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Post by Hannah on Jan 8, 2017 16:55:52 GMT -5
What can I use for cage cleaning while Ollie's still in the cage? He refuses to come out and I'm working on taking him.
But in the meantime I'm worried hot water isn't really disinfecting his perches.
I've heard of poop off and natures miracles but I think he needs to be out.
I've also heard of grapefruit seed extract, can I use that?
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Post by Caseysmom on Jan 8, 2017 19:51:26 GMT -5
I change the newspaper in the bottom of Casey's cage every night, it covers the grate so that part doesn't need cleaning. If a perch gets dirty I just take out the perch and clean it with warm water. Every summer her cage goes outside and while she watches from her travel cage it gets a complete spray wash The rest of the time it is just a cloth and warm water
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Post by Hannah on Jan 9, 2017 0:37:19 GMT -5
Does Casey chew on the bottom where the newspaper is? Ollie chews his paper so I don't put it over the grill, he has toys but he really like paper😂
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Post by biteybird on Jan 9, 2017 3:36:40 GMT -5
When I was at the vet on Thursday the nurse said it's fine for them to chew paper. In fact, it can satisfy their foraging behavioural needs and keep them occupied. You could also provide leather strips for Ollie to chew. I don't think it would be a problem to keep the paper in the bottom of his cage. Just don't provide fabric things to chew on, as they clump up and can be ingested by the bird and be dangerous.
I bought a foraging toy/kabob for Bonnie the other day - you could check these out too, if you think Ollie needs more mental stimulation. The one I got is made of thick plastic/glass and you can put food treats inside it so the bird has to work out how to manipulate it to get the food. It also has a skewer through the middle to put stuff on top of the sealed/interior section.
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Post by julianna on Jan 12, 2017 14:10:48 GMT -5
Definitely the newspaper will not hurt your Quaker. I use tons of it and at times Oscar will tear it up but not often. It makes for easier clean up and I use it not only inside his cage but around the bottom on the floor as well. He loves to throw things and when he sits on the cage door, his droppings are not all over the floor.
I also just use warm water on a paper towel to clean up his dropping on a daily basis. It is not like there is a lot of bacteria or anything like that so as long as it is clean... things are good. Twice a year I do the big cleaning where the cage goes outside and is completely emptied and hosed down. Not an easy task with my Oscar as one of his cages is full of black plastic tie-wraps. Each one must be cleaned and dried.
Some times their droppings come off easily and other times it is like I need a bomb to get it off... lol. Especially on the ladders that he has. I have a nail file that I use to scrape it off when water doesn't work as I do not have time to soak it.
Cleaning up after these little guys is a lot of work.... but I do it because I love him.
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Post by Caseysmom on Jan 12, 2017 22:49:00 GMT -5
Casey never goes down to the floor of the cage... so nope she doesn't chew it... like biteybird says leather strips are good. Those and hard wood are caseys favourites. I took out all rope perches as she got sick when she injested the strings. Though the other day at parrotdise perch the owner was pointing out she had digestible "rope/strings" that were safe.... I still wasn't sure about buying them yet
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Post by easttex on Jan 13, 2017 13:21:57 GMT -5
Poop off is safe to use around animals, but I wouldn't spray it when Ollie is in the cage. You can wet a paper towel and clean with it. It won't be quite as effective that way, but it's safe. I buy the stuff by the gallon. They have one bottle that has a scrubber on it, but I've never bought one. It looks pretty clever.
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