How to Clean a Bird Cage
Polly wants a cracker, but what he certainly needs is someone who’ll keep his cage clean and neat. Taking care of a bird might not seem like a hard task, but you have to remember to clean the bird cage regularly, to make sure your winged friends stay healthy all the time. If you’re new to this task, here are several helpful tips.
What You’ll Need:
Another safe location for your bird
Baking soda (For other uses of baking soda, read 75 extraordinary uses for baking soda)
Mild dish soap for hand washing
White vinegar
Trash can
Shower or garden hose
Sponge, brush or scrub
Old toothbrush
Disinfectant spray for cages
Kitchen paper towels
New cage liner or old newspapers
Broom
Preparation Reminders
You can’t juts start scrubbing your pet’s home without doing a few important things first. Here are some tasks you should do.
Ready the cleaning solution, Birds are sensitive to chemicals, so make sure you don’t use cleaners that might be harmful for your dear pet. Some safe ones you can try are mild dish soap, white vinegar or baking soda. Prepare enough solution, then get a small amount and set it aside.
Keep your bird safe. Transfer him to another room or area where he can roam around freely while you’re off cleaning. Make sure the doors and windows are closed.
Remove the toys, perches and food and water dishes from the cage.
If the cage has a liner, throw it away.
Turn over the cage on top of the trash can, to remove loose droppings, dirt and food bits at the bottom of the cage.
Cleaning Procedure
Once you’re done with the preparations, you can now start cleaning the bird cage.
Rinse it out. This will help remove as much gunk and dirt from the bottom and around the cage. If possible, put the cage in your shower, or use a regular garden hose with a spray nozzle. Hot water would be more effective, but make sure it’s not too hot so you won’t burn yourself.
Give the cage a good scrubbing. You can use a regular brush, sponge or scrub to do this. Put your cleaning solution in a bowl, dip your scrubbing tool in it, then start working. Go over the entire cage, as well as under it. For small cracks and crevices where the sponge won’t fit, use an old toothbrush. Make sure to pay attention to the bars of the cage as you scrub.
If there are stubborn areas where the dirt won’t come off, let it soak in the solution for an hour or so.
Once the gunk has been loosened by the scrubbing, rinse it completely with the hose or shower again. Remove all the residue, so your bird won’t get sick from it.
Rinse the sponge or scrub you used. Afterwards, get the small amount of cleaning solution you set aside then use it to clean the bird’s accessories and other hardware. Scrub with the sponge or toothbrush. Let them soak in the solution in a basin if there are stubborn stains or grime.
You can now disinfect the cage. Use a commercial disinfectant; you can buy this in any pet shop. Just spray it all over the cage, as well as the accessories.
Let your bird cage dry under the sun or wipe it with kitchen paper towels.
Using a broom, sweep the floor underneath where the cage hangs. Throw all the debris in the trash can.
Get a new cage liner. This makes the cleaning easier in the future. If you think this is too expensive, use old newspapers instead.
Once the cage is sufficiently dry, put your bird back in the cage.
Make it a habit to clean your bird;’s cage once or twice a month. Not only will Polly stay clean and healthy, he’ll also be happy and ready for all the crackers you’re going to give him. In case you want to give your bird a new home, you could do so by learning how to make a birdhouse.