Low down and dirty.......

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ShirleyBird
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Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:26 pm
Location: Ohio

Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

Being our birds are feeling more @ ease, they are venturing away from the top of their cage. I have 2 questions. #1. They tend to jump from the top to the floor, can they get hurt( there is nothing around to land on, just floor)? #2. Can anyone tell me how to properly clean bird droppings from carpet being they are landing away from the bird zone? I want to be sanitary without harming them. Thank you in advance.
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mikeb
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by mikeb »

google poop off
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="mikeb"]google poop off[/quote]

Thanks for the reply but I would much rather someone( hopefully ) tell me something that is known to work and is safe, rather than Google and pull up 10 that may and have to test them out to find 1 that works.
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mikeb
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by mikeb »

no! poop off is the name of the product and it is safe to use they claim you can clean with bird still in cage
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="mikeb"]no! poop off is the name of the product and it is safe to use they claim you can clean with bird still in cage[/quote]

Lol! Turning red from embarrassment! I thought you were telling me to look up how to remove it...thanks for the laugh and the product!
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mikeb
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Location: Louisiana U.S.

Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by mikeb »

being your in the US you can find it at petco or petsmart but i found it cheaper online by the gallon i think i found it on amazon
SkyesMom
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by SkyesMom »

I clean Skye's cage with vinegar and water (not a ton of vinegar, though). So it smells kind of pickle-ish for a bit, but it's non-toxic.
Dana
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="SkyesMom"]I clean Skye's cage with vinegar and water (not a ton of vinegar, though). So it smells kind of pickle-ish for a bit, but it's non-toxic.
Dana[/quote]

I also use vinegar for the cage but I was curious what to use on the carpet messes. Thanks for the reply! * Thanks everyone for the kind responses and useful information ....SO glad I found this site!
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Melika
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by Melika »

ShirleyBird wrote:Being our birds are feeling more @ ease, they are venturing away from the top of their cage. I have 2 questions. #1. They tend to jump from the top to the floor, can they get hurt( there is nothing around to land on, just floor)? #2. Can anyone tell me how to properly clean bird droppings from carpet being they are landing away from the bird zone? I want to be sanitary without harming them. Thank you in advance.
Yes, they can get hurt jumping down to the floor. The chances of them being injured are high if they have a very severe wing clipping which makes them fall like a stone, or they were never allowed to fledge properly and do not really know how to fly. Birds that know how to fly and are clipped properly should glide down the the floor and land relatively softly. Birds falling too hard can possibly injure the keel bone or legs.

I use Vinegar and water solution for droppings on my carpet as well. :)
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ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="Melika"]

Yes, they can get hurt jumping down to the floor. The chances of them being injured are high if they have a very severe wing clipping which makes them fall like a stone, or they were never allowed to fledge properly and do not really know how to fly. Birds that know how to fly and are clipped properly should glide down the the floor and land relatively softly. Birds falling too hard can possibly injure the keel bone or legs.

I use Vinegar and water solution for droppings on my carpet as well. :)[/quote]

Sorry for slow response .....thanks! Now do you have any ideas on how I may prevent this from occurring? They for some reason like going down to the carpet. I have a ladder hooked from cage to floor but they prefer to jump and try to flap down. They usually flap on top on the cage before making their leap...I'm not sure if they have ever really flown before.
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Melika
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by Melika »

As long as they are not smacking into the ground, they should be fine. I trim wings according to the bird's needs. For instance, some only need a few primaries cut, others need all primaries and a few secondaries too (cockatiels are AMAZING flyers). I'll just cut one or two primaries at a time until they can't fly up, but have enough lift to land gently.

Usually after a few weeks I have to clip a few more feathers just because the bird's muscles are now stronger and they can more lift.

I do tend to let Hane get all his feathers in and fly for a while before clipping again. This avoids blood feathers and lets him get extra exercise too. During this time I am extra paranoid about windows and doors being closed and locked!


http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww19eii.htm
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/clip.html

I cannot think of a way to keep them from jumping down, other than making the playstand the best place to be (food, etc.) and picking them up every single time right away. Maybe they will get bored of trying. :)
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww19eii.htm
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/clip.html

THANK YOU so much for the links! I had them trimmed @ the pet store before bringing them home...unfortunately now I know they trimmed them too much! Poor babies...I think I can do it myself now when needed thanks to the links. It will make them feel more at ease not having to deal with all the stress of being around people who obviously don't care about how its done as long as they can't fly...It makes me angry that a business is more concerned with $ then the well being of their animals...angry at myself for buying into it and just clearing up a cage for some other poor bird to fill. I could go on and on but ill spare you my rant...thx again for ALL your knowledge!
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Blueberrybird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by Blueberrybird »

I don't know how to trim wings either and am terrified of hurting him or making him bleed, he flops to the floor too, and I feel equally bad;(
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="Blueberrybird"]I don't know how to trim wings either and am terrified of hurting him or making him bleed, he flops to the floor too, and I feel equally bad;([/quote]

The links above are very helpful. It seems to be easy enough( its very well explained +pics ). All animals go off of vibes( fear, ect). I'm sure as long as I pretend to be confident it should go well( fingers crossed, a little prayer.lol). They should be fine for awhile anyways, so hopefully ill get enough confidence by then....if all else fails....ill visit the vet.
Thx for sharing, its nice to know someone else is feeling the same.
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ellieelectrons
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ellieelectrons »

Just about all of our local pet stores offer free wing clipping however I only go to one particular person to get mine done because I know she's good... I hope she never moves away! I got onto her via someone on this forum, maybe you could compare notes with other bird owners in your local area?

Ellie.
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="ellieelectrons"]Just about all of our local pet stores offer free wing clipping however I only go to one particular person to get mine done because I know she's good... I hope she never moves away! I got onto her via someone on this forum, maybe you could compare notes with other bird owners in your local area?

Ellie.[/quote]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think anyone's in my area. We are abt 40 min away from the nearest large town that only has 1 pet shop.Birds are not a common pet here. Truthfully I'm STILL looking for a vet that knows abt birds( if they were livestock I'd have no problem ). Hopefully I will find 1 soon that would be 1 less thing to worry abt. Thx again for the reply.
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julie
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by julie »

I use bicarb soda and vinegar (white) on my cages ect,the bicarb reacts with the vinegar and bubbles making it heaps easier to get the gunk off. for the cage bars i put the (dry) bicarb powder on first and then spray the vinegar from a spray bottle onto it.
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="julie"]I use bicarb soda and vinegar (white) on my cages ect,the bicarb reacts with the vinegar and bubbles making it heaps easier to get the gunk off. for the cage bars i put the (dry) bicarb powder on first and then spray the vinegar from a spray bottle onto it.[/quote]

Thanks for the tip! Ill be trying that soon.I have issues with the little spot btwn the bars and floor grate. I'm a bit of a neat freak( I know right? Lol. All the do is make a mess from one end or the other.lol) so hopefully this will save time and headache.Thx again!
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Melika
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by Melika »

An extra tip for wing-clipping. I DO like to cover my bird's head for the process. My sister typically holds the bird and I clip. We do not talk the entire time. When it's all over I uncover and "rescue" Hane and he loves me for it. :wink:
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
ShirleyBird
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by ShirleyBird »

[quote="Melika"]An extra tip for wing-clipping. I DO like to cover my bird's head for the process. My sister typically holds the bird and I clip. We do not talk the entire time. When it's all over I uncover and "rescue" Hane and he loves me for it. :wink:[/quote]

Thx for the tip! My husband and I tried it with Shirley( Verne's has grown out yet). Went very well.
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Codys Mom
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Re: Low down and dirty.......

Post by Codys Mom »

I use Pet Focus it's great clean cages good and I use it on my carpet and furniture
I order the concentrated one and you mix one ounce of Pet Focus to 32 ounces of water and it lasts a long time
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