How To Keep A Bird Cage Clean and Sparkling

If you are unsure how to keep a bird cage clean and how often you should be doing it, you are in the right place.

Let’s take a look at some general guidelines.

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How To Keep A Bird Cage Clean

How often you clean the cage depends on the type of bird that you are keeping.

Mynahs in particular are very messy and their cages need to be cleaned out every day. For parrots on the other hand, cleaning every two or three days is adequate with a weekly scrubbing of their food and water containers.

Cages which have a coating on their bars are easy to wipe clean, although it is a good idea to dismantle the cage and wash it properly every few months.

Special disinfectants are available for use on avian equipment and these are quite safe if the instructions are followed. In some designs of budgerigar cage, the top and base may separate for cleaning purposes.

Always double check when reassembling them that they are properly joined together, otherwise, if you pick the cage up the hook on its roof, the bottom may fall away allowing your bird to escape.

Perches must also be kept clean and will need replacing from time to time, especially in the case of parrots as they whittle away at them with their powerful bills.

Here are some wonderful natural products that can be purchased online to make your job of cleaning the cage a lot easier. Simply click on the picture to find out more.

Cage Floor Coverings

Sand sheets are traditionally used on the floors of budgerigars and canaries. Different sizes are available so that it is not necessary to overlap the sheets, which are relatively expensive.

Some owners economize by tipping the seed husks into a rubbish bag and scrapping off the droppings two or three times and then replace the sand sheet once a week.

Unfortunately, hens sometimes shred the sand sheets when they approach the breeding season, so if this happens a cheaper option would be loose bird sand which is often blended with a little oyster shell grit.

As the bird flies, its wing movements may disturb the sand, so a suitably thick layer is required in order to prevent some of the areas of the tray from being left uncovered, which makes it harder to clean.

There are some other drawbacks to using sand, not least of which it is heavy to carry, which in turn may make it difficult to dispose of. Sand can also be scattered around the confines of the bird cage and if the bird is broody it is not recommended as the sand may work its way into the bird’s vent when spending too much time on the floor.

A major drawback of using sand in cage housing mynahs or parrots is that any fruit which falls onto the floor will be contaminated with particles of sand, that is why it is important to use only specially prepared bird sand, rather than the cheaper varients available from builders outlets.

I find using a thick layer of newspaper works quite well for me, provided the bird is not broody, otherwise, it all gets shredded. All I then do is remove the top layer of newspaper from the floor each day.

Containers

Food and water containers should be cleaned every day. They should be washed out with a detergent, rinsed thoroughly, and dried with a paper towel before being refilled.

This will ensure that there is no stale food that could harm your bird’s health, nor will the cage have any funny odors.

It may be a good idea to provide a separate container of water for your birds to bathe in, otherwise, they end up bathing in and drinking that same water. Choose a heavy earthenware container of the type sold for dogs so that there is no risk of the bowl being tipped over, spilling the water all over the floor of the cage.

So there you have it in a nutshell, how to keep a bird cage clean.