Are Budgies Dirty Pets? How to keep them clean and happy?

Budgies are messy only if you allow them to be messy. If you know anyone who owns a budgie, you’ve probably heard them complain about how messy these little birds can be. But if you’ve never had one yourself, it can be difficult to imagine. So to spare you the surprise when you do get a budgie of your own, today we are going to talk about just how messy budgies are.

How Messy Budgies Really Are

To show you just how messy budgies really are, we have divided the messes they create into different categories – be warned, it is a lot. The main categories are:

Food

Not only do budgies spill food when they are eating quickly, but they also toss away what they don’t like. These picky eaters are not afraid to throw a tantrum and have been known to toss unwanted food across the room. This behavior is particularly common when a budgie is full or when they realize the food isn’t fresh.

What’s more? Some budgies sit on their dish while eating and accidentally scatter their food when they stand up. And since budgies don’t eat dirty food, whatever falls to the ground will be left there until you come clean it.

Poop

A lot of people wonder, “Do budgies poop everywhere?” Well, we have some bad news for you – they do. They poop in their cages and other parts of the house. And while you can potty train a budgie, doing so is hard. This is because, unlike larger birds, they usually need to poop 3 to 4 times an hour. With an early start and some dedication though, it can be done.

Water puddles

Since budgies love to bathe and play in the water, it is common to find puddles of water in their cage. While this is annoying in itself, what makes things worse is the fact that these water puddles sometimes mix with dirt or the budgie’s poop, creating a gooey mess. And then your budgie will just step on this mess and spread it all over the cage, sometimes getting it on its toys. If this dries up before you notice, you will have to deep clean everything.

Feathers

Budgies lose their feathers from time to time, creating messes in their cages. This could be as a result of molting -a process that happens once or twice a year that involves the shedding of feathers. Alternatively, they could pluck their own feathers during preening/grooming or pluck those of other birds while playing. More alarmingly, the loss of feathers could be due to the French molt virus or other diseases.

Vomit and diarrhea

Apart from plucking their own feathers, sick budgies usually suffer from diarrhea and vomiting. This causes a big mess in their cages that warrant both cleaning and disinfection.

Beddings

Budgies have a way of taking apart even the most meticulously applied beddings and creating a mess from them. So whether you use straws, newspapers, or wood shavings, keep in mind that your bird can reduce them to a huge mess in no time.

How to minimize your budge’s messes

Although you can’t stop your budgie from ever creating a mess, there are a few things you can do to minimize it. These include:

Lining your budgie’s cage

Using untreated paper or paper towels to line your bird’s cage will keep it clean and germ-free. And when the lining is dirty, you’ll just have to replace it.

Place a trash can near the cage

If it’s hard for you to get the motivation to regularly clean your budgie’s cage, you can make things easier for yourself by placing a trash can near it. This eliminates the need for you to walk a long distance to get rid of budgie-related messes.

Get your budgie a bigger cage

If your bird keeps knocking over their food or water bowl, it could be a sign that their cage is too small for them. Getting them a bigger one could reduce the size of messes they create and even give them more space to fly around. In turn, the added space could uplift their mood and reduce their propensity to pluck out their feathers. Also, big cages make it easier for you to deep clean.

Keep their dishes clean and feed them well

Before you replenish your budgie’s food, ensure you clean their dishes first. Also, ensure the food you provide is always fresh and healthy. This will reduce the chances of your budgie throwing away the food. Another thing to keep in mind is that you should never fill the dish with too much food – this can lead to spillage.

Think about what needs to be in your budgie’s room

The more stuff is in your budgie’s room, the higher the chances of a big mess occurring. So only have things you need in there. If you already have a lot of things though, you can start clearing up by reducing the number of surfaces in your budgie’s room. This will reduce the spots available for your bird to poop on. And if you must have furniture, opt for materials like leather that are easy to wipe down. For maximum cleanliness, do away with drapes altogether.

Are budgies easy to clean?

For the most part, adult budgies clean themselves and their babies – all you have to do is provide them with some water. Just fill a shallow basin with some warm water and take your budgie to the edge of the water, allowing it to jump in. From there, instinct will kick in – you don’t even need to introduce any soap.

It is only when your bird is sick that you may have to step in. Ultimately, the only things you have to clean regularly are the cage, its contents, and the room. To help you out, here are some cleaning tips:

Change the cage’s liner every day

Spot-clean the cage to get rid of bacteria. You can use vinegar or another bird-friendly cleaning solution. Remember to pay particular attention to the bars, perches, and toys

Clean your budgie’ dishes with warm soapy water and dry them out before serving any food in them again
Wash all the bars of the cage once a week – you could even spray them down with a handheld showerhead
Vacuum the floors underneath your bird’s cage daily and mop them every week. Any rugs down there should also be washed and dried

Aim to always do your cleaning before your budgie’s playtime. This ensures there isn’t much for him to toss around when he starts playing. If you can afford it, get a robot vacuum cleaner for your budgie’s room. This device can roam the room once a day and clean it.

Have extra dishes, perches, and even toys so that you can rotate them out every time you do some cleaning
Get a spill-proof feeder – they have chambers that your birds have to enter before they can eat. This limits all food spillage to one area and makes cleaning easier

Get a good cage skirt – it will keep most of your budgie’s mass within the cage and away from the rest of your home. Also, remember to take it off and clean it weekly