How often to clean bird cage? Having a pet bird means that you will need a place to protect it and keep it safe from predators that may harm it.
While we aren’t advocates of bird cages, there are instances when birds –especially domesticated ones—have to be kept in cages.
In these situations, you will need to know how to maintain a bird cage and how often to clean a bird cage to be as pleasant as possible for your pet bird.
READ MORE: Do Baby Birds Drink Water?
Table of Contents
How Often Should You Clean Your Bird Cage?
Cleaning a birdcage can be quite an overwhelming and tedious task.
Some parts need to be wiped meticulously.
These include grills and some features that need to be cleaned and scrubbed, such as the tray.
So how often should all these parts be cleaned?
To keep you from getting overwhelmed, the best thing to do is clean the different parts according to a given regular schedule.
In other words, some parts are to be cleaned daily, some weekly, and some have to be cleaned every month.
Daily Cleaning
The following cage parts have to be cleaned daily to minimize the chance of bacterial infections from these soiled parts.
Cleaning parts of your bird cage that come in contact with bird droppings daily also helps prevent you from getting any disease or infection [1] that may occur due to poor bird cage maintenance.
- Clean the bird cage liner and replace them daily. Ensure that you get rid of all bird droppings and contaminated bird food that the liner has caught.
- Not only are these unhealthy for your bird and you, but they are quite gross to step on for your pet bird.
- Clean the food and water containers every day. You can wash these using mild dish soap and water.
- Cleaning these eliminates all microbes that may cause disease in your pet bird.
- Make sure that these are appropriately dried before returning them to the cage.
- Wipe all surfaces daily. This includes the grills, the perch, and toys. You can use a damp piece of cloth or paper towel.
READ MORE: Is keeping birds in cages cruel?
Weekly Cleaning
Giving these bird cage parts a good scrub once a week regularly lessens the chances for bacteria to settle in and cause disease in your pet bird.
- Remove the bird tray at the bottom of the cage, which holds the cage liner and give it a good scrub once a week. You can use a mild cage cleaner or clean it using warm water.
- Ensure that it is completely dry before replacing it in the cage and placing a new liner.
- Some cages come with grates that catch bird droppings that fall at the bottom of the cage.
- Make sure that you clean this with a brush to make sure that you get rid of any dried bird droppings.
- Clean it under running water while scrubbing it with a brush. Ensure that it is scorched before placing it back in the cage.
- Give the perches and toys a good cleaning once a week. Bacteria [2] may lodge and grow on the perches.
- Toys usually come in direct contact with the bird’s beaks since they use to carry their toys.
- Both the perches and the toys can introduce bacteria directly to your pet bird and lead to infection.
- It would be good to have extras around, especially wooden perches, since they may take time to dry.
Check this video out to get a better idea of how to clean your birdcage.
READ MORE: How to Make a Bird Cage Out of Wire
Monthly Cleaning
It would be best to give the whole bird cage a proper scrubbing once a month.
From the toys to the perch, to the grills and grate.
Ensure that everything is brushed and rinsed to make sure that nothing can act as a petri dish for bacteria to grow in and cause future problems for your pet bird.
Make sure to use a good scrub brush and go through every crack and crevice of the cage to ensure that everything is thoroughly cleaned.
Rinse the cage and make sure that there isn’t any leftover detergent or soap that may harm your bird.
Ensure that everything is adequately dried since birds tend to get chilly when they get wet.
Here’s a great example from this short video.
@kiwi_the.conure Answer to @birds_512 I will always clean her cage if I notice it needs it sometimes I clean it more often #SummerMashup #HPRadicalReuse #WelcomeBack ♬ original sound – Kiwi🥝 and Gianna
In Conclusion
Having a pet takes a lot of responsibility. They can be a source of joy, but having a pet also means that you should be able to provide a loving and clean important to stay happy and healthy in their home.
Maintaining a birdcage and keeping it clean may entail a lot of work. But keeping things on a regular schedule will lessen that feeling of being overwhelmed.
More importantly, maintaining your bird’s cage will mean a healthy and happy home for you and your pet.
How about you? How often do you clean your bird’s cage? Let us know below!
Resources
- 1. Birds Kept as Pets | Healthy Pets, Healthy People | CDC [Internet]. www.cdc.gov. 2019. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/birds.html
- 2. Harlin R, Wade L. Bacterial and Parasitic Diseases of Columbiformes. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice. 2009;12:453–73.
Barry Stingmore is a British content writer living in Fuerteventura, Spain. An animal lover at heart, he shares his home with a dog and four rescue cats and has a passion for writing about animals big and small.
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