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Having only two bird cages I use dish liquid for cleaning my cage trays and bases. Having seen so many bird cage disinfectant products I am wondering if I should buy a bottle. Is hot soapy water and rinsing in hot water good enough for a small keeper like me or would I be doing my birds a favor by really killing their germs good with a bird cage disinfectant? Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks Posts: 382 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Would you be satisfied to clean your toilet with only dish detergent?
I have always used plain old bleach, making DOUBLE sure to rinse completly. However, I dont disenfect every single time I clean the cage, but usually every other time or so since the cages are huge. I'm sure everyone has their own idea of how often they must disinfect their cages and to what extent. Many "purests" wouldnt think of using bleach either. But for cost, effectiveness and ease of use, It's hard to beat. However, like any chemical it must be treated with respect.
Posts: 3266 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Yes, I would be satisfied to clean my toilet with only dish detergent. It is the friction of the toilet brush which removes germs. You can clean a toilet with bleach and immediately after the first use it is back to germ city. Bleach is not a good choice for plastic IMHO thus my asking about the commercial bird cage cleaners that are plastic safe.
Posts: 382 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I think the best cleaner on the market is OXYFRESH. It's safe to use around all kinds animals, mainly birds, even if there's some cleaner left around the cage bars by mistake, it would be safe for your birds.
Plus one bottle goes a long way....mine lasts like 2 months with three cages to clean every other day.
I buy mine at GREY FEATHER TOYS . This cleaner is also used to clean brooders, incubators and handfeeding utensils, so I can assure you it is really safe!!
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Ok, you didnt mention you had plastic. Non the less I would still clean it with bleach (if I were using bleach). The product mentioned above is excellent also. It has been used all over the world for many years. The active ingredient "Chlorine Dioxide" is even used for anthrax cleanup. If you have the extra money and dont trust yourself to rinse properly.. by all means purchase products with Chlorine Dioxide.
I must disagree with you on the "friction removing germs issue" however. You can scrub all you want and germs will still be there. (This is why doctors wear sterile gloves over their heavily scrubbed hands and arms) Only a disinfectent can completly remove the kinds of germs that cause us serious problems. Porcelain is still porous, and all the scrubbing in the world wont dislodge all the germs. Yes its true that the germs will return and thats why you clean your toilets so often. Its also why you can purchase products that clean with every flush.
Dish detergent is a grease cutter, and unless you use one of the new antibacterial dish soaps (personally I wouldnt and dont, at least not for dishes) then you have only scratched the surface of removing feces type germs. For this I doubt the antibacterial dish soaps would be as effective as most other disinfectants.
Posts: 3266 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Mona
unregistered
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I use soapy water, usually dawn dishwashing liquid with disinfectants..this softens up the poo poo and allows you to scrub it off, I use a hard brush...AND then I use a bleach/water mixture to REALLY kill those germs. RINSE WELL and you will have killed the germs, and not spent a fortune on cleaners.
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My personal choice for disinfectant is Nolvasan. It's a little pricey but goes a long way. Not only is it good for disinfecting,it can be used for a number of other things such as counter tops,food bowls, cages, toys, and almost anything that needs disinfected.It can be used in incubators, brooders,and feeding utinsels. In the diluted state,it can be used as a topical antibiotic for small cuts and scrapes. I,ve always been concerned of what residue is left behind when using soaps or bleach. Nolvasan is very safe around birds and the price is small when it comes to peace of mind...
Posts: 1092 | Registered: May 2002
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I don't use bleach because I killed a fish once that way and it kind of stuck with me. I use Dawn antibacterial dish soap for that and lots of other stuff. I just don't like using straight bleach or even amonia on anything. The fumes about kill me and I usually wash the cage parts in the bathtub.
Posts: 2273 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Marcela-do you know if oxyfresh is the same as oxyclean? I like to use that for just about everything. You used to only be able to mail order oxyclean but now wallgreens and shopko has it.
Posts: 2273 | Registered: Mar 2002
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M2mom
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You can also use white vinegar for disinfecting pourous materials and I use bleach on the non-porous surfaces.
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ivanthenotsoterrible
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Bleach diluted to the proper strength in water should not melt plastic. Scrubbing doesn't kill germs it gets rid of the dirt. I use a lysol (kills 99.9 percent of poop related germs) disenfectant spray(outside FAR away from the bird) then I rinse THOUROUGHLY and sun dry if it's nice. Otherwise I dry with paper towels. Anything to do with poo gets a fanatical cleaning from me....
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Lori....Oxyclean is one of the worst things you can use to clean anything around animals. Oxyclean is very harmful for the animals and they have a warning about it on their label.
Oxyfresh is made for both human and animal use and like Jerry said, it contains Chlorine Dioxide, which is a very effective cleaner.
I know there are quite a few websites out there that sells Oxyfresh, and the prices may fluctuate a bit, but one bottle lasts you a long time!
Posts: 89 | Registered: Jul 2002
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WOW. I have never used it on cages but I will definetly be more careful from now on. Guess I better get those new glasses and read the labels closer!!
Posts: 2273 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Sorry to Jerry that I forgot to say I had plastic sometimes I goof ! My thinking was that I can't stand the smell of bleach for even one second. And that if dish liquid is safe for humans that it would not bother my birds if I clean their trays and cage base with it. But I know that dish liquid doesn't kill bad germs. It just cleans to look clean is all. I was thinking maybe distilled white vinegar as I use this daily to clean my nebulizer and it is supposed to kill germs and be human safe. Anyone clean with distilled white vinegar? Also, after hand washing food and water cups I run them through the dishwasher ( I hand wash my dishes before putting in dishwasher as well ) . Is this a dirty way of washing my birds dishes? in the dishwasher with my dishes? Sorry to be so long but I am a good houswife but I am very sensitive to most cleaning things. I am going to listen to monacoplc and Ron Pack and mail order the smallest amount of oxyfresh and nolvasan to see if the smell bothers me. Thank you all for your advice. Posts: 382 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Be aware that Novalsan (a great product) is NOT effective against polyoma virus. Of course, if you do not have polyoma virus it doesn't matter. Be aware that most budgies (parakeets) have been exposed to polyoma virus in their birdie-mill hatching place. When you go into any store that sells budgies, beware! The best way to get rid of germs is to wash, wash, wash! Send them down the drain! Do you know that proper hand washing means scrubbing with soap and warm water for 20 seconds then rinsing and drying? This means every time you use the bathroom. This one step would eliminate most cases of e-coli in our birds (very bad gram negative germs!). A dishwasher with a "sanitizing" feature (very hot water) does a good job of sending germs down the drain. Better than washing by hand, I am told. Air drying bowls helps discourage water-loving pseudomonas bacteria and fungus like aspergillus, and anything else that can form spores (the hardest form of stuff to destroy). This is a good reason to have 2 sets of bowls. Oxyfresh does inactivate polyoma virus and most other things. It was invented for disinfecting dental equiptment. I prefer the "Cleansing Gele' " to the 2-part product, even though it is only effective for 24 hours after diluted (so who needs to store diluted stuff?). It is easier to use and many people don't like the fumes when you mix the 2-part product. The Gele' is intended as a gentle body wash for humans and contains the same active ingredient (stablized chlorine dioxide). "Avitech" is another place that sells it ( www.avitec.com ). I've got to go, but I'll post more tommorrow, including my favorite disinfectants and where I get them. Later! Posts: 255 | Registered: May 2002
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We use Oxyfresh Gele to clean most of the debris off our cages, perches and other whatnots. It rinses clean which is key.
We use avicine to disinfect everything. Both are great products and use stabilized chlorine dioxide as the active ingred. Very effective product and bird safe. We got ours at: http://www.greyfeathertoys.com
I have to check into that Nolvasan. It sounds great too. Irma
Posts: 5 | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Oh, poor Otto. Thanks for the warning about Oxyclean. Hopefully Otto's warning will save other birds and his death will not be in vain...Re: disinfecting... as I said, wash dirt off first, then disinfect to kill the germs that are left. My vet likes bleach. It's cheap and readily avaliable. A 1/10 (bleach/water) solution should wet the surface for 10 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly. A 1/32 solution (1/2 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water) can be used to wipe down hard surfaces like countertops and walls. You do not have to rinse. I like Roccal-D Plus as a disinfectant. The active ingredients are ammonium chlorides. I use the recommended dilution [1/2 oz. (1 Tablespoon) to 1 gallon of water] any place a 1/32 solution of bleach could be used (no rinse). It has more odor than Oxyfresh, but it can be used safely around birds. Novalsan ("the blue stuff") and Roccal-D Plus can be puchased by the gallon at http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_search_results.html . (Novalsan = $39, Roccal = $69. The recommended dilution of Novalsan is twice the amount of Roccal). When I worked in a bird store we bought our Novalsan here and re-bottled it in small containers. We then charged about 10x what it cost us, so this may be economical to you big users. I got a generic version of Roccal (Wintergreen 256) on sale at http://www.petedge.com/ in their "Best Buys" section ($14). I used this product in a confined area (small, closed bathroom) to research the product for sensitive people. To me, the odor was no worse than an open bottle of mouthwash. I sprayed the product on a cage and scrubbed with a brush. I think under these conditions the product did irritate my lungs a bit. At the recommended dilution there was not enough detergent in the product to remove heavy dirt. Always rinse anything your birds will come in contact with. Both sites mentioned above charge extra ($5 and $5.95) if your order is less than $50. These are primarily dog/cat/horse sites so you may find stuff you can use for your other pets. I find their catologs easier to use than the web sites, especially Valley Vet (now Direct Pet Superstore). Maybe I am just old-fashioned! If you want to experiment with generic Novalsan, the active ingredient is 2% chlorhexidine. Novalsan is mild, but it does not inactivate polyoma virus or psuedomonas bacteria, so I choose not to use it. Some people do not rinse Novalsan, but I have a bird that almost died from "bumblefoot" started by a sensitivity to Novalsan that was not rinsed from perches. This Amazon parrot is also sensitive to nystatin (an anti-fungal) and triclosan (the active ingredient in most antibacterial soaps sold in the US). Her feet get red and "puff up" (edema). I can't use anti-bacterial soaps with triclosan because they leave enough residue on my hands after rinsing to bother that parrot. Just a word of warning. Be aware of any sensitivity your parrot might show.
Posts: 255 | Registered: May 2002
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Many years ago when I was at U.T. in Austin I was responsible for a troop of South African Vervets that were in a very large outdoor cage. The floor was cement(about 1500 sq. feet) and the bars were stainless steel. There were many plants, trees and vines throughout. I would first move the gang of 70+ Vervets into another cage and then I would scrape and clean. I first coated the floor with a strong (janitorial product) acid and let it bubble for 5 minutes. Next I thoroughly flushed the area with a water hose. Next I scrubbed the cage and floor with a strong beach solution and did another water flush. This troop never had a single visible case of infection while I followed this procedure and the enclosure stayed sparkling clean and smelling fresh. You can imagine the amount of fruit and vegetables etc. that was scattered around daily from 70+ Vervets. Similar to the mess my Tooz make. I plan to follow this same routine on my newly completed outdoor Too aviary. Regarding protection from mosquitoes: I live in the mosquito-transmitted-disease capital of SE Asia and all we do to protect ourselves and our birdfriends is make sure there is no uncovered standing water(including water in vases and toilets), use fans on the cages and over our beds to blow them away and Many people use mosquito net as well.
Posts: 5 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Triclosan doesn't bother my skin so I use it in any product that I can find it in colgate toothpaste, body soap, hand soap, dishliquid and so on.
They are now putting it in some laundry detergents - I have to read labels -as well as some all purpose liquid cleaners.
I clean alot with distilled white vinegar and have recently begun using this on my bird cage trays and bases after a thorough cleaing with dishliquid in an attempt to disinfect.
The only liquid cleaner I can stand is mr. clean which has only a little ammonia but I can't stand straight ammonia even diluted in water, strange I know - but these things happen with those who have severe pulmonary disease, COPD in my case.
I don't see any problem in using mr. clean on my cage trays and bases if I rinse properly and there is no scent but I don't because I have been told over and over to not use "human" cleaning agents on my birds trays and bases.
My bird friend neighbor has the right idea I think for my case, wash and rinse using dishliquid and then pour boiling water over all pieces.
Posts: 382 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
We use Oxyfresh Cleansing Gele'. Safe and if you don't get it all of, it is okay as it will not hurt the bird. I used to sell Oxyfresh, and have a huge article (I think) somewhere here about Oxyfresh in the Aviary - it is very extensive and covers several of their products and their uses. If you are interested in it, I will try to find it and email it to you. If you want a copy, email me I'm pretty sure my email is on my profile.
Posts: 825 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Hi all.....I am hoping someone can help me.
I just purchased Avicine and also the Oxyfresh cleansing gele'.
I was told that you should dilute the Avicine in a 32 oz spray bottle.
We have 4 parrots; all but one of their cages can go outside (our cockatoo's is too large to fit through the door!)...so, I was told to use the Avicine on the inside cage and on the cages that we take outside, to use the Oxyfresh Cleansing Gele'. Would this be correct? Is dilution necessary?
It sounds like people have had success with both. Do both need to be completely dried before the birds enter back in the cages?
I had heard that even some people rinse their bowls and the bird food with Avicine?!? Is this right?
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Hiyas! We have a calif cage & a kings cage...I usually clean them with "Poop Off", also use a diluted amount of it with water to scrub down the main cage areas....if we are out of it I use diluted bleach water or vinegar water. Frankly, I like the poop-off the best. I have noticed with the calif cage that if I use their cage cleaner...the poop seems to come off easier. I have been using the poop-off for 4 yrs now...also works great for carpet. I like the deodorizing affect it has on carpet...other animals ignore the poop spots too.
Posts: 8 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Where can you get Poop-Off? I have been trying to find a cleaner that works better than the one I have been using (Advanage Wondercleaner Concentrate).
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SonyaK, We've been using avicine for two years and it works wonderfully... the poop just melts off. We use it when we clean the cages inside. Just mix the concentrate and crystals together, and dilute according to their instructions. As long as you remove the bird from the cage (some people, not you in particular, don't realize that's necessary)spray, wipe the poop and stuff off and spray again and let the cage dry thoroughly (it says you don't have to rinse with water, but we do...) it should work well. Hope this helps!
Posts: 1064 | Registered: Feb 2003
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