FINCHforum

First off, I have carpeting in the sunroom where I have my birds (wish I had a wood floor). I have clear shower curtains behind the cages, under the cages on the floor, & have clear seed guards against the bars at the bottom of the cages. Of course, I still get a lot of seed, chaff, etc. on the floor.

I'm sure some of you have tips on what can be done to possibly minimize the mess. Would love to hear your secrets

Do what I did: Turn the entire sunroom into an indoor walk-in aviary...

Sorry, but I couldn't resist.... And this is actually true, I did exactly that. My sunroom is about 11 by 11 feet, it has windows on 3 sides and is accessible from the dining room area. I used to have budgies and finches in separate cages and the seeds and mess were everywhere. There is no other thing than vacuuming every day. I also had seed guards, and plastic sheets behind the cages... Just like your setup.

Then we turned the sunroom into our aviary. If you want to check out how, look at my pictures, see link below. The aviary still looks pretty much like this now, although we have changed a few things around since then and I currently have only fake plants and no real ones. (Waiting for the next indoor plant sale, they are getting chewed up faster than I can replace them and it's too expensive after a while... )

https://picasaweb.google.com/udmoran/My ... directlink

Ursula: that is a dream that words can't describe!!!! Especially love that little toy wagon & hanging chair swings. I will dream about your aviary room, but in the meantime, I just want to keep my cage areas cleaner than they are

finchandlovebird wrote:Ursula: that is a dream that words can't describe!!!! Especially love that little toy wagon & hanging chair swings. I will dream about your aviary room, but in the meantime, I just want to keep my cage areas cleaner than they are

Thanks!

The hanging chair is no longer, it was so chewed up and old that I had to toss it. But I am constantly redecorating and getting new things.

Sorry that I can't help you with your problem though. Like I said, I had the same issues...

Convert them to pellet food.
That has significantly reduced the mess that my birds scatter out of the cages.
Although that might be hard for you to do right now. It could be something that you work towards.

Sometimes feeding on the floor of a cage can help with the seed mess....That is of course until they flap their wings and spread the chafe everywhere!!....I also have tried an outside feeder called Tidy Seed...It helps, but honestly, birds make a mess and I have to clean up everyday, but I find the mess is well worth the enjoyment everyday my birds give me....I can close off my bird room so my mess doesn't annoy my husband...If I feel like leaving the seed on the floor overnight then I do....Don't sweat the small stuff!

PS...I met a budgie breeder that had a iRobot vacuum that roamed around her bird room...Hmmm?

G8love4finches wrote:Sometimes feeding on the floor of a cage can help with the seed mess....That is of course until they flap their wings and spread the chafe everywhere!!....I also have tried an outside feeder called Tidy Seed...It helps, but honestly, birds make a mess and I have to clean up everyday, but I find the mess is well worth the enjoyment everyday my birds give me....I can close off my bird room so my mess doesn't annoy my husband...If I feel like leaving the seed on the floor overnight then I do....Don't sweat the small stuff!

PS...I met a budgie breeder that had a iRobot vacuum that roamed around her bird room...Hmmm?

Debbie, I was just thinking about one of these iRobot vacuum's the other day!!! Wouldn't that be handy??? Hrm, I'm SOOO tempted.

I feed on the floor of the cages too, and I also wrap an old bedsheet around the bottom of the cages, clip it with clothespins to keep it up and tight, and then a lot of the seed stays in the cages (feathers everywhere though when its moulting time!) I also have my bird room closed off to the rest of the house.

Waxbill lover: I saw your bed sheets in the post about "where do you keep your cages?", That idea has possiblities.

Gary: I have a pellet feeder in each flight, but no one seems interested. I think I'll try pellets in a dish on the cage floor. That would surely simplify feeding.

I have some outside bird feeders in the cages; will post some pics here in a little bit.

I do feed them egg food & greens on the floor of the cage on a paper plate.

You folks are giving me good food for thought

Outdoor feeder used in inside aviary, w/seed tray glued on bottom. Hang it in middle of aviary & eliminates a lot of mess (I think)

Outdoor feeders, about $2 @ Wally World. Have a flat side, so I hang one on each side of the divider wall in my 5' aviary.