OMG! Why I will NEVER EVER EVER hose down a cage again!

[Kiwibird]

I woke up extra early this morning, steam cleaned the new cage and hung some branches+toys, then got to cleaning Kiwi's old cage (a local bird rescue wants it). As it is raining, I decided to break it down indoors and clean each panel in the shower before steaming it. All was going well (it wasn't really dirty per-se), I'm thinking about the million other things I have to do today and so happy I got an early start.... I get to the very bottom and am unscrewing the legs when I put my hand in something wet:11: Look down, it is not just wet, but a HUGE puddle of BLACK and a glop of rust and/or disgusting horror oozing out of the base Begin FREAKING OUT:22_yikes: After throwing the entire bottom of the cage outside and spending a good 20 minutes cleaning the stain that closely resembled dirty motor oil in color out of the pristine, was brand new when we rented this place carpet, I venture outside to see where the hell that vile mess came from (as I keep Kiwi's cage reasonably clean at all times and CERTAINLY never knowingly would let something like THAT build up!!!!!)

Upon further examination, I see where the bottom of the cage there are little holes for the screws. Seeing as I have never had his old cage upside down before I had no idea every time I hosed the cage down, the water was going down the holes (presumably also carrying poop and food particles) and was settling down in the hollow tubes that make up the base, unable to evaporate. I am shocked, horrified and disgusted. I am going to clean it out the best I can, run some bleach under there and allow it to dry out upside down so the water can come out. I wasn't planning on hosing down the new cage for fear of chipping the powder coat. Pssh now I KNOW I won't ever be hosing it down for fear of it harboring something so disgusting:26: I feel so guilty and horrified that was going on and I never realized it! Poor Kiwi If I wasn't OCD before, this experience has triggered me to want to sterilize his cage daily from now on! You all may want to check your cages for that issue too before you hose/pressure wash them. That or break them down before you clean them so you can be sure to flip the base and let the water drain out!

 

[Dopey]

Oh my gosh - I don't know what to say BUT please don't feel bad. You are a good mom and you do great things for your bird. But my head is saying YUK!!

 

[Christinenc2000]

Oh my gosh - I don't know what to say BUT please don't feel bad. You are a good mom and you do great things for your bird. But my head is saying YUK!!

I agree with Dopey.

 

[Birdman666]

Spot bots work wonders on those kinds of spots. And I have a special carpet detergent that I use that gets out just about anything... WAY better than any store bought detergents. (When I get home I'll edit this with the name of it, and order info.)

When you own birds, and have carpets, carpet cleaning comes with the territory!

 

[Kiwibird]

Spot bots work wonders on those kinds of spots. And I have a special carpet detergent that I use that gets out just about anything... WAY better than any store bought detergents. (When I get home I'll edit this with the name of it, and order info.)

When you own birds, and have carpets, carpet cleaning comes with the territory!

I have a little Bissel carpet cleaner that works great and pulled the black stuff up, but the carpet wasn't even the big issue. There was BLACK oozing out of my birds cage he's been living in for several years I never knew was down there. I try to be sure he has a clean, sanitary home, and that is NOT clean or sanitary and how the [bleep] did I never think about that being a possibility!!!

 

[Dopey]

You didn't know. You didn't do this on purpose. Try to let it go and thank you though for sharing so the rest of us can learn from your experience.

 

[mrgoogls]

Wow that is unfortunate! I discovered those wholes when i hosed down coopers cage and all of that water drained onto the floors when we brought it back in. But that is much better than having it build up!

 

[Birdman666]

I have a little Bissel carpet cleaner that works great and pulled the black stuff up, but the carpet wasn't even the big issue. There was BLACK oozing out of my birds cage he's been living in for several years I never knew was down there. I try to be sure he has a clean, sanitary home, and that is NOT clean or sanitary and how the [bleep] did I never think about that being a possibility!!!

On the bright side, it was INSIDE the leg of the cage. Not outside where he came in contact with it. It happens. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Mine don't seal so well at the base where the wheels attach, so that's where mine leak out of when I pressure wash them.

 

[RavensGryf]

Before I got to the second paragraph, I was thinking it was because of that.
Glad you got that all cleaned up!!

I would just wipe down surfaces with a towel wet with water and bird disinfectant when I feel that it's needed primarily because of dust. So that it never gets disgusting and in need of more really, I continually "spot clean" the bars when visible matter appears. That's just me though.

I'm even careful not to spray bathe them in the cages anymore. Even after wiping up, the little dampness left after is not good for the powder coated cages over the long term IMO.

 

[Dopey]

I'm even careful not to spray bathe them in the cages anymore. Even after wiping up, the little dampness left after is not good for the powder coated cages over the long term IMO.

I've been wondering about that when I spray my birds. I see all of those drops on the cage and wonder...how soon does the rust start. I will have to start either bathing them in the sink (as per Marks demonstration) or spraying them on the play gym that is PVC.

 

[Kiwibird]

Well.... I don't exactly bathe Kiwi in his cage, he ""bathes"" himself in his water dish! Every afternoon, after lunch and before his nap. If nothing else, he is a creature of habit lololol. The new cage doesn't have that textured coating either, it's a smooth powder coat, and seems like it will be easier to wipe down (that texture, poop/food got in the dips and was near impossible to get out!). I wipe stuff down when I steam clean, but I probably will see how that poop off works. And I'm using the waterproof absorbent cage liners from day one (with a sheet of linoleum underneath just in case!). I'm still freaking out a little about that nastiness though! I ***HATE*** stuff like that! I unscrewed the wheels and got the insides of the legs VERY clean. I will warn the lady who's picking up the cage about that too so it doesn't happen again. I'm *hoping* since it's a BLACK cage perhaps the BLACK water was that color due to some powder coat residue? It didn't have an odor, but it did look gross!

 

[RavensGryf]

I'm even careful not to spray bathe them in the cages anymore. Even after wiping up, the little dampness left after is not good for the powder coated cages over the long term IMO.

I've been wondering about that when I spray my birds. I see all of those drops on the cage and wonder...how soon does the rust start. I will have to start either bathing them in the sink (as per Marks demonstration) or spraying them on the play gym that is PVC.

I think repeated water on powder coated cages is okay for 'a while', but it does shorten the lifespan. How short depends on the quality/thickness of the powder coating. Some cages are made better or cheaper than others. Of course wiping up right away as throughly as possible helps, as in the case of Mr. Kiwi dish bathing .

 

[weco]

I'm *hoping* since it's a BLACK cage perhaps the BLACK water was that color due to some powder coat residue? It didn't have an odor, but it did look gross!

Nah, Nope, it's just built up gunk.....when you think powder coating, think powdered poster paints that are not soluble in water, while the paint medium is powdered it is not water soluble.....

Hey KB, for future reference.....just a heads up, most cages have little compartments/closed-in-areas that are subject to collecting water & other types of effluents, both water soluble and not, that also may or may not develop pungent odors.....

Also, for future reference, when you put a cage together, take one apart or otherwise clean one, you might look at screw holes, snap-in holes for cage parts and notice how many squared tubing may have squared snap-in plugs that prevent water from draining out of the tubing...getting back to the various holes, many are dimpled/beveled/recessed and while this keeps screw heads screw heads from causing problems, those dimples, bevels and recesses also prevent water from draining out.....just a few things I've noticed over the several years of dealing with different types of cage cleaning.....loosening screws/nuts & popping out snap-in plugs often allow any contained moisture to drain out.....be sure to put suitable catch rags under these openings, just in case some slimy gunk was to drip/ooze out ! ! !