Cages and the furnishings need to be kept clean so you must have a frequent hygiene routine. This is to ensur e your bird does not pick up any diseases. This is particularly important if you keep your bird in a large aviary. Most diseases can be minimised through proper hygiene.

Infectious diseases can quickly spread though a group of birds so you must try and eliminate them by keeping a clean environment for your birds to live in.

It's obvious that hygiene cannot have any affect on metabolic diseases, but unhygienic conditions, and also the stress that goes with them might render your bird susceptible to any of the above diseases. But with modern cages it is much easier to keep them clean and free of disease, as long as you are following a good regime.

Keeping the cage tidy and free of dropping building up is essential, but nowadays, the sand sheets are ideal, just be careful that all the droppings are removed and not stuck to the sides of the cages. You can buy good disinfectants to keep the cage free of diseases but these cannot be used if there is still dirt in the cage, you cannot clean over covered dirt.

You can buy cleaning agents that are safe from pet shops, also some household cleaners are suitable, but can be a bit harsh if too much is used.

If you know your bird is infected with Ectoparasites such as red mites, feather mites etc both the bird and cage/aviary should be treated at the same time. The usual pesticides that are used for this purpose must be handled with extreme care as they are also toxic to man. The treatment for Knemidokoptic mites (scaly leg and scaly face) is different because these parasites live permanently in the bird, not on the birds skin.

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