First can I just say how great it is to have the board back and major issues and they board was down and had to find another one... but that's besides the point.

 

okay, once a month I take the bottom of my small cages off and wash them down with warm water and dettol. In my big cage I would try and clean as much of the bottom as possible. I also soak both feed and water dishes in the mix (a new mix as the first lot goes on the cage bottoms). Everything then gets a wash down with warm clean water and dried before being replaced.

 

So I was doing that today and a friend came over, she told me that dettol was really harmful in birds that it causes tumors and that was most likely where Queenie got her's from. She gave me a lecture about how I was slowly posioning my babies!

 

So I am a little freaked. I did a quick search and came up with that people use it to clean perches and treat Scaly Face. When I pointed this out she said that using a teaspoon if that is fine but I am using about two capfulls in my water mix.

 

Is this okay? or should I switch to something else?

 

On a funny side, as Harley's cage is one that has a stand that it hangs from I can take the bottom off and leave the top hanging with him in sitting on his perches (less stressful for him). Over the last few months he has taken to climbing down and hanging off the bottom edge of the cage using only his beak! normally I would put the base under him and lift him up then click the base back on. Tonight for some reason I just put my hand under him, he sat on my hand!!!!!!!!! Then I lifted him back to his perch and he lent down and rubbed his head against my hand! Yes I cried!

 

Then he bit me! *shrug* old habbits die hard

Edited August 1, 200717 yr by Angelic Vampyre

I can't advise, i dont know what Dettol is (maybe a different name in the US?)

I wouldnt reccomend Dettol, or any of that type of disinfectant. I always disinfected my cages with a VERY dilute jeyes fluid, then rinsed all parts thoroughly. My time honoured favourite though was simply good old fashioned hot soapy water :0

Wikipedia says:

"Apart from its low toxicity and low metal corrosivity, it is also relatively cheap compared to other disinfectants and is effective against gram positive and gram negative bacteria, fungi, yeast, mildew and even the frightening "super-bug" MRSA, thus giving it a broad spectrum of antimicrobial action."

 

and continues:

"However, like other household cleaners, it is still poisonous and should not be ingested."

"Overuse of Dettol can also cause bacterial resistance, but the risk of infection can be reduced considerably by using it in addition to soap and water."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dettol

 

A Google search of "Dettol" and "birds" only brought up links to common uses in cleaning and treating some avian parasites and infections. Nothing to indicate serious problems in normal use. It seems difficult, but not impossible to kill yourself with Dettol ( "Dettol Man" cleans himself to death ) and don't do that ;-)

 

So don't give it to your birds to drink, any more than you would give them a bar of soap to chew on, and use common sense.

 

I'm one of those who has used Dettol to treat scaley-face (mixed with olive oil) and on occasion I've had budgies bite the cotton bud applicator. I figured this was probably a "bad thing" and switched to using an eye dropper instead. However, the birds that chowed down on a beak full did NOT develop any cancers, or have any noticeably shorter lifespan, or any other problems - but they DID completely recover from scaley face.

 

I would say using Dettol to clean your cages or perches is no more harmful to your babies than the flourescent lights in your house (supposedly cancer causing), pollution in the air (ditto), plastic in the cages, seed containers, and food storage you may use (also supposedly carcinogenic). I could keep going with the list of supposedly tumor causing products and processes, but then you'd probably want to crawl into a corner and die yourself ...

 

Next time your "friend" comes around - smile sweetly, nod at appropriate times, and tell her nothing. As the saying goes "Don't confuse me with the facts ... I've already made up my mind!!" and under those circumstances it's not worth arguing over.

 

Cheers,

KathyW.

Edited August 2, 200717 yr by KathyW

Very well said KathyW

I was just trying to do some research on it also as I have used it to sterilise my crop needles as I was told by a few breeders that is what they use. So I am glad it is kind of safe. Thanks Kathy

Thanks for that, feeling alot better.

 

I know that with their feed containers that I give them a REALLY good wash after washing them in the dettol so that they do not end up eating/drinking it.

 

I am thinking I will just make sure that my birds are never out or that I am claning the cages or anything to do with the birds when she is around!

Dettol is REALLY old, like an old standard older than me and I don't think a lot of people use it a whole lot anymore. (but Mother has some, you can tell how strong it is by the size of the bottle and it hasn't changed over the years). We have always used gentle antibacterial dish soap and bleach at the Wildlife Shelter but I don't know how that would work in an aviary setting. So be careful with Dettol ! As for food and water containers.......check the pinned post under Budgie Maintenance, outstanding results!!!