Cleaning toys

[OzBlue]

Hi all, i've begun to increase my cleaning regime with our quakers cage trying to get nice and clean twice weekly while she's going to the vet to get dewormed. I was curious how people go about cleaning toys. Perches and cages have been straight forward but some of her toys are shredding toys. Are you better off just throwing those out?

For cleaner, I'm following the 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar but am unsure how to deal with toys as a lot of them have wood dye in them. I'm tempted to bin all of her toys and try to replace them all at the same time for fear she'll get herself infected again if i don't do it right. In general though how do you go about cleaning toys? toothbrush + disenfectant? Thanks all!

 

[charmedbyekkie]

I live by F10. If I'm really concerned about an item (whether wood or rope or plastic), I will spray with F10, scrub and rinse down, then soak in F10.

Vinegar, while good, doesn't kill everything like F10 does. And F10 is veterinary-grade disinfectant that is safe for birds, unlike most other disinfectants.

As for your situation, I'd check with your avian vet about worms and how that impacts her toys. I don't know how they're transmitted, how long they live outside the body, etc.

 

[bigfellasdad]

I may not be as rigorous. I change the cage newspaper daily and wash the food/water bowls with the rest of my dishes. I jet wash her cage and perches every other week.

The only chemicals i use is Johnsons clean 'n safe avian disinfectant applied by spraying on a cloth and wiping everything down when her cage is jet washed. I find the jetwash rips through the grime on her perches and cage very well, but the disinfectant is just a little extra peace of mind.

hth

 

[OzBlue]

Thank you both. I ended up buying a steam cleaner so i can be sure to kill any parasites or bacteria in and on the toys. It's not a big one so refilling it is a pain, but it definitely gets rid of the filth, and from what i can see, also kills parasites/bacteria. I'll be taking in some dropping samples to our local avian vet to see how the worm situation is going. I've noticed shes sneezing more so i'm a little concerned, but it could be due to anything until we go back in to get her checked out.

 

[wrench13]

Sand blasting. Works great, although I wind up with just the chain.

KIDDING!!!!