cage cleaning...

[lovielover]

Hello Everyone,
I was wondering the best substance to use to clean a cage, since I dont want to use anything that would harm the birds. Thanks for your help!

[lianatch]

I use Canopy Quick Clean spray for daily wiping of the cage - works great for me (I get it at www.drsfostersmith.com but they sell it also at any petsmart I think). And then once in a while I remove everything from the inside and kind of power wash the cage.

[lovielover]

thank you! How often everyweek (the whole cage) I slid the bottom try out once or twice a day, but this is the first week I have had them and I want to make the cage+toys clean for them.

[Kaye]

The daily wipping thing is great.. that canopy stuff works well then?? I've been wondering if I could trust it.. you know.. fumes.. Could you tell me a bit more about your experience with it?

[chirpy]

Our son is responsible for cleaning the cage. He changes the lining paper everyday (well almost everyday) and he washes the entire cage and the toys weekly with HOT water ONLY. That's it.

[lovielover]

Our son is responsible for cleaning the cage. He changes the lining paper everyday (well almost everyday) and he washes the entire cage and the toys weekly with HOT water ONLY. That's it.
Chirpy thats what I was thinking

[lianatch]

thank you! How often everyweek (the whole cage) I slid the bottom try out once or twice a day, but this is the first week I have had them and I want to make the cage+toys clean for them.

the daily wiping with Canopy and changing the paper in the tray - every day. the thorough wash every couple of months - but this will depend on your bird(s). mine is not too messy (although it is a relative term) and he also spends a lot of time out of the cage. if i see that wiping is becoming more difficult (if it is taking much longer to clean the cage spotless), then it is time for a good wash. the perches and toys also depends - i usually clean them more often that the cage power wash.

[lianatch]

The daily wipping thing is great.. that canopy stuff works well then?? I've been wondering if I could trust it.. you know.. fumes.. Could you tell me a bit more about your experience with it?

I have been using it for close to 2 years - every day and it seems to be working well. From what I heard and read, it is pretty safe. My problem with it is that it only cleans and does not disinfect. But most of them are like that. I just recently bought GSE which will both clean and disinfect. But Canopy cleans well and I will probably continue using it.

[Snapperhead]

I use the Canopy Cage Shield to spay on the grate at the bottom of the cage and the platform that serves as the feeding place. The Cage Shield is like a non-stick coting (obviously not teflon based) that prevents things from sticking to the bars. I find that poop and food slide right off and it sure makes the daily wipe down much easier. I use Virkon to disinfect the entire cage about every two weeks, and I clean the boys toys with GSE every week when I rotate the toys. I also use GSE and really hot water to wash birdie dishes daily as well as my sprouting supplies and anything else I think needs to be disinfected but still edible. I just bought the 4 oz bottle when I was down in the states as up here I was paying $22 Cdn for the 2 oz bottle and the 4 oz bottle was less than that even with the exchange down in MO. I'll definately get my mom to pick it up down south and ship it to me from now on. I also absolutely love the product "poop-off" I use the wipes to wipe down the grates and perches daily. I like the ease of using the wipes, major convenience! One of the breeders here in town uses poop-off in her Bissell carpet cleaning machine...she says it works better than the products Bissell comes out with and it's non-toxic to our birds. In fact we have an air purifier at the store that sets off an alarm when it detects toxic substances in the air...the owner has one at home and if she puts deoderant (non-aerosol) on when she's standing anywhere near it the alarm goes off, but she can spray poop-off onto the unit (it's in the bird room now and gets the odd mess on it) and the alarm doesn't sound off! Pretty neat stuff and cleans like a charm (but do keep in mind it doesn't disinfect).
Cheers, Tamara

[krazy4birds]

I usually use a solution of vinegar (white) and warm water. Most of my cages are powder coated and they are wonderfull...they wipe clean with no hassles.

[lianatch]

... I also absolutely love the product "poop-off" I use the wipes to wipe down the grates and perches daily. I like the ease of using the wipes, major convenience! ...

... In fact we have an air purifier at the store that sets off an alarm when it detects toxic substances in the air...the owner has one at home and if she puts deoderant (non-aerosol) on when she's standing anywhere near it the alarm goes off, but she can spray poop-off onto the unit (it's in the bird room now and gets the odd mess on it) and the alarm doesn't sound off!


I didn't know that Poop-off came out with those wipes - I saw them for the first time at the Parrot festival and got so excited! lol... I will start buying those - untill then I also used plain unscented baby wipes to quickly clean countertops and other areas.

What kind of purifier is it that sends the alarm on the toxic stuff? That is pretty cool!

[Snapperhead]

Here is the link to the air purifiers I mentioned. They are called Plasmacluster Ion and there are 3 different sizes.

http://www.parrotdiseperch.com/parrot/shop.php?cat=54

Cheers, Tamara

[tiellover]

Well, I think that a lot of those store-bought cage cleaners are overpriced...sometimes I either use a solution of hot water and dishsoap, or I also add some 'Nature's Miracle' cage cleaner to the soapy water, which comes in a larger bottle and is cheaper than Canopy. It is a spray bottle, so you can use it to spray onto the cage if you want. Nature's Miracle comes in a 16 oz. bottle for about $3. It cleans and deodorizes cages and is safe for birds (of course!)...but if you want to go even cheaper, you can make your own Nature's Miracle solution by diluting Isopropyl alchohol in water... because basically, all it is is water, nature's enzymes (whatever that is!), Isopropyl alchohol and citrus scent.