Murphys new cage

[reggieroo]

Finally got Murphy a new cage & he took to it quite well. At firsts he wouldn't land on it but after me putting him on top a few times he was fine with it. Also while inside he was looking up at the roof as if to say, "not sure about that" but again is fine now fine with it. Within 10 minutes of being in there he was playing with his toys.

 

It's so much better than his old cage with a bigger door & skirt round the outside to catch the poop & food. Now I can rest easy that my Daughter won't try to eat some parrot poop off the floor. :eek:

 

Just need to get some more perches as it didn't come with any & also some bowls for the top.

Edited October 4, 2010 by reggieroo

[birdhouse]

Very nice! Hooray for you that Murphy transitioned so well. We set up Phenix last new cage next to his old one for a month. He still had major issues for some time after moving in.

 

Are you thinking about getting natural wood branches? They're supposed to be good for the bird's feet because of the variable grip. I think they mine clean better than dowels too.

 

Also once he finally accepted it, Phenix really likes his boing. He uses it all the time & it's usually his sleeping perch.

[reggieroo]

Yes I'll get him a natural wood perch, I have an apple tree in the front garden so might go out & cut one off for him. His stand in the living room is made from a tree branch that I cut down last year.

[KimKim]

Looks good! I love seeing other peoples cages and set ups, just to see how others do it. I took off the seed guards on my cage because the dogs and us were running into them, ouch! But I have been thinking about putting them back on, I think that might stop Babalu from climbing off his cage....

[reggieroo]

I specifically looked for a cage with the seed catchers on it because of my little 11 month old daughter. Murphy would often sit on top of his old cage & poop off the side on the floor, I would clean it up as soon as I seen it but I didn't always see it. It was a miracle that my Daughter Ella-Rose didn't think Mmmmm, what's this, looks good enough to eat!

 

A lot of people say they are useless but thought I'd give the catchers a try & so far there has been very little mess & no poop on the floor. I also taped some bits of foam on the front two corners just in case little Ella-Rose bumps her head on the way past.

 

Just been out & cut down an apple branch, just gave it a scrub with bleach & a wire brush, I'll pop it in the sauna later to dry.

[Jayd]

Just been out & cut down an apple branch, just gave it a scrub with bleach & a wire brush, I'll pop it in the sauna later to dry.

Suggestion, no bleach it's absorb into the wood, try Apple Cider Vinegar...

 

Good idea about the catcher....Jayd

[reggieroo]

Suggestion, no bleach it's absorb into the wood, try Apple Cider Vinegar...

 

Good idea about the catcher....Jayd

 

Thanks for the suggestion, it was only a little bleach diluted in a bucket of water & also gave it a dam good rinsing.

I'll keep a look out for some apple cider vinegar next time we go shopping, guessing it's good stuff to clean the cage etc? I can't recall ever seeing any though, what about white vinegar?

[Jayd]

White vinegar is great for cleaning, it doesn't have to be rinsed off, no residue, and it sanitizes, use it for everything.. Organic Apple Cider Vinigar is good for cleaning food and water bowels, soaking veggies, the birds love it. Jayd

[reggieroo]

White vinegar is great for cleaning, it doesn't have to be rinsed off, no residue, and it sanitizes, use it for everything.. Organic Apple Cider Vinigar is good for cleaning food and water bowels, soaking veggies, the birds love it. Jayd

 

Can you use the white vinegar neat, straight out of the bottle?

[Jayd]

Can you use the white vinegar neat, straight out of the bottle?

Yes, the smell dissipates and is non harmful. For really nasty clean-ups, get 2 spray bottles, fill one with vinegar, the other with Hydrogen peroxide, spray either one on the area, then spray the other one on it and wipe. It's totally safe, and sanitize.....

[reggieroo]

Yes, the smell dissipates and is non harmful. For really nasty clean-ups, get 2 spray bottles, fill one with vinegar, the other with Hydrogen peroxide, spray either one on the area, then spray the other one on it and wipe. It's totally safe, and sanitize.....

 

You learn something new every day, I'll give that a go.

[Coral&Andrew]

Love that cage, its really nice, i love to see how other people have there cages!

[reggieroo]

Well I got the perches done, fitted them in & it took all of 5 seconds for Murphy to start stripping the bark. I think it's safe to say he like his new perches.

[judygram]

Nice cage Paul and you have it set up nicely, Murphy looks to be giving it his seal of approval, thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

[birdhouse]

He certainly looks happy! What a lucky guy!

[Cobi Hay]

Hey - I got exactly the same cage! Had to remove the seed catchers though - no room for 'em in the niche. So got a bit more dirty here and there. But it's cool - i just pull the cage from place twice a week and clean below it.

 

How about general cleaning? On the daily basis I use water with very little soap (and make sure it's all removed). Once a month or so, I just take the cage to the front yard and rinse it thoroughly with a garden hose. 20 minutes in the hot sun and it's dry and shiny. I loved the idea of using Vinegar and Hydrogen peroxide! It's not harmful for the parrot ? Should I take him away from the cage while cleaning? How many times a week would you recommend on using that type of cleaning method?

[birdhouse]

Soap can leave a film even after all that (... I sound like a commercial ) Wetting the cage all over allows water into the hollow tubes & the welds which will not dry for some time & promotes rusting. Leaving the cage in the sun will oxidize the powder coat & shorten it's lifespan, a lot.

 

Really, that was the long way of saying there's a better way. Vinegar & water. Fine for normal cage cleaning. Don't need to remove the bird, just kind of shove him out of the way. LOL And you don't need to add peroxide unless there's some extra reason for disinfecting. You might find this to be safer, faster & way easier on your cage.

 

Another thing that works well for me is occasional steam cleaning.

[reggieroo]

Don't need to remove the bird, just kind of shove him out of the way. LOL

 

That made me laugh, I thought of Murphy & you can't shove him out the way, he comes down & tries to grab whatever your using to wipe the cage & chases your hand.

He also loves the handheld hoover, which I use inside the cage to pick up all the bits before wiping down. He actually wants tickles from the hoover when the hoover is on would you believe!

Edited October 11, 2010 by reggieroo

[birdhouse]

LOL Wait until Murphy adds dialogue.

 

Phenix talks me through, "Move!" ,"No! Stop it!" , "Leave it alone!" He's not generally cage aggressive, but he does not like it when I clean his cage. He's not playing when he chases the rag.

 

btw, I do use the rag rather than spray the cage. I wouldn't want to spray anyone in the eye with it. And I would take the bird out if I were spraying the vinegar & peroxide together.

[Coral&Andrew]

Great perch, he seems to be having a good time with that

[reggieroo]

I got him a poly's twister perch (the yellow one up top), a candy cotton toy, peck n play puzzler for treats & a birdy babble ball.

 

All of which he liked except the birdy babble ball which I had to move up the far corner for him out of the way. It took him a few hours to get on the twister perch but the birdie babble ball he just sat growling at it for ages so I moved it. I left it in so he can get used to it.

[birdhouse]

That looks like a really nice set up. Murphy shouldn't have any reason to complain about cage time from now on!!

[reggieroo]

That looks like a really nice set up. Murphy shouldn't have any reason to complain about cage time from now on!!

 

Well I hope your right. Actually this morning is the first morning he hasn't wanted to come out straight away, normally every morning he is up & about a few minutes before I get up, get coffee & wake up my daughter up, he whistling for me to come get him. This morning however I could hear him stuffing his face & he's still at it now, wasn't even interested in a tickle or coming out. I think he likes the larger bowls so I he can have more food in them, they are a lot bigger than the old ones & he doesn't seem to be tipping all the food out like before.

 

Also last night I put him in for an hour while I went for a sauna & Kate said he only screamed twice which is good for Murphy. Maybe my little boy is getting a little more independent as he gets older?

 

His new cage is definitely a lot better for Murphy & think it will make things a little easier for us too.

[KimKim]

I have the babble ball but Babalu does not touch it, has yours played with it yet?

[reggieroo]

I have the babble ball but Babalu does not touch it, has yours played with it yet?

 

He absolutely hates it & is scared to death of it! He has never been like that with any other toys, might be because I set it off in front of him before I put it in his cage & it just freaked him out. I should have just put it in the cage & let him discover it on his own.

 

I've had to move it to the back of the cage out of the way, as before it was by his new perch & he wouldn't go on it, he just sat on the lower one growling for ages.

 

Kate said she heard it go off yesterday but Murphy looked ok & didn't seem bothered, he must have knocked it by accident or something moving round his cage as I haven't seen him near it at all.

 

I'm going to move it soon, a bit closer & see how he is with it.