Cleaning Cage and
Accessories
How often should
you clean your lovebird's cage? What is the most efficient way to
clean a cage? What should you use to disinfect a cage? Should you
put paper or gravel at the bottom of the birdcage? How can you keep
your house clean?
1. Frequency of
Cage Cleaning
Ideally, you should clean your lovebird's cage every day. Never
leave a cage uncleaned for more than 1-3 days. You can clean
different parts of the cage on alternate days, depending on what is
dirtiest; for example, you can clean the bars after feeding your
lovebird fruit, and change the bottom of the cage the next day.
Always remove old fruit and vegetables.
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2.
Cleaning your Lovebird's Cage
While you clean the cage, your bird can fly around the house or
visit other birds. Lovebirds are quite territorial; if you try to
clean their cage and bang on their toys, they will fly back to
protect their belongings. Usually, they will step aside and allow
you to do your cleaning, because they want a clean cage too.
Every cage is constructed differently, but in many cages, there is a
sliding bottom and the cage can be detached into an upper part and a
lower part. Detach the two parts and take out the bottom of the bird
cage. Empty all of the waste into your garbage can (you may want to
save some feathers if you keep a collection.) Run the sliding bottom
and the lower part of the bird cage under warm water. Dip a
toothbrush or scrub into soap or detergent, and remove all of the
droppings. After, rinse the cage parts thoroughly, dry them with
clean towels, and let them air dry.
Now, you should clean the top portion of your bird's cage, which
usually consists of the bars, perches and toys. Clean the perches
first, because if your lovebird sits on wet perch, she can suffer
from rheumatism. Scrub the perches with water and light soap to
remove bird droppings, rinse, and dry. There is a special perch
cleaner on the market, but you do not need to buy it. Wipe all of
the toys and seed and water containers. Clean the bars so that there
are no specks of dirt. Ensure that the bars are clean on the inside
as well, and check all corners and sides. Make sure everything is
well rinsed and dry. Refill the seeds and water if necessary.
Now, you can put the cage parts back together. Many cages are
attached together with clips; clean these clips as well. Some people
line the bottom of the cage with cage paper, paper towels or
newspaper. There is not much use in putting in newspaper or paper
towels, because your bird will chew it up, and newspaper may have
toxic ink. Don't put gravel, walnut shell litter, corn cob litter,
cedar bedding or grit in the cage.
Sanded cage linings are not useful
because they abase your bird's feet and might serve the same harmful
purpose as gravel and grit. If you put a grate at the bottom of the
cage, your lovebird will not be walking in her excrement as much,
and this will discourage rummaging. Myself, I just leave the cage
bottom unlined.
Once a month, the cage should be completely disinfected. Use a
bleach-water or anti-bacterial soap to thoroughly clean all of the
cage parts. Take your bird out, remove all of the toys, perches and
accessories, and clean them all carefully. This will prevent harmful
bacteria from accumulating.
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3. Keeping your
House Clean
Lovebirds can create quite a mess in your home! There are certain
things that you can do to keep your house as clean and germ-free as
possible.
Lovebirds will chew up any paper lying around your house, and your
floor will be littered with strips of paper. It's not a good idea to
vacuum these paper strips, because they can clog up the vacuum hose.
Instead, sweep them together and pick them up.
You will find bird droppings all over your floors and furniture if
your bird flies around the house. You should let your bird fly
around, so cover up important furnishings. Remove droppings right
away by lifting them up with a Kleenex. If a stain remains, clean
the spot with some soap and water or bleach-water. Bird droppings
can also get onto your clothes, but the stains come off easily in
the wash. Watch out for bird pee in your hair if you let your bird
sit on your head!
You will find lots of seed husks, feathers and other dirt around the
cage area. Vacuum or sweep this area as much as you can. Don't spray
chemicals, because the fumes can harm your bird.
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