How to Clean a Cockatiel Habitat
To keep your cockatiel's habitat comfortable and clean, be sure to change the cage liner and wipe down the bottom bars of the cage every day. Also, wash your cockatiel's food and water containers daily in hot, soapy water. In addition to daily cleanings, do a more thorough major cleaning of the cage once a week. For this cleaning, place your cockatiel in another room to keep it safe from cleanser fumes. Start by using a scrub brush to remove organic material from the whole cage, including the bars and the cage floor. Then, go over the whole cage with a bird-safe disinfectant. Allow the cage to dry completely before returning your cockatiel.
Place the cockatiel in a safe spot. You need to remove the cockatiel from the cage as you tidy the cage each day. Place the bird in a safe area where they cannot get out of the house or be bothered by other pets. You may choose to place the bird in a travel cage, a second cage, or on a free standing perch if it is trained. Never place the bird in the kitchen. Not only is it risky for human hygiene, it's also dangerous for your bird because fumes from non-stick pots and pans can sicken or kill birds. Change drop tray liners daily. Whether you use newspaper or cage liners, you should change them daily. The bird's feces and excess food will drop into the liner. You shouldn't leave your cockatiel in their droppings for multiple days, so remove the tray and quickly remove the liners every day. Change the liners even if they look clean. Feces can be buried in the liner, and bacteria or mold can start growing in the environment. The ammonia from standing urine can bother a bird's respiratory system. You may choose to wear a face mask while you clean out droppings to avoid inhaling any infectious particles. Wipe the bottom bars often. Between major cleanings, you should wipe off the grate at the bottom of the cage. The bars on the bottom of the cage separate the bird and any droppings or discarded food. You should take a hot rag and wipe down any buildup on the bars. You can also use a mixture of 50% water and 50% white vinegar to clean the bars. You can wipe off the bars when you change the drop tray liners if you see a need. Wash food containers in hot water. You should remove and wash all food containers, including bowls, water bottles, and trays, each day. Clean out any leftover food or debris. Wash the dishes in hot, soapy water. Make sure to rinse thoroughly to remove all suds and dry the dishes before replacing in the cage. Inspect all toys for damage. Take all the toys out of the cage. Inspect them closely to look for damage. Look for anything on the toys that may harm your bird, like sharp edges or loose threads. If the toys are damaged, throw them away or repair them. Clean any toys that are soiled. If your bird has any toys that you can clean, you should wash them with hot water or a vinegar solution. For example, hard toys that you can drop in water should be cleaned. If there are toys that cannot be cleaned that way, try using a rag soaked in hot water to clean off the surface of the toy. Soak stone perches in hot water. Remove all perches and clean them. Stone perches should be soaked in hot water or cleaned with a vinegar solution. After you soak them for a little while, you can take a cleaning brush and scrub away any feces. Soak rope perches in hot water. After soaking in hot water, you can use a brush to try to remove any feces on the rope perch. Let the rope dry completely before placing it back in the cage. Rope perches need more time to dry, so leave them lying out until they are completely dry. Use minimal water to clean wood perches. Unlike stone and rope perches, wood perches can't be soaked in water because of the material. Instead, you can use a rag soaked in hot water to clean the surface of the wood perch. Wood perches need a longer time to dry. Don't place the perch back inside the cage until it is completely dry. Clean the cage once each week. Though you are tidying up after your cockatiel once a day, you should do a major cleaning of the cage once a week. Place your bird in a cage in a different room so they are not affected by any fumes from cleaning supplies. Clean the shield every few days. If your cockatiel habitat has shields that extend beyond the edge of the cage, the shields will catch feces and food debris. Every couple of days, you should take a hot rag to wipe down the mess on the shields. You may need to wipe them down more often if your cockatiel creates a lot of mess on the shields. Remove the drop tray. After removing and cleaning all the accessories, you should start cleaning the cage. Remove the drop tray. Throw away any product used in the bedding tray for droppings. Then, wash the drop tray with hot water or a vinegar solution. Remove organic material from the cage. Before you can disinfect the cage, you need remove any food, droppings, and seeds from the bars. Disinfectants won't work if there is organic material on the bars. Use a commercial bird-safe cleanser or a vinegar solution. If the buildup is caked on and hard to remove, let it soak in hot water for a while before cleaning it. Scrub the bars on the cage. Scrub the bars using a brush and hot water or vinegar solution. Remove all food, seeds, and feces that are stuck on the bars of the cage. Rinse off any cleanser before returning your bird to their cage. Spray difficult to clean enclosures with a hose. Some cockatiel enclosures are difficult to clean because they are deep and contain hard to reach places. To clean those edges, use a high-powered hose, like a pressure washer or steam washer. You can also try a garden hose. Clean the area beneath the cage. Wash the seed skirt or cage apron with hot soapy water. You should also clean the area of floor beneath the cage. Use hot soapy water and a bird-safe disinfectant. Let the cage dry. Before placing your cockatiel back inside the cage, make sure it is completely dry. You can dry it with a towel, or you can let it air dry. If the weather permits, let the cage dry in the sun because sunlight can help disinfect it. Place toys in different locations in the cage. When you reassemble the cage, put the toys in different areas or change out the toys. This can help keep your cockatiel from getting bored or developing bad habits, like preening. Disinfect with bird-safe cleaning solutions. To disinfect the cage, only use a bird-safe cleansers or diluted bleach. Place your cockatiel in a different room while you clean using these products. If you use a bleach dilution, it should be one part bleach to 10 parts water. Rinse the tray very well in hot water before placing it back in your bird cage. Disinfect the cage once each month. Though you should clean the cockatiel habitat once a week, you should thoroughly disinfect the cage once a month. Use an avian disinfectant or a bleach solution to disinfect the cage. Wipe the entire cage down with a sponge or cloth, or use a spray bottle. Let the disinfectant sit for 10 minutes. Rinse the cage thoroughly with hot water, making sure to remove all disinfectant so your bird doesn't accidentally get it in their mouth. Let the cage dry completely. You can use a dilution of one ounce of bleach with 10 ounces of water to disinfect the cage. Disinfect accessories. When you disinfect the cage, you should disinfect the accessories, including the perches and toys. Use a bird-safe disinfectant or the bleach solution. Rinse thoroughly and let them dry completely before placing them back in the cage. 
Place the cockatiel in a safe spot. Change drop tray liners daily. Wipe the bottom bars often. Wash food containers in hot water. Inspect all toys for damage. Clean any toys that are soiled. Soak stone perches in hot water. Soak rope perches in hot water. Use minimal water to clean wood perches. Clean the cage once each week. Clean the shield every few days. Remove the drop tray. Remove organic material from the cage. Scrub the bars on the cage. Spray difficult to clean enclosures with a hose. Clean the area beneath the cage. Let the cage dry. Place toys in different locations in the cage. Disinfect with bird-safe cleaning solutions. Disinfect the cage once each month. Disinfect accessories. 