Bird Cage Cleaning

Bird cages must be kept clean for the health of your bird(s). Everyone has their own methods of cage cleaning, but I will tell you what works for me.

Daily

Remove soiled paper

Empty tray

Place clean paper in tray & replace.

Thoroughly wash water dish, refill and replace

Weekly

All daily items listed above, plus

Remove all dishes and toys – wash and dry thoroughly

Wipe the bars and tray.

Remove perches and wash – if perches are wood and any stains remain, sand lightly with sandpaper and rinse again.

Monthly

All daily and weekly items listed above, plus

Put cage in shower, if it will fit – with bird removed of course – and give a thorough wash.

If cage is too large to fit into shower, you could use a steam cleaner (with the bird removed), or the cage could be taken to a car wash for a high pressure spray.

Method of Washing

Use hot soapy water (dish soap works well)

Scrup with a brush – toothbrush, vegetable brush or grill brush all work fine.

Rinse well

Disinfect, using a solution of household bleach mixed in water (1/2 cup bleach to 1 gallon water). Spray the solution on all surfaces and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well and dry thoroughly.

If you have more than one cage (and I certainly do), you can do the daily cleaning each day for all cages and the weekly cleaning for one cage each day. The monthly cleaning would be every 4th weekly clean.

If you keep the cleaning up to date, it takes very little time to do the job thoroughly. If dirt begins to build up, the job becomes much more difficult.

Please drop by the forum, where we can discuss each other's methods of cage cleaning.

After many years of pet bird ownership, I have decided to write e-books about the care of some of these wonderful birds.