[TheJediBird]

This seems like something ridiculous to ask seeing as I've been keeping birds for years (even just including my cockatiels, which I've had for 4 years now!) but how do y'all keep really big cages clean? My finch cage is small enough that if it needs a deep clean I can take it outside and just spray it down with the hose and my parrots' cage, while being huge, has a removable bottom so I can just take out any parts that get really dirty and spray them with the hose too.

My cockatiel cage, however, is so big that it like barely fits through the door and was a huge hassle to just get inside the house and doesn't have a removable bottom, so it's next to impossible to keep clean with just using a sponge or scrub brush.

Anyway, I could really use suggestions for how to really get the bars of the cage clean because I've been using a paint scraper to get off most of the poop and stuff on the bars and then using a scrub brush with bird-safe cleaner to dry and get the residue off but it doesn't work all that great and I'd really like my birds to have a nice clean cage to live in.

Any suggestions are super appreciated!!

 

[dianne]

When I clean my cages I first go around and mist any dirty areas. The cockatiels love it, and the budgies tolerate it. So, the birds get a cleaning too. Then, I take a scrubbie (this is a kitchen scrubber that is green and has a rough surface) with a small pan of hot water and clean the misted cage bars. Some really bad spots I may have to clean and mist several times.

For the bottom of the cage, I bought some baby swaddle blankets (sometimes called receiving blankets) and I spread them over the bottom of the cage. Once a week I change them and wash the soiled ones on a hot water cycle in my washing machine. I also put some paper towels over the spots that regularly get a lot of poop, and I change them out every day or two.

I have a large Vision cage and a medium one. There are two cockatiels and three budgies. I have worked out this system over several years. It may or may not be right for you.

 

[tielfan]

I also have a large cage that barely fits through the door. But about once a month I drag it outside anyway and spray it with a pressure washer. That's the best way I've found to keep it reasonably clean. It's strenuous enough that I count it as a workout. Trying to clean the cage indoors is time consuming and less effective.

 

[TheJediBird]

Thanks for the replies, guys! I've started putting newspaper over the bottom grate of the cage to try to contain the mess (with the plus side of my birds liking walking on it!) and I'll definitely try to get the cages deep cleaned outside at least once before winter gets here.