The message that I would like to convey
on this page is that disinfection and routine
sanitation are the cornerstones to a healthy
pet bird. These two components of a daily
care program add very little time to an
owner's chores, but contributes tremendously
to a bird's overall health. A good sanitation
program is one of the major ingredients
in an all-around excellent preventative
health program and is equal in importance
to sound nutrition and psychological stimulation.
Disinfection by definition is the act of
freeing something from the presence of disease-causing
organisms. These organisms include bacteria,
fungi, yeast, viruses, and Chlamydia. Organisms
such as these are found abundantly in the
environment in which our birds and we live.
A healthy immune system is he first line
of defense against these diseases. A healthy
immune system depends on proper nutrition,
a good health status, and a clean environment.
Even with a healthy immune system, an overload
of disease-causing organisms or a constant,
low-grade exposure to disease-causing organisms
can lead to an infection.
To help your bird maintain a healthy immune
system you should feed mainly a formulated
(pelleted) diet with fresh food supplements,
and prevent disease exposure through proper
sanitation and lowered exposure to disease-carrying
birds. Proper sanitation includes washing
water bottles, fresh food bowls, cages,
and cage accessories regularly with water
and a mild detergent, then disinfecting
them with a safe, effective disinfectant.
Regularly means daily for the fresh food
and water bowls and weekly for the cage
and accessories. We have spare dishes so
there is a clean dish in the cage while
the dirty dish is soaking in the disinfectant
solution. The disinfectant should be rinsed
afterwards to insure that there are no residues.
See the particular disinfectant label for
specific use directions.
