Dangerdoll
Global Moderator
you would be surprised. I have 3 cats, 2 saint bernards and a doberman in the house and they all go the other way when I let Pat, my Rainbow Lory walk the house....
Birds anyone?
- Thread starter red devil
- Start date
you would be surprised. I have 3 cats, 2 saint bernards and a doberman in the house and they all go the other way when I let Pat, my Rainbow Lory walk the house....
theres always room for a bird!
i have all my fish..a chihuahua..a lhasa apso, 2 ball pythons, 3 kingsnakes, 2 chameleons and about 30 finches
i see an african grey in my future
thats a BEAUTIFUL lorie DD!
i have all my fish..a chihuahua..a lhasa apso, 2 ball pythons, 3 kingsnakes, 2 chameleons and about 30 finches
i see an african grey in my future
thats a BEAUTIFUL lorie DD!
2 dogs a cat 7 fish tanks and a green cheeck conure. Future bird = African Grey. I tend to read a lot of bird specific books vrs the I net. But Ive been on tailfeathers pretty good site. I think birdchannel is okay as well.
Siren
Mythological Creature
Just some random thoughts:
If doing a cage outside:
I would lay down a layer of cement in the bottom and have it grooved like they do for dairy barns (the cement is poured, then while it's still wet, you "sweep" it in long strokes with a push broom all in one direction...or you can have it mechanically done after it's dried). This makes it easier to clean than a stone layer, and non-slip. Or you can buy the ceramic floor tiles that are textured like cobblestone (saw some at Home Depot and thought they would be excellent for a fish room...hehehe) and lay them instead. They both can be swept out or washed down with the water hose if needed.
You can always do what we did at the kennel I worked at if you need to clean more vigorously. Go to your local garden center and get a liquid fertilizer container that attaches to your water hose (like the ones you see in the commercials for Miracle Grow). You want a new clean one that doesn't have pre-measured anything it it. Fill it with a 50% bleach solution and attach it to your hose. Spray down the area well, let sit for 5 minutes and then rinse throughly. This gives the bleach plenty of time to kill the bacteria and de-nature the viruses (I knew I'd use this biology degree for something
Go microbiology! ). After waiting that time the feces and dried foods should be soft so take a stiff bristled broom and scrub it down. Rinse again really well. This would only be good of a really deep cleaning (i.e. a sick bird, or something like "spring cleaning"). Bleach odors are hard on bird's lungs, so you would have to remove the birds before doing this. After rinsing, the chlorine will dissipate, just like it does out of aged tap water. I also would not use it on anything porous, like wood.
As for inside:
Think about using reptile carpet (Astroturf with very short fibers) as long as you are going to have finches and the like (i.e. birds that wouldn't pull anything apart). This would be a bad idea with parrots since they will destroy anything not made of concrete and steel. You can just roll it up and carry it outside for a cleaning with the water hose. It comes in a bunch of colours, so you don't just have to have green. And it's cheap. If the section you have gets nasty, just but a roll and cut a new piece. If the cage is near a window you could try to grow grass in a dirt tray, but that would have to be replaced often.
You could try making your own small, hollow cement tree like some of the zoos/private collections have. I have an idea how it's done and can probably find a link for you if you want. This could be cleaned with a stiff brush and some hot water/disinfectant like Novalsan (not sure who makes this now, but it used to be made by Novartis and is used in zoos and vet's offices for sanitation of enclosures and equipment).
One last thing:
This is one of the coolest sites for custom enclosures that I have ever seen. They are pricey, but from the people I have talked to they are the best for cleaning and for looks to go in a house. They become a piece of furniture, not some ugly stainless steel thing in the corner... http://www.cagesbydesign.com/
equus_peduus- Thanks for the kestrals/falcon clear-up. I couldn't remember from my ornithology lessons which section they belonged.
You seem very knowledgeable about animals in general, do you work with them?
Maybe... not sure... hmmmm... *ponder* ... I'm a vet student ;P I took a raptor management class on a whim in undergrad, and have gotten more involved with them since (including helping teach the lab portion of the class for three years, and working at our local raptor center). I'd like to eventually be a falconer (but that costs time and money), and work with rehabbers to keep a hand in raptor medicine. I'm going to Minnesota for a month in about a month to spend some time at the raptor center there, I'm so excitedequus_peduus- Thanks for the kestrals/falcon clear-up. I couldn't remember from my ornithology lessons which section they belonged.
I'll probably make my money doing dog/cat/pet exotics (but horses aren't out of the question...)Cement floor is a good idea, much easier to clean and disinfect
Bleach is deactivated by organic material, so probably better spray soak the area first, scrub clean, rinse, and then let sit with bleach. Most things I've seen/read/heard say 10 minutes minimum contact time. Nolvasan still exists. It's a brand name for chlorhexidine solution. Bleach is probably a little more universal in the stuff it kills, though, and cheaper/easier to get.
Astroturf is difficult to disinfect, but can be done. Same idea - scrub/rinse clean, and let soak with bleach. But all the poky grassy bits make it harder to be thorough.
I dunno if cages by design ship to china
But they do have nice cages...
Siren
Mythological Creature
It all depends on exactly what you are trying to disinfect:
A quote from Clorox's website for their hard surface cleaner:
Q. How long does it take to sanitize?
A. The product takes two minutes to kill 99.9% of common household bacteria on hard, nonporous surfaces. After that time, you can wipe up or let the liquid evaporate without leaving behind any harmful residue.*
http://www.clorox.com/products/faqs.php?prod_id=ahsds#faq13
I would assume that those would include Salmonella and E. coli....
Now, on other sites, it recommends up to 10 minutes for HIV and other highly contagious viruses using normal liquid bleach, but that may be overkill due to public pseudo-knowledge/paranoia about the diseases.
*shrug* It's also a matter of just how "dirty" the enclosure is. Daily maintenance is a must After working for a vet, managing a kennel, and being a zookeeper, I can tell you that the cement runs were the easiest to clean by a long shot
A quote from Clorox's website for their hard surface cleaner:
Q. How long does it take to sanitize?
A. The product takes two minutes to kill 99.9% of common household bacteria on hard, nonporous surfaces. After that time, you can wipe up or let the liquid evaporate without leaving behind any harmful residue.*
http://www.clorox.com/products/faqs.php?prod_id=ahsds#faq13
I would assume that those would include Salmonella and E. coli....
Now, on other sites, it recommends up to 10 minutes for HIV and other highly contagious viruses using normal liquid bleach, but that may be overkill due to public pseudo-knowledge/paranoia about the diseases.
*shrug* It's also a matter of just how "dirty" the enclosure is. Daily maintenance is a must
After working for a vet, managing a kennel, and being a zookeeper, I can tell you that the cement runs were the easiest to clean by a long shot 
you would be surprised. I have 3 cats, 2 saint bernards and a doberman in the house and they all go the other way when I let Pat, my Rainbow Lory walk the house....
You are wicked woman. Don't tempt me, I'm already trying to resist setting up a seahorse tank.
Dangerdoll
Global Moderator
hehehe.... I will say that Lories are a huge responsibility, even more so than your typical parrot. If you were to think about getting one, be sure to research first and then decide.
