What do you put UNDER your cage?

[Newbsi]

Right now I have the 32x23 A&E cages on casters. They are heavy cages. I was thinking about buying the hard plastic desk chair mats, maybe a 36x48 to put under each cage. That way I can vac it or use wet wipes to clean it. Right now we have carpet in that room (although the plan is to replace it in the next year to hardwood). I am afraid the weight of the cages will crack the plastic, especially while it is on carpet. What do you put under your cages?
I honestly do not need one under Gollums cage (senegal) but Dobby (IRN) she is like a monkey! I do not know how she makes the messes she does!

 

[Christinenc2000]

I have some old Beach Towels I place around my Cage. Toss them in the washer .

 

[Kiwibird]

I have some big pieces of plywood with linoleum on top. Easy to clean and the cage doesn't make "indents" into it like a rug or plastic floor protector.

 

[Weezerj]

I use a 4'X8' sheet of plastic (made for walls) and cover it with paper.

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

I, too, want to put in hard floors when it's feasible. The only thing I have to worry about with Aria is under her door. She sometimes likes to sit on top of her door, so if she poops, I have a dollar rug under it. I try to clean anything up right away if it gets messy, but I figure if it doesn't clean, I'll just get a new rug. I was worried I was going to have more of a problem with her being an Eckie, but she really isn't that messy. Any food that does happen to hit the floor, the barking vacuums usually take care of right away.

 

[RavensGryf]

I use the plastic carpet protector that comes in a big roll and they cut off how much you need. It dents in where the casters go, and it gets all buckled and doesn't lay flat so it's a pain to clean, but better than nothing, and it looks decent. Hard floors or some sort of stiff surface would be ideal.

 

[DexMom]

Fortunately, I have ceramic tile in the room where Dexter's cage lives. But, we had him in another room when we first brought him home and I was planning to buy the desk chair mats you're considering to protect the wood from damage from the wheels and any cleaning solutions. My thought was that if they could withstand the weight of a person in a desk chair, that they could take the weight of the cage. Look for something made for commercial office use, rather than home grade. It's likely to be much more heavy-duty.

 

[itchyfeet]

We had our flooring redone, so I kept the scrap bits of vinyl. Works a treat and coordinates with the rest of the house

 

[Terry57]

We use end of the roll pieces of lino that you can get cheap from the flooring stores.

 

[Scott]

Birds are kept in two separate areas, so the solution is different:

Most birds are in a "bird room" bedroom with tile floor. They are mostly uncaged and given full freedom, so the entire surface must be covered. A thick painters plastic is unrolled in four sections. Swept daily and changed weekly, it is "aired out" by hanging from an upstairs balcony for at least 36 hours to allow out-gassing.

Second group are in a finished garage with windows and epoxy-painted concrete floor. The flight cages are elevated on legs, so a very thin painters plastic is placed below and taped to each leg. (not walked on, so a thin gage is acceptable)

 

[Brittany741]

I, too, want to put in hard floors when it's feasible. The only thing I have to worry about with Aria is under her door. She sometimes likes to sit on top of her door, so if she poops, I have a dollar rug under it. I try to clean anything up right away if it gets messy, but I figure if it doesn't clean, I'll just get a new rug. I was worried I was going to have more of a problem with her being an Eckie, but she really isn't that messy. Any food that does happen to hit the floor, the barking vacuums usually take care of right away.

These seem like a great option.

Door Skirt Parrot Poop and Crumb Catcher Trays

 

[Brittany741]

As for messes, hardwood floors with six chihuahuas is our solution ��

 

[wrench13]

Salty's cage is on hardwood floors, so no problems. We keep a cheap microfibre blankee under his hanging boing, for when he drops like a stone onto it.

 

[Vapor]

We're renting so sadly we have carpet in our bird room. We are using the soft plastic desk chair mats and they work amazing under the cage. The only thing I'd caution whether using these, or linoleum etc. is that often these new products off gas harmful byproducts into the air for awhile, (you know that "new" smell). You may be able to find (and cheaper too) used ones at a garage sale or from an office that is closing down. The off gas process will have been long gone and safe for the bird to breathe around.

 

[Aquila]

I use chair mats and acrylic sheeting from Lowe's, which works excellently.

 

[flyingron]

In the tray in the cage we just have craft paper. I was able to order a roll from U-Line (packing supply company) and a little roll holder so it's easy to tear off a fresh piece.

Under the cage itself (and above the carpet) we have a couple of pieces of that clear plastic carpet runner that they sell at the home centers.

The office perch just has a plastic boot tray under it.

 

[Jerseyjeff62]

We have Gracie's cage in the living room that has carpet.the first months jus had newspapers under it ( messy) then I put the office chair plastic sheet under and it's a lot easier cleanup

 

[cottontiel]

Nothing... I just vacuum A LOT. But I do put newspaper under his favourite perching spot to avoid giant mounds of poo sticking to the carpet. It works as well as it can I guess.

 

[Newbsi]

Thanks everyone for sharing your solutions!
I was worried about the chair mat denting where the casters are too (while we have carpet).
I have a chihuahua too (we do not give him access to that room because he will pee and poop on the carpet!... however once it is a hard floor, he may help with the bird mess immensely!) I use his puppy pads for cage liners (they are plain medical grade pads I get in bulk from amazon and fit perfectly at 23x32 inches each.
I really like the linoleum on plywood idea!
I need to convince hubby to put tile in the room (I had already started working that angel)
Thank you all again!

 

[kozykitty]

Our cage is on casters on a hardwood floor. I go to Joann Fabrics and get the thickest clear vinyl they have in the upholstery section. It's 48 - 55 inches wide. I always keep some of that on hand. I cut a piece that's a suitable size and keep it on the floor under the cage. I can sweep it and wash it just like the floor and, because it's clear, it doesn't really show that much. I started using this stuff years ago when one of my cats had a litter box issue. It does get stiff after a while, so I just pitch it and get more. It's pretty cheap and it seems like they always have a 40% off sale on their interior dec. fabrics.