If you’re a new budgie owner and are struggling to keep your pet bird’s cage clean, this guide is for you. A clean environment is essential for the overall health and well-being of your pet bird. But how exactly do you keep your budgie’s cage clean?
Cleaning and maintaining your budgie’s cage is pretty easy. Thoroughly wash and scrub down the entire cage at least once a week using bird-safe disinfectant soap and hot water. Be sure to rinse the cage with fresh water afterward and dry it completely.
This article gives you full details on the best tips for cleaning your budgie’s home, including how to clean a bird cage safely, frequency of cleaning, materials to use, and so much more.
How to clean your budgie’s cage:
A clean living space is essential for a happy and healthy budgie. The cleanup process involves cleaning not just the cage but also all the accessories, including the feeding dish and water bowls.
Your cage cleaning schedule can be daily, weekly, or monthly for various parts of the cage. This will ensure you maintain a clean and comfortable living space for your budgie.
Let’s discuss how to clean your budgie’s cage daily weekly and monthly:
Daily budgie cage cleaning
There are some daily cleaning tasks you need to carry out in your budgie’s cage to help reduce the risk of infection for your budgie.
To start with, you should make an effort to change the cage paper/liner every day. The liner carries discarded food and budgie droppings which create an unhealthy environment for your budgie to walk in.
Next, you should clean the surfaces of your bird cage with the help of a damp cloth or a paper towel. Wipe the surfaces of the cage bars, toys, and perches to maintain a clean environment.
For stuck-on mess that proves stubborn, be sure to use a bird-safe cleaner to get rid of them.
Above all, you’ll need to clean your budgie’s water bowl and food dish daily. This is important to help curb the growth of bacteria which can make your bird seriously sick.
Wash them using mild dish detergent and make sure you thoroughly rinse and dry them with clean water before putting them back in the cage.
Weekly budgie cage cleaning
Every week, you want to make sure you give your budgie’s cage a thorough cleaning to help keep away germs and bacteria that may harm your budgie.
Remove your budgie, perch, toys, and the grate. This will allow you to easily clean the cage bottom tray (the one you put your cage liner paper on).
Remove this grate and clean it once every week with damp cloth and bird-safe cage cleaner. Be sure to dry out the tray before you put the cage liner back on.
Next, you’ll need to scrub down the grate (this is the part that’s suspended over your cage tray to allow droppings to fall to the bottom of the cage) with a scrub brush.
Cleaning the grate weekly helps get rid of any dried droppings that may have stuck on it. Make sure the grate dries out completely before putting it back.
Soak and scrub the perches every week to remove any accumulated dirt that may encourage the growth of bacteria.
Note that wooden perches may take longer to dry after soaking them, so you ought to have some extra perches at hand just in case.
Lastly, you’ll need to soak and scrub all the toys in your budgie’s cage. Remember, your budgies use their mouths to explore these toys, so cleaning them is essential for their health.
If possible, rotate the toys when doing the cleaning to keep your budgie from getting bored with the same set of toys.
Monthly budgie cage cleaning
You should also set aside a cage cleaning day every month to deep clean your budgie’s cage. This is where you clean the whole cage thoroughly.
Here, you need to remove the tray, grate, perches, food and water dishes, and toys and then throw the cage into a bathtub for easy cleanup.
Or if you can have a large enclosure, you can take it outside on your patio or deck and spray it off with a power washer or a water hose.
Using a durable scrub brush with strong bristles plus will help you give your cage bars and base the best scrub possible. A cage cleaner will make it easy to break down any stuck material that you can’t easily get rid of.
Don’t forget to scrub all the cracks and crevices and welded corners in your bird’s cage. These offer ideal spots for germs to grow, so you should give them enough attention.
Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned your cage, rinse it completely to get rid of traces of your cleaners. Next, wipe it down with the help of a clean cloth or towel to dry it before you put it back together.
How to maintain your budgie cage?
When it comes to maintaining your budgie’s cage, you simply need to replace any parts that get broken or damaged. This is especially the case for toys that can get easily broken and hurt your budgie if it ingests them.
Deep-soiled toys may also harbor harmful bacteria so they should be thrown away and replaced with new ones
You should also make sure you have spare food dishes, water bottles, perches, toys, etc. This ensures you always have a backup in case any of these accessories doesn’t dry up on time.
Remember, you shouldn’t put any accessories in your cage when it’s wet as the dampness can promote the growth of bacteria and mold.
Probably the most important is to NOT throw any item you’re not sure where it has come from in your budgie’s cage.
Always buy new supplies for your pet stores (after all they aren’t pricey). This is an important measure to ensure that diseases don’t spread to your pets through these accessories whose sources you’re unfamiliar with.
If you must use any item in your cage, then make sure you disinfect it first.
How do you prevent bacteria growth in your budgie’s cage?
You can keep your budgie’s cage bacteria-free by cleaning it regularly. You should also remove any uneaten foods from the cage that may attract the bacteria.
Keep the cage dry. Avoid putting any wet item into the cage as dampness offers favorable breeding grounds for harmful bacteria.
Providing good ventilation in your cage will help prevent bacteria buildup. Avoid placing the cage in humid or drafty areas.
Avoid overcrowding budgies in the cage as this can double the risk of bacterial infections.
Above all, always make a point of seeking veterinary help if the budgie’s environment seems to be causing health issues.
How often should budgie cage be cleaned?
Ideally, you should clean your budgie’s cage weekly. If the cage becomes overly dirty, however, you don’t have to wait for a week to clean it.
You should also do some simple cleaning tasks daily such as changing the liner, cleaning the feeding dishes and water bowls, and wiping down the cage surfaces, perches, and bars.
What is the best thing to clean a birdcage with?
You can get commercial bird cage cleaner for cleaning your budgie’s cage. These are completely safe for your budgies provided you follow user instructions carefully.
Mild soap and water are also safe for cleaning your cage. But make sure thoroughly rinse it afterward to get rid of any soap residue.
Or you can go the natural way and use natural cleaners such as vinegar and water solution, baking powder, or lemon juice. These cleaners are way safer as they don’t expose your budgies to harsh chemicals.
Disinfects such as bleach and ammonia-based cleaners tend to release toxic fumes, so you should avoid them.
If you decide to use them, then make sure the room has proper ventilation and the bird isn’t in that room during cleaning. Rinse the cage and accessories well to eliminate traces of the chemicals that may harm your budgie (Source).
Final Verdict
Cleaning your budgie’s cage is an important ritual to help keep your feathered friend happy and healthy at all times. This task may sound like a daunting task at first. But when you get down to it, you’ll find that it’s pretty easy and doesn’t require a lot of work.
Just follow our daily and weekly cleaning tips in the above guide and the whole process will be easy-peasy for you. Remember to only use safe cleaners for your budgie’s cage to avoid exposing your birds to harsh substances.
