How to Properly Clean a Bird Cage

Cleaning a dirty bird cage can seem like a tedious chore. There are so many bars, crevices, and hard to reach cracks to clean out that it’s hard to know where to start. By making a schedule, and keeping the essential materials handy, you can provide your pet birds with the clean, comfortable environment that they deserve. Follow these instructions for daily, weekly, and monthly routines

Daily Items

Change the Cage Liner

Not only is it uncomfortable for your birds to be walking around in their filth and feces, but it’s also very unhealthy for them as well. Neglecting to change out your liners on a day-to-day basis will also produce an extremely unpleasant smell above all.

Clean Food and Water Dishes

Washing your pets’ water bowl with a mild dish detergent will combat the growth of any bacteria that could harm your birds.

Wipe and Clean Surfaces

Spot clean your bird cage using a damp rag or paper towel. To get the hard-to-reach places you may want to invest in some bird-safe cage cleaner products.

Weekly Items

Wash Out the Bottom Tray

The bottom portion, in which the liner is placed on top of should be removed at least once a week and scrubbed with a damp rag and appropriate cleaner This will help reduce the amount of germs and bacteria build up in your cage.

Remove and Clean the Grate

Grates are usually at the bottom of the cage as well and they are suspended in air to catch the bird droppings. Remove this weekly and scrub away the dried-up feces and residue.

Clean and Change Perches as Needed

Perches accumulate dirt and waste very quickly, resulting in bacteria build up. They should be properly scrubbed and soaked about once a week to kill all the germs. Back up perches are great to have because a lot of the wooden ones take a long time to dry, and your pets will feel uneasy without them.

Wash and Rotate Toys

Any toys in your cage should be removed, soaked, and scrubbed thoroughly. Be sure to have a variety of different toys so birds don’t get bored while you clean.

Monthly Items

About once a month you should do a thorough cleaning of your entire bird cage. If it can fit, placing it in your bathtub with all toys and perches removed would be your best bet. You can also hose it down in your backyard if the cage is too large to clean indoors.

Helpful Tips

Keep the following tips in mind when maintaining your bird environment.

Use a Good, Dependable Scrub Brush

Get a brush with durable bristles and use cage cleaner to help break down the residues that are stuck on and hard to remove.

Scrub All the Cracks

There are many cracks in bird cages, and this is the ideal place for germs to grow. Get down in the grooves with your brush and don’t forget any of the corners or crevices.

Rinse and Dry Thoroughly

When it comes to bird cages, they must be cleaned on a regular basis. They should also be completely dry before anything goes back into them. Wet birds get chilled easily and could end up sick so be sure to rinse any soap residue out completely and wipe down the interior and exterior of your cage with a try towel.

Did You Know

Migratory bird species fly in formation to conserve energy, much like driving in a larger vehicle’s slipstream can reduce the amount of gas you require.

Based on similarities in skeletal structure, a good number of scientists have theorized that many modern bird species evolved from the dinosaurs.