculate. I scrubbed, sanitized,
and cleaned cages, perches, and toys for over a day, but no sooner did I put a
bird back into a cage, then he or she would poop or throw food onto the floor
and I would fail my spouse’s inspection. I learned two things from that
experience: 1) that man was a so-and-so and 2) when it comes to cages, perfect
cleanliness is next to impossible. In the years that have passed since that traumatic
incident, I learned a number of short-cuts you can take to make cleaning faster
and easier.
Grates and cage trays are easier to clean if you soak them
first. Obviously, I don’t mean filling your laundry tub to near over-flowing.
There are puppy pools for smaller cages, and kiddie pools for those that are
larger. You can add a little Murphy’s Oil Soap to the water to make cleaning even
easier. It works similarly to commercial products designed for removing fecal
matter. A plastic putty knife should be used to remove chunks of poop and
feathers prior to putting the parts into the tub. Plastic is the key, because
metal can and will cause scratches that will eventually rust.
A small power-washer will work wonders on cage bars and even
on the soaked parts. Twice a year, I take my cages apart for cleaning, but most
of the year, I just take them outside, assembled. The garden center in my
hardware store has spray containers for liquid fertilizers that attach to a garden
hose. I fill these with my cleaning solution (either Murphy’s or Dawn
dishwashing soap) and hose down the cage. After 10-15 minutes, I use the
power-washer to remove all debris from the cages, grates, and cage trays. A
plastic scrub-brush is useful for any remaining yuckiness. A final rinse completes
the washing portion of the cleaning project.
Then the cages dry in the sun. The sun’s UV rays are a great
disinfectant, but the disinfecting process doesn’t begin until the cage is completely
dry. Then, I leave them out for about an hour per side (remember, beaks will
touch all sides of the cage bars) for disinfecting purposes. During this time,
my birds are happily enjoying their playstands—some in separate rooms to prevent
squabbles.
The same process can be used for wooden perches and plastic
toys. Obviously, shreddable toys should be replaced rather than cleaned.
Duplicate perches are a good idea so that the wood is completely dried before
returning them to the cage. It also allows for the quick replacement of any that
have been destroyed in the last week.
All food dishes and water bottles are washed in my
dishwasher. My bowls are stainless steel and glazed ceramic, so I don’t need to
worry about high temperatures melting them. When the dishes come out, I rinse
them with reverse-osmosis water to ensure no residue remains and then let them
dry in my dishrack. This is a daily task. I keep multiple sets of dishes and
water bottles, since I need to have extras for breakage as well as for instant
replacement during the daily cleaning process.
I no longer keep any birds in a carpeted area, having
replaced the majority of the carpet with wood floors. Beneath my cages, I use chair
mats. Most cages have rectangular mats, but for Spike, who doesn’t like anyone
to put their hand in his cage, I have a chair mat with a lip which is
conveniently aligned with the cage door he likes to use for a perch while
waiting for me to take him to his play stand. Chair mats clean easily using the
same methods as for cages.
For papering the cages once they are clean, I like kraft
paper. There are a number of suppliers, some of whom even sell it in pre-cut
sizes that fit some of my cages. It is also available on rolls that fit horizontal
or vertical roll-cutters, allowing you to cut your paper to fit any cage. One
tip I recently heard was to use that plastic putty knife to score the paper
inside the tray and then cut it. I tried it and it made the task much simpler
and, therefore, quicker.
For other tips on cleaning, be sure to ask the members of your local bird club. Everyone has suggestions and things that they have found make cleaning simpler.
