Parrots are very intelligent and beautiful birds and they can make awesome pets. They are known to live very long. These beauties are known to have their own character and personalities. Parrots are amusing pets that can entertain you for hours and you’ll definitely enjoy having a pet parrot because they are not like other birds. You would just love to have one.
Keeping your parrot’s cage clean means a healthier home and a healthier bird. Just the way you cannot live in a dirty environment, neither is it convenient for our parrots. When our parrots’ cages are left dirty and full of feces, bacteria can build up and this could lead to a number of health problems for our parrots.
However, like humans and other living creatures, parrots need care. There is some information about parrots you need to know and this includes how to care for and maintain them. Parrots, just like any other pet, need to be kept clean to keep them healthy. It’s important to note that maintaining their health is very crucial.
This is the only way you can enjoy your pet and allow it to live a happy life. Cleaning is important but what cleaning products are safe around parrots?
Most commercial cleaning products are made from strong chemicals that have fumes that are poisonous and they are not safe around birds including parrots. These cleaning products are not ideal for using around your bird. Most of these fumes can cause harm to your bird and even lead to death when exposed to these harsh cleaning products.
However, this article will introduce you to safer and natural alternatives that will be good for your pet parrot:
BAKING SODA: Baking soda is a good and natural odor eliminator. Baking soda will do a good cleaning job for you and it also has other benefits. Baking soda is known to have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. This will help you clean your parrot’s cage and surroundings, making them safe while not causing harm to your bird.
Baking soda has abrasive properties that can aid better cleaning of surfaces. A mixture of vinegar and baking soda will increase the disinfecting power of baking soda. This is a better alternative for commercial cleaning sprays that may harm your parrot.
VINEGAR: Using vinegar as a disinfectant is effective and preferable to commercial disinfectants as some of them may contain some components that may not be compatible with your bird. Vinegar is very effective in getting rid of certain microbes. Its natural disinfectant properties enable it to do so.
Whether as a spray or by dabbing, White vinegar will kill bacteria and microbes in your bird’s cage or surrounding without causing harm to the bird. You can make a solution or mixture using vinegar to replace commercial disinfectants.
NATURAL DISH SOAPS: To replace harsh soaps with strong chemicals, you can use chemical-free dishwashing soap to clean your birdcage and surrounding. These are safe around parrots because they do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate and other chemicals that can irritate the skin of your bird.
Ensure that the soap is safe by checking out what it contains. Cleaning has to be carried out often and if the soap is harmful, you would be doing your bird more harm than good every time you clean.
Are you aware of any natural cleaning products? That would be just perfect to use as cleaning products around parrots. Don’t try products that you are not too sure about or have not done proper research on. If you are using a cleaning product that seems to be harmful to your parrot or any product that is harmful to you, stop it immediately.
Ensure that when using products that contain chemicals (if you must), your parrot is far from the area you’re using it. Ensure that the windows are open wide and the environment is well ventilated so that fumes don’t harm the parrot but it is preferable to use natural products.
Harmful Cleaning Products Not To Use:
Parrots, like every other bird species, have certain chemicals in cleaning products that irritate them and can even go as far as causing them to die. It’s often due to the carelessness or ignorance on the part of the pet owners that parrots die from such chemicals. Generally, these products are harmful to birds and parrots included:
- Bleach: Bleach and its fumes are extremely toxic to birds. Inhaling the fumes is very deadly. As good as bleach is at disinfecting and cleaning surfaces, bleaching should be used around a parrot or any other bird. Inhaling these fumes can cause distress and eventually death. Avoid using bleach, especially chlorine bleach around your bird.
- Cleaners containing Ammonia: When purchasing a cleaning product, if you check the label and you see Ammonia contained in the product, do not use it to clean around your parrot. Ammonia releases fumes like bleach which is very harmful when inhaled by birds. These fumes affect the eyes and lungs of the birds. Ammonia is highly irritating to birds.
- Dry cleaning products: Be careful not to use laundry soap or dry cleaning products to clean around your parrot often. This is not ideal for them. Parrots, like every other bird, are very sensitive to harsh chemicals. Preferably use natural dish soaps to clean.
- Deodorizers: Common aerosols you use in the house like perfumes, hairspray, and even air fresheners are very harmful to birds. Their strong fumes cause difficulty in breathing and respiratory problems in birds. It’s not advisable to use them around your bird. If you intend to freshen up the cage or surrounding, you can try some natural essential oils.
Other chemicals you shouldn’t use around your parrot are Boric acid, Acetone, Spray starch, Chlorine, and bromine. Chemicals in general are harmful to parrots. Any fume-emitting chemical is a hazard to birds. Ensure that care is taken when purchasing products for cleaning. Check labels and do more research to have an idea of how you can keep your parrot’s cage safe and clean.
There are some other things that are not necessarily cleaning products but are harmful to parrots.
Paint fumes: Few people like the smell of fresh paint but birds don’t. Parrots, like any other bird, cannot stand the choked-up smell of paint. It is not healthy for your parrot. You need to be very cautious to see that you don’t expose your parrot to the fumes of paint. - Insecticides: This can lead to the death of your bird because birds are very sensitive to aerosols and insecticides contain poisons. They are lethal even to us, how much more our parrots. Careless spraying or usage of insecticides around birds have caused so much death.
It may not kill them immediately but will surely have an effect on them. Allowing insecticides to get into the eyes of your parrots will cause damage or irritation which will be terrible. Make sure that you do not directly spray insecticide on your bird.
Smoke: Avoid exposing your bird to wood smoke, cigarette smoke or any kind. It bothers them and can certainly give them some respiratory issues. A bird exposed to smoke is not a healthy bird. Birds are delicate and they need as much fresh air as they can get. An airy cage will be ideal for any bird.
What To Watch Out For When Cleaning Around Your Parrot:
Check around carefully for any broken bottles, glass, small pins, or any little object that can be swallowed up by your parrot. Dispose of it.
Make sure that there’s no mold growing in the parrots’ cage. Make sure that you wipe every place thoroughly.
Be sure that you love your bird to another place while you clean its surroundings.
This is very important especially if the chemicals are harmful to the bird and also to give you full access to every part you need to clean.
Ensure you wear gloves while cleaning in order not to contaminate yourself. Cleaning can be a messy job but you can protect yourself with a mask and gloves.
Parrots are very intelligent and interesting birds. Caring for them is the only way that you can ensure that they live a healthy and fulfilling life and it starts with the product use for them. Do not joke about the health of your parrots. Always ensure that you take your pet parrot to the veterinary doctor once a month at least for a check-up.
From food to cage to cleaning, make sure that you give your parrots the best. As a good parrot owner, ensure that you are up-to-date with research on the care and maintenance of your parrot. Also, ensure that you are up-to-date with feed for your parrots. Knowing how to maintain a pet is the first step before going to get one.
For parrots, the kind of care you’d give for every other bird can still apply to them. Also, ensure that your parrot is given a large space in order for it to express itself and become comfortable as parrots tend to be aggressive and scratch when they do not feel at home.
