Cage grates pros vs cons

[TinyTimneh]

Was thinking about this yesterday actually...

 

I remember the first cage that Jacko came to me in, it was old and pretty gross and it didn't have a grate at all on the bottom.

But it was actually really quick and easy to clean, simply change the papers and wipe/disinfect the tray.

 

The new cages I have have grates in them, except for the Linnie's because it was too old and damaged (got the cage secondhand from my grandmother). Anyway, I noticed that in terms of aggravation and effort it takes a heck of a lot longer to clean out the new cages because I have to clean the bars in the grate, whereas the old cage the Linnie is in is fairly simply to clean up.

 

Now I've always heard that it is better to have a grate because it keeps the birds from walking in their poop (lol, most of the time), eating old or soiled food etc. Also keeps the foot toys etc. from rolling in any sort of mess. But it takes suuuch a long time to clean the grate.

 

But here's the flip side, first like I said major maintanance hassle for me. Secondly, it's really hard to give them foraging toys because all the food they manage to dig out usually falls past the grate (I feel bad for them) and lastly there's worrying about falls.

Besides, isn't it recommended to change the papers every day anyway, thereby removing any old food or excess poop? I mean, I'd rather spend five minutes a day changing papers than 30 minutes per grate scrubbing them clean.

What do you guys think?

 

I'm thinking I might just ditch the grates as soon as I can (can't on this cage because grate is part of a locking mechanism for the bottom tray)

[judygram]

I hear ya on the cleaning of those grates, what a hassle. I do use those grates in both of my cages as Josey tends to tear up the paper if she can get to it and then the mess would be right on the tray.

 

I don't see a problem with not using the grates if you just don't want to have to clean them, it is your choice, why not try it and see how it goes.

[DavidH]

I've actually been trying it without a grate the last couple of days. I noticed that Shanti NEVER goes to the bottom of his cage anyway, so there seemed to be no risk of him messing with anything below the grate.

 

It's going ok, except of course yesterday I noticed he was going lower toward the newspapers than he ever had before. So we'll see.

[djzenjen]

My father's CAG, Shadow, will reach his foot below the grate to get the newspaper. Every morning he grabs some and sweeps the bottom of his cage with it. The grate doesn't stop him.

[PrettyPax]

I have a cheap, but functional day cage for Pax that includes a grate plus a slide out tray. It can be a pain to clean it but what I really like about the set up is that the grate slides out with the tray. So when the inevitable time comes to scrub the grate clean at least I have easy access to it. I've seen other cages that have attached grates or multiple grates and those are the kind I would HATE to have. For Pax's cage it takes less than 5 mins. to clean both grate and tray.

As Martha Stewart would say, using a grate is "a good thing" because it's more sanitary for the bird not to have to step in his/her droppings and discarded food.

[Guest jamalbirdbiz]

pressure washing is the way to go. quick clean up. you cantz go wrong. quick and clean. I am not sure about breeder cages though. do they have greats?

[Jane08]

Oh yes the grates are maintenance. We clean ours everyday. I guess our thinking is that it is easier to clean a little bit of poop off everyday. Ours slides out and we take it into the shower and spray it and then leave it for a few minutes which makes it easier to get off. I am a bit of a clean freak as well so we have to clean the bottom out of the cage everyday. We spend about 1 hour when we get home everyday cleaning.

 

Like you say with no grate you have the problem of them standing in the poop and probably getting poop on their tails then I am always scared of the food that falls in the poop which they will then eat.

 

That is just me though and I am a bit over the top when it comes to cleanliness.

[danmcq]

For sanitary reasons and the health of your birds, grates are the way to go.

 

All food and poop fall to the paper lining the tray below the grate. This greatly lessens the chance that your bird will be eating something spoiled or pooped on previously.

 

My Grey goes and plays down on the grate constantly when in the cage.

 

As Jamal said, pressure washing the grate with a water nozzle is the easiest way to go and fast too.

[Talon]

I agree with Dan. Grates are the healthy way to go. I use a bird poof off spray, then a scrubber like you wash dishes with, and the poop comes right off!! Easy to clean!

[Luvparrots]

I'm for leaving the grate in. I believe it is much more sanitary for our fids. But I am retired and can clean my grey's cage daily which to me is much easier than cleaning once a week. Of course I am a clean freak when it comes to my pets, even my cats were housebroken and went outside when I had cats!!!

[TinyTimneh]

Wish I could pressure wash the cages weekly... darn Canadian weather. The way things are going I won't be able to take the cages out for a good hosing for at least another month or so.

 

If I were to change the papers daily, maybe twice daily... would I be able to get away with no grate? Or do you all think there'd be too much contamination risk. I'm not much of a clean freak so them getting poop on me etc. doesn't bother me I just don't want them to get sick. I can't wash the grates daily (I'd like to, but can't) and at least one of my birds is a notorious poop-on-the-grate pecker.

[Char]

I am afraid I don't get what is so difficult about cleaning the grate. I use a cloth with vinegar and water and wipe off. Takes less than a minute. I found it comes off easier if the cleaning rag is wetter than just damp.

[Pchela]

I actually prefer that grate off. I change the papers every day sometimes twice and my gray likes to forage around on the bottom. She doesn't step in poo any more than she would on the grate which always had poo on it. She can also go get food she dropped. I could see it being a problem if the papers weren't changed regularly though. It also gives her that much more space to live in.

[lovethatgrey]

I keep the grate in Emma's cage. It slides out so once a week I give it a thorough washing with Oxyfresh. Although she doesn't visit the bottom much I'd hate for her to soil her feet or eat food that is spoiled.... then I'd have bigger problems than just cleaning her grate.B)

[Tigerlily]

took the grate out the 1st day and never used it since. i've not had any problems with not using it.

[she]

I never use grates in my cages. I feel they are a risk to foot and leg injury. I change the papers in the cage at least twice a day.Never had any problems,I just make sure the cages are clean.

[Tycos_mom]

I use the grats but I have several birds so they only get cleaned every 2nd day I clean half my birds one day and the other half of the the next day with 7 cages to clean it easier and more sanitary for the birds to keep the grates in. I find that my birds only poop in one spot in their cages so there is never poop everywhere. Three of my birds won't even poop in their cages at all and Tyco is one of those birds she will hold it until she gets out. My birds cages are open from early morning until bedtime except when nobodys going to be home and that doesn't happen very often. Even when I'm at work my daughter is useually home so I don't have to worry about locking my birds in their cages. I have rubber mats under all of their cages so all I have to do is take the mats outside and hose them down its pretty easy to change the papers and hose down the mats.

[casper]

I use the grates on all of mine. I clean them down each day and like Talon does I use a dish scrubbing brush to give them a good scrubbing.

[DustyBZoo]

Paper shredding is way I still use grates. However, after reading this post, I am considering not using grates or paper. The cage I have has a plastic tray that could easily be dumped and wash out in the tub. As long as I can be good about cleaning daily this might just work well for me.

Thanks for posting this I think you might have been an inspriration for me!

DBZ

[TinyTimneh]

Okay guys, so it's been a while... here's a update (I went grateless)

 

First off, I luv it!

 

Here's the set-up, I left the grates in but placed the paper on top.

I change the paper at least once a day, twice if I need to. I really honestly haven't noticed my birds toys getting any dirtier than they normally would in terms of poop, if anything they're cleaner.

It takes me about 20 minutes or so in the morning to do this (for an able-bodied person who isn't sleep deprived cut the time in half, so 10 minutes)

The tray in the bottom catches anything that falls while i'm picking up the paper (usually seed hulls and shreds of wood etc.) which I dump and disinfect weekly.

 

Does the grey shred the paper? Yep! But enough remains intact to do its job and the shredded bits and possible poop just falls past the grate into the tray. Plus, he enjoys it and is starting to pick his feathers less. I can also scatter a few treats on the bottom on clean newspaper for some foraging.

 

A through cleaning of all nooks and crannies and sweeping etc. takes me about an hour and a half on a weekend day (so about 45 minutes for a able-bodied person), and I have three birds.

 

Previously I did a big weekly scrubdown of the grates, trays and the room which took me about four hours total.

 

So, in summary, if you have the daily time I would seriously recommend giving this a shot. My birds seem happier because they can forage, I don't worry about falls and the cages are cleaner and quicker to clean!

[she]

I agree with you on this. My birds love foraging on the botton of the cage,it is so much faster to clean and If the papers are changed a couple of times a day as I do there is no problem.Less risk of injury aswell.

[DavidH]

I've also been without the grate since the beginning of March. It's a real time saver because cleaning the grate was difficult. I just cover the bottom tray with a few layers of newspaper. He never goes down there, not even to pick up his toys. Perhaps this is a case of a phobia working in my favor.

[ZivaDiva]

I am not a fan of grates but Ziva's cage has one in it and the bottom tray is several inches below the grate. If I take the grate out, she will be able to get out of the cage. I don't like grates because of the possiblity of foot or leg injuries. I also think she should be able to forage on the bottom of her cage for food and foot toys. I know she'd love to be able to pick up her birdie bread that she drops accidentally.

 

I've had her 2 weeks today and have been changing things slowly as to not shock her too much. This week, I will be putting the papers on top of the grate and seeing how that goes. It's what I do with my cockatiels and it seems to work well. Ziva shreds paper but not that much and at least the bottom tray will be there to catch the mess.

 

I clean her cage before going to bed. I cover her at night and don't want her to have to smell her cage while being enclosed in it with a blanket around it. I sometimes clean it out twice a day if she's really messy.