Easiest way to keep a cage clean?

[Badass Scotsman]

Hello,

We have a cage very similar to this:
Loading Image...

For our Umbrella Cockatoo.

Anyone here devised a clever way of keeping their cage and surrounding areas
free of dust / feathers / seeds, general bird mess? I know I can get the
dyson out, and get down on my hands and knees each day, but has anyone here
managed to "semi automate" or come up with a trick which will do half the
battle?

Currently to avoid seed mess, Harry's food is positioned very close to the
bottom of his cage, where he has ample perches. It is positioned in a way
which makes it almost impossible for him to poop over his food.

Its really the feathers / plumage and the odd piece of cr*p which is bugging
me.

Regards,

Gary.

[parrotisland]

Hi having a parrot is a lot of work having the right size cage will help the
smallest cage is 3ft wide by 2ft deep better would be 4ft wide 2 1/2 ft
deep and enough room to flap their wings with out hitting anything a cage
to small will create moor mess
Things that can help mount Plexiglas on the outside of the cage by the seed
dish this will keep allot of the seed in the cage if you have carpet under
the cage buy some clear rubber or plastic runner the same as you would put
under a chair and put it under the cage there also a air fillter out in the
room might helpI hope this helps parrotman

Post by Badass Scotsman
Hello,
http://www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/2154_Full.jpg
For our Umbrella Cockatoo.
Anyone here devised a clever way of keeping their cage and surrounding areas
free of dust / feathers / seeds, general bird mess? I know I can get the
dyson out, and get down on my hands and knees each day, but has anyone here
managed to "semi automate" or come up with a trick which will do half the
battle?
Currently to avoid seed mess, Harry's food is positioned very close to the
bottom of his cage, where he has ample perches. It is positioned in a way
which makes it almost impossible for him to poop over his food.
Its really the feathers / plumage and the odd piece of cr*p which is bugging
me.
Regards,
Gary.

[Badass Scotsman]

I am having tiles put down on Thursday.

Tell me more about this air purifier, does it help keep dust and plumage
down to a minimum?

Regards,

Gary.

[parrotisland]

Hi any air filter will do use one that you can make and replace the filter
your self you can buy filter that you can wash and use again always place
the filter blowing away from the parrot so there is no draught and you dont
need the fan on high speed my website is www.parrotisland.net are you going
to build a cage or buy one parrotman

Post by Badass Scotsman
I am having tiles put down on Thursday.
Tell me more about this air purifier, does it help keep dust and plumage
down to a minimum?
Regards,
Gary.

[Phil Jarvis]

Post by Badass Scotsman
Its really the feathers / plumage and the odd piece of cr*p which is bugging
me.

A U2? Man did you get the wrong pet.

You could cover the feed dish side of the cage with a lexan cover,
but it isn't fool proof either, and depending on how you bolt them on,
they're hard to clean (and by nature, something hard to clean is
something that doesn't GET cleaned).

I just keep a vacuum within 5 feet of the cage at all times, use a HEPA
air filter to help keep dust out of my computers, and otherwise ...


EMBRACE THE MESS.

I also keep papers around the perimiter of the cage, but the floor
underneath is tiles, and I don't care that much if they get pooped on.
I use paper towels (right at hand) every day to try to keep up with the
poops when they're soft.


Fortunately my U2 only flings food occasionally, but hey, so I have food
crunching under my feet. I wouldn't have it any other way, I love the
birds. A meal where my shoulder is covered in crumbs is a good meal.
Small payment for wonderful companionship.

[Badass Scotsman]

Post by Phil Jarvis
A U2? Man did you get the wrong pet.

Yeah, he can be a messy bugger. I think I have solved 95% of all problems,
now I just need to toilet train him when hes outside the cage, and deal with
the dist plumage. I have solved the seeds on the floor by providing a perch
at cage floor level outwith the way of mess from above, and a large seed
tray which simply clips on and off the cage bars. The tray is deep and
large, he seems fine eating from it and now makes very little mess.

Post by Phil Jarvis
I just keep a vacuum within 5 feet of the cage at all times, use a HEPA
air filter to help keep dust out of my computers, and otherwise ...

AN air filter is a priority for me, but not sure which ones are safe. Here
in the UK I see lots of Hepa ones with built in ionisers etc, I remember I
think, hearing that Ionisers etc are harmful to our feathered friends?

Post by Phil Jarvis
EMBRACE THE MESS.
I also keep papers around the perimiter of the cage, but the floor
underneath is tiles,

Ditto, just installed to - hence the post :) I dont want my new floor tiles
getting messy.

Post by Phil Jarvis
and I don't care that much if they get pooped on.

I dont want poop on them :(

Post by Phil Jarvis
I use paper towels (right at hand) every day to try to keep up with the
poops when they're soft.

We are the same, have a few kitchen rools under the cage at all times, and
the majority of the time when he is out, I have kitchen paper placed around
his usual pooping spot.

Post by Phil Jarvis
Fortunately my U2 only flings food occasionally, but hey, so I have food
crunching under my feet. I wouldn't have it any other way, I love the
birds. A meal where my shoulder is covered in crumbs is a good meal.
Small payment for wonderful companionship.

They are amazingly friendly :) Harry loves to sit with his head tucked
under my chin for hours at a time, he also loves a hot cup of water when I
have my cup of tea - he will literally scream at me if I have tea and don't
give him his cup :)

Can't believe I got him, I suppose I just need to clean every day....grumble
grumble grumble...hate cleaning!

I could pay my sister £100 a month to do it every two days or so, if she
lived a wee bit closer. She already cleans my house once a week, but
obviously the cage needs much more attention than once a week.

Gary.

[Phil Jarvis]

Badass Scotsman wrote:
[...]

Post by Badass Scotsman

Post by Phil Jarvis
I just keep a vacuum within 5 feet of the cage at all times, use a HEPA
air filter to help keep dust out of my computers, and otherwise ...

AN air filter is a priority for me, but not sure which ones are safe. Here
in the UK I see lots of Hepa ones with built in ionisers etc, I remember I
think, hearing that Ionisers etc are harmful to our feathered friends?

NO IONIZERS! Ozone is NOT good for the birds.

A simple hepa air filter will do the trick.

Post by Badass Scotsman

Post by Phil Jarvis
Fortunately my U2 only flings food occasionally, but hey, so I have food
crunching under my feet. I wouldn't have it any other way, I love the
birds. A meal where my shoulder is covered in crumbs is a good meal.
Small payment for wonderful companionship.

They are amazingly friendly :) Harry loves to sit with his head tucked
under my chin for hours at a time, he also loves a hot cup of water when I
have my cup of tea - he will literally scream at me if I have tea and don't
give him his cup :)
Can't believe I got him, I suppose I just need to clean every day....grumble
grumble grumble...hate cleaning!

You can minimize a lot of it with good cage layout and a few tricks.
I'm amazed at the number of people who lay out perches and toys so that
things are right in the "drop zone" for poop. In a suitably big cage,
there is plenty of room to arrange for all the poop to hit the bottom
and not stuff inbetween.

I also find that a cage with a grate a few inches above the pan is much
easier to wipe down than a grate which is just one inch from the pan.
Most large cages for large birds have this setup so it shouldn't be an
issue if your cage is large.

Post by Badass Scotsman
I could pay my sister £100 a month to do it every two days or so, if she
lived a wee bit closer. She already cleans my house once a week, but
obviously the cage needs much more attention than once a week.

Routine helps. The very first thing I do after waking up is uncover the
birds and wipe down the cages to keep them from walking in the nightly
deposits. Then change the water, papers, etc. 15 minutes, tops, but I
only have two birds. I don't mind the work because I'm busy chatting
with the birds in the wakeup routine, and they're very engaging.
A roll of paper towels and a spray bottle of water to put on the towels
for the hardened poop makes it easy.

I've noticed that some cages are easier to wipe than others, I guess
some epoxy paints are a bit more non-stick than others.

My birds get a lot of time out of the cage, so most of the poop ends up
on papers around the cages. That's certainly easier to clean up than
the interior of the cages.

[Badass Scotsman]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for letting me know about the Ozone thing. It seems almost
impossible to find one without a built in Ioniser here in the UK...

Any recommended model?

Regards,

Gary.

[Phil Jarvis]

Sorry, not particular recommendations. Basically anything with a fan
and a filter will work. Getting a QUIET one is another matter.

You can find inexpensive units here at local pharmacies everywhere, food
warehouses, etc.

Post by Badass Scotsman
Hi Phil,
Thanks for letting me know about the Ozone thing. It seems almost
impossible to find one without a built in Ioniser here in the UK...
Any recommended model?
Regards,
Gary.

[Peter Hucker]

I've never got a filter. The noise far outweighs the cleanliness.

Post by Phil Jarvis
Sorry, not particular recommendations. Basically anything with a fan
and a filter will work. Getting a QUIET one is another matter.
You can find inexpensive units here at local pharmacies everywhere, food
warehouses, etc.

Post by Badass Scotsman
Hi Phil,
Thanks for letting me know about the Ozone thing. It seems almost
impossible to find one without a built in Ioniser here in the UK...
Any recommended model?
Regards,
Gary.

[Badass Scotsman]

This may do the trick?:
http://www.allergymatters.com/acatalog/Airfree_Enviro_P80.html


Regards,

Gary.

[Peter Hucker]

Post by Phil Jarvis
[...]

Post by Badass Scotsman

Post by Phil Jarvis
I just keep a vacuum within 5 feet of the cage at all times, use a HEPA
air filter to help keep dust out of my computers, and otherwise ...

AN air filter is a priority for me, but not sure which ones are safe. Here
in the UK I see lots of Hepa ones with built in ionisers etc, I remember I
think, hearing that Ionisers etc are harmful to our feathered friends?

NO IONIZERS! Ozone is NOT good for the birds.

Isn't ozone poisonous to humans too (city traffic polution and all that?) - so why are ionisers sold as good for you?

[Peter Hucker]

Post by Phil Jarvis

Post by Badass Scotsman
Its really the feathers / plumage and the odd piece of cr*p which is bugging
me.

A U2? Man did you get the wrong pet.
You could cover the feed dish side of the cage with a lexan cover,
but it isn't fool proof either, and depending on how you bolt them on,
they're hard to clean (and by nature, something hard to clean is
something that doesn't GET cleaned).
I just keep a vacuum within 5 feet of the cage at all times, use a HEPA
air filter to help keep dust out of my computers, and otherwise ...
EMBRACE THE MESS.
I also keep papers around the perimiter of the cage, but the floor
underneath is tiles, and I don't care that much if they get pooped on.

I gave up trying to stop mess. I put laminate flooring over the whole house (I have 14 parrots free flying everywhere). And bought a rather large steam cleaner (they're on ebay for one fifth of retail price!)