Parrot Enclosure Hygiene

Have you looked at your parrots enclosure recently? Is it clean and tidy? While it would be nice to have all birds free, it is not an option if you have a domesticated or rescued parrot. They typically do not survive the wild if released. Because of this you must give them the safest and the best life they can get. If their enclosure is clean with fresh branches, clean water and fresh food, great! If it could use some attention, lets get it sorted.

First off, to keep your feathered friend happy and healthy their home needs to be tidy, even if they just sleep in there and spend most of the day with you. Having a spare enclosure is handy to place your parrot into while you sort out their main living area. I wouldn’t recommend just letting them fly around loose while you clean up, as that’s often when your parrot escapes through an open door or window. Organise a safe, quiet place for them to be during clean up.

Inspect Your Parrot

When you remove your parrot from their enclosure it is a good time to look them over for any issues. Check that their nostrils are clean and clear with no discharge and inspect their nails and feet for irregularities or skin problems. If you are thinking of trimming their nails, think twice if you are doing this alone. Parrots have a vein that runs down their nail and if trimmed too far up, or carelessly done, it will cause them pain and bleeding. Get some assistance from someone experienced, or use natural branch perches as its good for their feet and helps control nail growth.

When checking your parrot also have a look at their bottom to make sure the feathers around the area are clean. Droppings stuck around the area is usually a sign your bird is sick and in need of veterinarian help as soon as possible. Don’t just wash it off and think its fine, it isn’t normal. If their feathers are looking a little poor, they may be in need of a mite spray application, an improved diet, or they may like a spray bath. Clean, room temperature water, in an unused (new) spray bottle set to ‘mist spray’ works well for an indoor bath. Don’t spray them on a cold day, wait for a nice warm morning when you can hang out with them for a while.

Now place your parrot in the designated space for them to be during clean up of their cage. If you have someone to keep watch on them, all the better.

Time To Clean Their Enclosure

Take their empty enclosure with it’s tray and perches, and head outside. I usually leave their water and feed dishes in a designated large bowl inside for cleaning, letting them soak in warm water for later scrubbing while their enclosure dries. Your birds water and seed holders should be stainless steel preferably as it makes things much easier to clean and rinse. If your parrot has a mirror use a damp clean cloth to wipe it with.

With your gloves, a bucket, and a clean hard bristled scrubbing brush, grab the hose and get ready. You can also use a product such as Vetafarm Avicare Disinfectant if you like, just follow their recommendations. I usually sit the enclosure down, give it a blast with the hose, then fill a bucket with water and place the perches into it to soak. It’s then a matter of scrubbing the cage, give it a blast with the hose, scrubbing again, and simply checking everything is clean, especially in the corners and tray area. You can then spray the cage with something like Vetafarm Avicare Disinfectant and let it sit for a while. Check your scrubbing brush and make sure it is clean by giving it a blast with the hose.

Now go over to the bucket with perches and take out one at a time and scrub, then hose, then scrub again. Don’t place them back in the bucket. Once its scrubbed and had a final rinse you can set them down to dry in the sun and start on the next items. Once the perches are looking clean, head back over to their cage and give it an all over spray with the hose. Place somewhere in the sun to dry with all the doors of the cage CLOSED. If you live in Australia, there are a few snakes and critters about that can get into the cage and give you a nasty surprise later on. If you can hang it up in the sun, all the better.

While their home is drying head inside and check on your bird friend, then start cleaning their water and feed dishes that have been soaking. I like to use a brand new toothbrush for the bowls, just cleaning them in warm water and rinsing them. There are various eco-products that are safe for cleaning feeders and water holders, which you may prefer, however make sure you also rinse them with clean water afterwards. Check everything is clean, then dry them off with a paper towel.

Once everything outside is clean and dry, check to make sure no spiders or critters are on the cage and accessories, then bring them in to inspect and reassemble. While you reassemble everything you can look around making sure it is safe for them. Check the door locks function and are secured, there are no sharp bits, tray slide is in place, and the perches are secure and still fine for use. Also make sure their refilled feed and water bowls are separated from each other so as not to cross contaminate. You don’t want their food source placed right next to their water source, so separate them a bit.

Reintroduce your bird to their newly cleaned and dry enclosure, checking you have secured all the doors afterwards.