Last Updated on by Mitch Rezman
There are four legs to the “Mess Equation.”
- Cleaning the cage
- Cleaning the area around the cage
- Cleaning where the bird travels elsewhere in your home
- Cleaning the bird.
To keep things short we are going to focus on cleaning the cage today. Great offense starts with a good defense so we want to take steps that will help protect the cage and the areas around it and then make it easier to clean.
You can protect any floor from the droppings under any bird cage with an office chair mat or sheet linoleum. Linoleum is cheaper and you can usually cut it to fit almost any size cage area and you can keep an extra piece in storage.
We’re not big fans of tray bedding, regardless of material because we feel it holds bacteria and moisture which promotes mold. You also cannot inspect the birds droppings which should be a daily task.
Because of the birds respiratory system the last thing we want is your bird to be near mold. Mold is the single biggest cause of aspergillosis in birds
If you want to take birdcage sanitation to the next level check out T3 anti-microbial birdcage liner from Prevue Pet
T3 Cage Liner utilizes a patented process developed by Agion®. The liner is an anti-microbial protected paper, treated on one side to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria.
If you’re not already, try putting a folded piece newspaper top of the grate of the birdcage to help keep it clean because it’s far away the dirtiest part of the cage.
Put the newspaper under her food dish, perhaps something heavier and ceramic and you’re solving two problems. With the food on the floor of the cage instead of halfway up the cage wall much more waste will go into the tray below than onto the floor.
Whether you have a dome top or a play top cage if your bird perches on the top of it why not throw a piece of newspaper on the tray of the play top or directly over the dome top, and you’ll be scrubbing less metal and cleaning less pooped on perches and toys.
What do you use to keep your bird cage clean? A couple of unique but inexpensive products that have become top sellers our website are the Mess less feeders.
To wrap things up for the day, would like to recommend an essential accessory no birdcage should be one without and that’s a Lixit bird water bottle.
I know this comes as a shock but sometimes birds will dunk their food into their water dish and even poop into the water bowl.
The food particulate isn’t too bad but you don’t want your bird drinking water holding bacteria created from feces leading to bacterial infections in their mouths. Lixit water bottles simply solve this problem.
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Diana Smith
13 Aug 2017I change cage paper in all my cages Everyday. But when I take the paper out there is always food under the paper in the tray, therefore I must vaccum the tray before replaceing clean paper. Even when I put multiple paper in the bottom. Annoying , any suggestions. I have a birdrooom in the house and don’t want bugs so I do this everyday.
WindyCityParrot
13 Aug 2017Try using 2 sheets Diana so the paper forms a small vertical barrier on the front and the bck of the bird cage
Diana Smith
13 Aug 2017I use about four sheets but food gets under and feathers or chewed paper. I put paper so if goes up around sides. cant figure it out! Thanks!
WindyCityParrot
14 Aug 2017got it – I would advocate place a food dish or 2 on the paper to weight it down. You may have to move a perch or ladder so poop doesn’t fall into the dish.
we structure all our cages so all poop falls on the news paper, nothing below so the birds are never walking on soiled perches.
This achieves 2 things, the paper won’t lift and get stuff caught between the layers of paper. the second thing is with a food dish on the bottom of the cage more waste falls the the floor of the cage , around the cage.
Heres a picture of Peaches cage. Note none of the perches or swing have any poop – it’s a while to figure oi out but worth the time.
See how i fold the edges of the paper up? the white ceramic wather dish holds everything down.
Poop cover over the water dish takes care of that.
Hope this helps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZVTS2bYRlU
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8fb44c5207ea5f220765cba1320cbd5c427be38bc37d72f57d91f98e3150c304.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a892ee2a7c8b4cd140ba2c96fe393af203bafb4cd61746f28347cc0b6f2a9ffa.jpg
Diana Smith
14 Aug 2017Thank you I have covered water containers so the water does not get poop in it. I change 1-2 times a day. I do put food dish on bottom and am careful not to put under perch or toy. Problem is the food and feathers get under paper so I have to vaccum every time I change paper always 1 time a day if not 2. But thank you so much, I really enjoy your Sunday brunch very much.
Diana Smith
13 Aug 2017I change cage paper in all my cages Everyday. But when I take the paper out there is always food under the paper in the tray, therefore I must vaccum the tray before replaceing clean paper. Even when I put multiple paper in the bottom. Annoying , any suggestions. I have a birdrooom in the house and don’t want bugs so I do this everyday.
WindyCityParrot
13 Aug 2017Try using 2 sheets Diana so the paper forms a small vertical barrier on the front and the bck of the bird cage
Diana Smith
13 Aug 2017I use about four sheets but food gets under and feathers or chewed paper. I put paper so if goes up around sides. cant figure it out! Thanks!
WindyCityParrot
14 Aug 2017got it – I would advocate place a food dish or 2 on the paper to weight it down. You may have to move a perch or ladder so poop doesn’t fall into the dish.
we structure all our cages so all poop falls on the news paper, nothing below so the birds are never walking on soiled perches.
This achieves 2 things, the paper won’t lift and get stuff caught between the layers of paper. the second thing is with a food dish on the bottom of the cage more waste falls the the floor of the cage , around the cage.
Heres a picture of Peaches cage. Note none of the perches or swing have any poop – it’s a while to figure oi out but worth the time.
See how i fold the edges of the paper up? the white ceramic wather dish holds everything down.
Poop cover over the water dish takes care of that.
Hope this helps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZVTS2bYRlU
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8fb44c5207ea5f220765cba1320cbd5c427be38bc37d72f57d91f98e3150c304.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a892ee2a7c8b4cd140ba2c96fe393af203bafb4cd61746f28347cc0b6f2a9ffa.jpg
Diana Smith
14 Aug 2017Thank you I have covered water containers so the water does not get poop in it. I change 1-2 times a day. I do put food dish on bottom and am careful not to put under perch or toy. Problem is the food and feathers get under paper so I have to vaccum every time I change paper always 1 time a day if not 2. But thank you so much, I really enjoy your Sunday brunch very much.