Sanitizing used perches?

[UlyBirb]

Along with the beautiful wrought-iron cage with a playtop and an abundance of stainless steel bowls, the lovely people I purchased it from also included lots of toys (which I assume would be best to throw out, as they're a mix of rope and plastic and can't be cleaned properly), food (which I'll also be throwing out due to safety concerns) and perches. Lots of perches.

A few of them, I think, are salvageable- there's a pedi-perch, a heated perch, and a shower perch that are clean and I could disinfect. Would a bleach solution be suitable for these?

There are also a few other perches, most of which I'll throw out because they're covered in poop. There are plain wooden stick perches that appear to be clean, but I don't want to take a risk- is there any way to sanitize these, or should I just throw them out?

Note: all of these have been sitting in my garage in down to -30 degree weather (that's -22 in fahrenheit). Would that be enough to kill any bugs/viruses?

Edit: I don't have a parrot currently, but will be purchasing one later this year. I just want to make sure I don't contaminate the new bird's surroundings with potentially health-threatening used perches/toys/etc.

 

[T00tsyd]

I steam clean everything every week. I am very thorough and think this ensures that everything is germ free.

 

[Billdore]

I wouldn’t throw out all the old toys. My little girl has a toy she sleeps on that she would not be happy to do with out. Try throwing the ropes and perches in the top shelf of your dish machine if you have one. If you just fill his house with all new toys it could be quite terrifying your your little birdie. What kind of parrot and what’s his name?

 

[UlyBirb]

T00tsyd, I don't have a steam cleaner, but if absolutely necessary I would be happy to rent one.

Billdore, I don't have a parrot yet! Perhaps I should have stated- I'll go back and edit the original post. I will be purchasing one June/July of this year, so I'm trying to accumulate as much as I can before that time period, but don't want to risk getting a new bird sick with used toys.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I boil what I can, and wash with vinegar, then rinse.
A vet also once suggested that I freeze stuff for a while... he said that adds a final element of catching everything.
Here are some popular buyables.
https://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?articleid=1386
Good for you, for being so conscientious!

 

[UlyBirb]

Thank you GaleriaGila! I will take a look

I can definitely boil the pedi-perch- at least I think so- but the others I think I will have to bleach. I just want to salvage as much as I can, as cage accessories are so freaking expensive

as for the wooden perches, I am aware that people do boil them/put them in the toprack dishwasher, but I would be concerned about the wood staying moist and maybe harbouring mold of some sort, or warping. Would it be best to just throw these out? I can't think of any 100% safe way to sanitize them.

 

[SailBoat]

Clearly the cold temperature kills. Prior to bring the new Parrot home, it will be important to clear every again, including the cage.

The best place to dry is in Bright mid-day Sunlight. Very hot water and Dawn Original Formula is great followed by an extensive detailed raise. Start with the cage and work on to near everything.

Steam Cleaner (home use, interior) is great for cleaning Parrot stuff.

A bleach solution will work, but get the mixture wrong and it can cause health problems, especially inside in confined area(s).

 

[UlyBirb]

Clearly the cold temperature kills. Prior to bring the new Parrot home, it will be important to clear every again, including the cage.

The best place to dry is in Bright mid-day Sunlight. Very hot water and Dawn Original Formula is great followed by an extensive detailed raise. Start with the cage and work on to near everything.

Steam Cleaner (home use, interior) is great for cleaning Parrot stuff.

A bleach solution will work, but get the mixture wrong and it can cause health problems, especially inside in confined area(s).

Seeing as it's still ridiculously cold here, it looks like I'll be able to give everything a few good scrub downs before I pick up my birdie, which is perfect Going to power-wash what I can as well.

I will definitely purchase some cage-cleaning solution and whatnot, but just so I'm aware, what is the ideal bleach solution- i.e, how many parts bleach and how many parts water?

 

[SailBoat]

I am not in favor of using bleach, far too easy to get the mixture wrong and/or use it too close to your face, not use protective gloves, etc... I'm going to leave the solution to others who in fact use it.

"what is the ideal bleach solution- i.e, how many parts bleach and how many parts water?"

 

[GaleriaGila]

Y'all just reminded me...!
The year we moved up to Ohio from New Mexico, the Rb's cage somehow picked up an infestation of COCKROACHES while in the moving van (the Rb 'moved' in his travel cage, in my car). It was January, so...
We left him on his play perch inside and then wheeled the whole cage outside into 5 degree Cleveland winter. I cannot tell you how rapturous it was to watch those roaches run out of the cage and freeze within seconds.

 

[UlyBirb]

That's very comforting, haha! I am super super paranoid about bugs and bacteria and the like around my animals (and have always used a bleach solution to clean out the cages of any animals I've had through the years- but not sure if birds require a different solution as they're so sensitive-) but seeing that this cage and accessories have been sitting around in my garage in below-freezing weather (and will continue to do so for a few more months) I may not even have to bleach- that maybe just hot water and dawn will do the trick, as Sailboat said.

Although if anyone is able to offer any ideas on how to safely sanitize wooden perches, that would be greatly appreciated!

 

[wrench13]

Suggest you just toss the perches. Dowel type ones are terrible for parrot feets, better to replace with natural ones of appropriate diameter once you know what kind of parrot you are getting. What are you thinking of getting?

 

[UlyBirb]

Ah, alright, good to know. I figured dowel perches would be okay as long as I have an abundance of other perches in there for the bird as well- I've read about bumblefoot and sores on their feet pads and I don't want any of that for my future bird! I will throw out the wooden ones, though. I truthfully can't think of any way to clean them properly- and I'll take it from someone who's had more experience with birds.

Right now I'm between a quaker, a cockatiel, and a conure, in that order. I'm absolutely smitten with the idea of having a quaker. Will be making a daytrip to visit a breeder a few hours out of town and pick a baby in a few months... she has quakers AND conures, so I'll be stuck with whatever decides to choose me!

 

[Soyajam]

I'm from australia so I don't understand what cold is lol - I don't know if that would have properly sanitised that stuff. Personally, I'd clean everything (at least topically) before giving to my bird.

I don't know about Canada but in Australia I have access to a veterinary-grade disinfectant called "Avicare". It's not toxic to birds, supposedly even if they directly ingest it (Although I'm not keen to try it)

I am very lax about it and douse everything questionable in avi-care, after rinsing and cleaning visible dirt with water, before giving to my bird. She's not belly up yet so I guess it's doing OK.

Without access to that kind of product, you can do:
* Hot dishwasher cycle without soap (Things that can deal with heat, plastic might melt)
* Super dilute bleach solution (I'd be super careful about that, I've never tried it myself)
* Vinegar + Bi Carb soda/ Lemon juice + Bi Carb soda (Dunno if this is effective? It's good as a standard household cleaner)
* Boiling for 5 mins (things that can handle heat for boiling like rubber, wood or hard plastics)
* Super dilute dishwashing liquid + hot water combo <-- I asked my avian vet about this and she says if it's dilute, and you rinse after, it's probably the most convenient option to remove the worst contaminants

Hope that helps.