Cleaning questions+ bad bird habits

[Raz]

It’s been a while since I’ve made a last post-
I’ve got two jenday conures, that only stay in their cage to sleep or when I’m cleaning or when I’m not in the same room as them. ( I don’t want them to get startled or do something harmful for them). But when I put them in the cage to sleep, they bite the bottom of the cage and break the plastic. Not only is it irritating to hear first thing in the morning, I’m more afraid. I don’t want them to hurt their beaks or mouth. I know they don’t eat it. I figured it’s because they have forging habits, so I left some papers that they love the rip apart, some peanut shells, wood and some toys,( a ball, and some rings). They’re terrified of toys and become very aggressive to them, so I’ve removed them . Additionally, they’re terrified if anything that resembles a stick. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve removed that part entirely. Does anyone know what they do this? Is there a solution?
Secondly, I need some cleaning tips:
I hate using bleach or any types of wipes around them. I rarely use alcohol on the cage, only when I dip the cage and feeding/drinking/bathing bowls in a gallon of lukewarm water and a dash of alcohol. Does anyone have a cleaning solution that effective, smell proof and safe ? I don’t trust premade ones. Also, any cage cleaning tips?
Cage liners:
I would usually use newspapers , but I’m afraid that bugs would get into it and/or my birds will get sick from it. I clean it once a day but leave it 2 days MAX. The odor gets bad, but I just want my bird to have a clean environment.
So, that’s why I’m researching into cage liners. I know most of them tend to be scams, but was wondering if small animal pads or dog training pads would be effective.
They would be so much easier to use. No sticking or ripping to worry about. And less odor!
I’ve attached a screenshot below.
Sorry for the long post. The main parts are bolded! Thank you!!

 

[HeatherG]

I have generally used newspaper on the bottom of the cage—multiple layers and take one or two layers off every day— and cleaned with either poop -off spray then rises with water or scrape, soak in soapy water, soak in mild bleach, rinse well, and dry.

You can use puppy pads on the cage bottom but they are a bit expensive and the birds can rip them up to make a big mess.

 

[Raz]

I have generally used newspaper on the bottom of the cage—multiple layers and take one or two layers off every day— and cleaned with either poop -off spray then rises with water or scrape, soak in soapy water, soak in mild bleach, rinse well, and dry.

You can use puppy pads on the cage bottom but they are a bit expensive and the birds can rip them up to make a big mess.

Thanks !

 

[bonitabird59]

DONT USE PUPPY PADS!!! Theyre treated w/ pheromones for dogs and are very very bad when ingested. They also contain a kitty litter type sand that is rly hard to clean up. Use adult bed pads. Theyre cheaper and thicker, and much much better! I use paper towels and newspaper, and the pads for the floor around the cages.

 

[bonitabird59]

Ive also seen people use paper pellet bedding and idk how I feel about those. I like walnut shell bedding too, but have very little experience with it.

 

[HeatherG]

DONT USE PUPPY PADS!!! Theyre treated w/ pheromones for dogs and are very very bad when ingested. They also contain a kitty litter type sand that is rly hard to clean up. Use adult bed pads. Theyre cheaper and thicker, and much much better! I use paper towels and newspaper, and the pads for the floor around the cages.

Sorry, that’s what I meant. Chuck pads, or bed protectors. People do use chuck pads for puppy pads which is why I used the term.

 

[ravvlet]

I bulk order newsprint for packing. It’s blank sheets of newsprint so it’s easy to see when they’ve soiled it. I also clean it every day and wipe the cage down with unscented baby wipes daily that are advertised as being 99% water (the rest is aloe and other ingredients I know to be parrot safe). You can also just use hot water and a rag.

For deep cleaning I take the cages outside and spray them with a disinfectant that’s pet safe. I like using F10SC (you can order it online and dilute it per the instructions). You can also use non-chlorine bleach; 1 part bleach to ten parts water. I then rinse them, let them dry outside and bring them back in.

If your bird is destroying the plastic cage bottom, the easiest solution is unfortunately probably going to be to get them a cage that has a metal tray instead of a plastic one.

As for toys, every parrot I’ve ever had has been terrified of toys at first, and then they slowly get used to them. You may need to leave toys outside their cage for a while where they can see them before moving them into the cage.

 

[HeatherG]

It’s been a while since I’ve made a last post-
I’ve got two jenday conures, that only stay in their cage to sleep or when I’m cleaning or when I’m not in the same room as them. ( I don’t want them to get startled or do something harmful for them). But when I put them in the cage to sleep, they bite the bottom of the cage and break the plastic. Not only is it irritating to hear first thing in the morning, I’m more afraid. I don’t want them to hurt their beaks or mouth. I know they don’t eat it. I figured it’s because they have forging habits, so I left some papers that they love the rip apart, some peanut shells, wood and some toys,( a ball, and some rings). They’re terrified of toys and become very aggressive to them, so I’ve removed them . Additionally, they’re terrified if anything that resembles a stick. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve removed that part entirely. Does anyone know what they do this? Is there a solution?
Secondly, I need some cleaning tips:
I hate using bleach or any types of wipes around them. I rarely use alcohol on the cage, only when I dip the cage and feeding/drinking/bathing bowls in a gallon of lukewarm water and a dash of alcohol. Does anyone have a cleaning solution that effective, smell proof and safe ? I don’t trust premade ones. Also, any cage cleaning tips?
Cage liners:
I would usually use newspapers , but I’m afraid that bugs would get into it and/or my birds will get sick from it. I clean it once a day but leave it 2 days MAX. The odor gets bad, but I just want my bird to have a clean environment.
So, that’s why I’m researching into cage liners. I know most of them tend to be scams, but was wondering if small animal pads or dog training pads would be effective.
They would be so much easier to use. No sticking or ripping to worry about. And less odor!
I’ve attached a screenshot below.
Sorry for the long post. The main parts are bolded! Thank you!!

You really get much of an odor in two days from your birds cage?

Do they throw lots of old food to the bottom?

Multiple letters of newspaper or other paper cut to fit the cage bottom and stacked inside (like 10-20 sheets in a stack) may help the problem if you just pull off one or two layers of cage paper every day.

 

[Raz]

You really get much of an odor in two days from your birds cage?

Do they throw lots of old food to the bottom?

Multiple letters of newspaper or other paper cut to fit the cage bottom and stacked inside (like 10-20 sheets in a stack) may help the problem if you just pull off one or two layers of cage paper every day.

Yup! They love to be picky, especially with fruits and veggies.They also love to bathe so the papers get damp

 

[Raz]

I bulk order newsprint for packing. It’s blank sheets of newsprint so it’s easy to see when they’ve soiled it. I also clean it every day and wipe the cage down with unscented baby wipes daily that are advertised as being 99% water (the rest is aloe and other ingredients I know to be parrot safe). You can also just use hot water and a rag.

For deep cleaning I take the cages outside and spray them with a disinfectant that’s pet safe. I like using F10SC (you can order it online and dilute it per the instructions). You can also use non-chlorine bleach; 1 part bleach to ten parts water. I then rinse them, let them dry outside and bring them back in.

If your bird is destroying the plastic cage bottom, the easiest solution is unfortunately probably going to be to get them a cage that has a metal tray instead of a plastic one.

As for toys, every parrot I’ve ever had has been terrified of toys at first, and then they slowly get used to them. You may need to leave toys outside their cage for a while where they can see them before moving them into the cage.

Thank you so much! Also, it did have a metal bottom but they did the same thing with it, so I took it out in fear of damaging their beaks. Thanks for the toy idea!

 

[Raz]

Ive also seen people use paper pellet bedding and idk how I feel about those. I like walnut shell bedding too, but have very little experience with it.

I heard those produce a lot of dust however I’m not too sure

 

[HeatherG]

Ive also seen people use paper pellet bedding and idk how I feel about those. I like walnut shell bedding too, but have very little experience with it.

I have heard that those can grow fungus and mold and for that reason aren’t such a good idea.

 

[Tamara&Dipper]

It’s been a while since I’ve made a last post-
I’ve got two jenday conures, that only stay in their cage to sleep or when I’m cleaning or when I’m not in the same room as them. ( I don’t want them to get startled or do something harmful for them). But when I put them in the cage to sleep, they bite the bottom of the cage and break the plastic. Not only is it irritating to hear first thing in the morning, I’m more afraid. I don’t want them to hurt their beaks or mouth. I know they don’t eat it. I figured it’s because they have forging habits, so I left some papers that they love the rip apart, some peanut shells, wood and some toys,( a ball, and some rings). They’re terrified of toys and become very aggressive to them, so I’ve removed them . Additionally, they’re terrified if anything that resembles a stick. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve removed that part entirely. Does anyone know what they do this? Is there a solution?
Secondly, I need some cleaning tips:
I hate using bleach or any types of wipes around them. I rarely use alcohol on the cage, only when I dip the cage and feeding/drinking/bathing bowls in a gallon of lukewarm water and a dash of alcohol. Does anyone have a cleaning solution that effective, smell proof and safe ? I don’t trust premade ones. Also, any cage cleaning tips?
Cage liners:
I would usually use newspapers , but I’m afraid that bugs would get into it and/or my birds will get sick from it. I clean it once a day but leave it 2 days MAX. The odor gets bad, but I just want my bird to have a clean environment.
So, that’s why I’m researching into cage liners. I know most of them tend to be scams, but was wondering if small animal pads or dog training pads would be effective.
They would be so much easier to use. No sticking or ripping to worry about. And less odor!
I’ve attached a screenshot below.
Sorry for the long post. The main parts are bolded! Thank you!!

Hi I have a Sun Conure and I use wood chip or cedar bedding at the bottom of his cage (under the drop cage rack). I've been using it for years. I change it once a week and I haven't had any issues and it keeps the cage clean and dry for easy clean up. Hope this helps.