Hello:) New to forum..and need help with cage cleaning!!

[2lilfinches]

Hello everyone,
I'm new here. I just got my first birds (Two sweet little society finches). They are a little messier than I thought (lol) and know cage hygeine is very important to their health. THe cage I bought does not have a bottom that snaps off easily. I can change the cage liners, BUT WHAT CAN I PUT THE BIRDS INTO SO I CAN EASILY DO A CAGE CLEANING WITHOUT THEM IN IT? Is there some sort of travel cage I can put them in? And also, what is a good non-toxic cleaner to clean their cage that won't be toxic to them?

Appreciate anyone's help:)

Thanks!

Caroline (from LA)

[Sally]

You could move them to a smaller cage while you clean theirs. I take all the grates out of my cages, so that cuts down on one big part of the cleaning. Also, I'm not fanatical about keeping their cages clean. Papers get changed, but certainly not on a daily basis, and the bars and perches get wiped down from time to time, but if the birds are breeding, I disturb as little as possible. But then I have a lot of cages, so it would be a full-time job to keep them immaculate.

[Raleighwheels]

Like Sally said, many people put their birds in another cage, such as a travel cage, while they clean the cage. Personally, I let my birds out for a bit of free flying. Also, I don't do an extreme clean every week. I usually change the paper at the bottom of the cage (I have a grate in the cage) once a week, and I use baby wipes to clean the clumps of droppings off the perches and I scrape the big piles of droppings off of the grate once a week. About every month I do a good wipe-down with baby wipes and then I steam clean my cage. I personally feel that it cuts down on some of the time it takes to clean the cage, and I think that in the long run, buying a steamer, which uses tap water, saves money in the long run. Many people like to use a dilute bleach solution to clean their cages. Check out this link for some cleaning solutions as well... http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/disinfectants.php

[Sally]

Raleighwheels, what kind of steamer do you have?

[Raleighwheels]

Raleighwheels, what kind of steamer do you have?

It is a handheld Shark.

[2lilfinches]

Thanks to you all for your suggestions:) I'm new to the bird world, so you might see me pop up again asking for finch advice! THey are sweet little things...

Caroline

[ac12]

I have had problems catching birds to clean the cage, so I now just clean the cage w the birds in the cage. Just have to watch the door so they don't sneak by.

[franny]

I also clean the cage with the birds in it. I let the birds have their bath, and when they are done, that's when I wipe the cage. Some of the poop is already softened from the water they've splattered everywhere. I change the paper on the bottom of the cage almost daily - but wipe out the cage about once a week.

I use a mix of vinegar and water, and spray the perches and any bars with poop on them, and whip with the shop towel or old facecloth.

When the weather is good, I also put the cage outside on the balcony, and spray it until it's really dripping wet. Just try not to spray the birds with the vinegar solution. Plain water will work too, but the vinegar seems to speed up the process of softening the poop. I do this just a few times in the summer, to really clean the poop off the plastic plants.