Cleaning Tips & Bubblegum for Parrots!

[Monica]

This has been discussed before, but thought I'd bring it up again... So many have some great tips out there to use! For myself, I can't contain Noel's poop where she lives, and it doesn't help when she occasionally wonders around the room from time to time and leaves little pressies on the floor! I wasn't having a good time cleaning up using a mop, so took a paint scraper, scraped up the dry mess, swept it up, then mopped, there-fore removing any unnecessary smears across the floor!

Here's some other tips I've found!


Disinfect
The 5 rules before you start cleaning the cage and Toys (etc)

1. You must have the bird in a safe place.
2. Be sure you disinfect everything.
3. Wash everything off.
4. Dry with towel or (air dry)
5. Make sure to give your bird fresh food and water, my bird is very happy when he gets fresh everything :)

Poop Scoop (this ones familiar!)
Find some card and shape it so if your bird poops anywhere you can pick it up.

Birds n Ways note: Old plastic credit cards make great scrapers, too.


Awesome Way Of Cleaning! (I do this one with some of my cages! Just can't let anyone else see me doing it! )
Since I live In Minnesota, when the weather gets cold, I can't use the hose anymore. So why not use the bathtub!!! It works really well. All you have to do is

1. Take out all the toys, food dishes, etc
2. Take your cage and stick it in the tub any way it fits.
3. Turn on the shower and let it sit in there for a little bit.
4. Then take the disinfectant to it, scrub it twice and then rinse.

It works like a glove. PLEASE try it. I do it a least every week and if your bird sneezes, clean it every other day. If you have comments, I'll be sure to answer.


Steam it!!!
I purchased a hand-held steamer about a month ago for cleaning cages. It is great! I will never go back. It makes cleaning and disinfecting the cages, bowls and toys a breeze. I have three large birds and they are messy. This method only uses water to clean and disinfect, so it is very safe and fast. If steaming the cages, always make sure the birds are removed. I don't have a steam cleaner but I've always thought about using an iron steamer for clothes...


Pam Cooking Spray! Genius Idea! It Works!
Take out any type of perch, from gravel to wood, run it under steaming hot water, and scrub it with paper towels, or any scrubbing utensil of your choice. Next, Get all of the poop off. Then, Spray and SOAK your birds perches with PAM cooking spray. The poop will slide off and wont stick, so you'll have less cleaning to do!!!!! Think I might try this one with some sand covered perches I have... and if it works and they appear clean, I'll let you all know!


Remember the car wash
Take the cage to a do-it-yourself car wash. Using the high powered sprayer will take all the layers of bird poop out of the hard to reach corners of the cage. Make sure you rinse all the soap away. I do this once a year, it is amazing how much better it cleans the cage. And hey, no scrubbing!




And for those stubborn moths, a good tip I learned recently! When you are having problems keeping away those pesky moths, especially in the summer time, getting into food and whatnot... go out and buy some mint gum (spearmint, double mint....), and put this in your cupboards (in the wrapper) to retard the moths... It doesn't kill them, but the moths don't like the smell of the mint gum. One can also try putting some mint gum pieces in the birds dry food to prevent the moths trying to make a home in there.... It only needs to be changed when the smell of the mint gum dissipates!

[smiler]

Great tips! Thank-you!

[bekfreak]

To save yourself money get a power washer. I used that on my tiel's cage at the start of the spring and fall.