To make sure all your visitors have a healthy lunch, the best remedy is keeping your Bird Buddy clean! At the very least, we recommend you clean your feeder once a month. If you clean it more often, it can certainly do no harm. There’s no need to stress about a regular cleaning schedule; we’ve done that for you. The Bird Buddy app will send you a notification whenever it’s time to clean your feeder! Of course, it’s important to keep your eyes open: we recommend cleaning the feeder more often during wet weather, if there have been reports of salmonella in your area or if you have seen sick birds in your yard.
Keeping your feathered friends happy and healthy
As we have said, cleanliness is super important. So, keep not only your Bird Buddy, but the area around it free and clear of any droppings and discarded food. Also make sure there are no deep scratches on your Bird Buddy. We have taken this into consideration in its development, and made sure to design it without any sharp edges that could be dangerous to birds. It can also take a pretty harsh beating, so scratches should not be a concern, but better safe than sorry, right? You can read more about Bird Buddy’s durability here.
Are your guests not eating the food you set out fast enough? Keep your eyes (and nose) peeled for any food that might smell or look funky, and replace it immediately. This will prevent any fungus or mold from growing and hurting your visitors.
Most importantly, be vigilant. Follow your local news for any information about any potential spreads of disease in your area. If you notice any sick birds around your feeder, it doesn’t hurt to take it down and give it an extra thorough scrubbing. Depending on the severity of the disease in your area, you may also want to keep your Bird Buddy tucked away inside until the area is declared safe again. While you may miss your feathered friends, it’s more important to keep the bird population around you happy and healthy, so you can enjoy them in all their beauty.
Cleaning and maintaining your Bird Buddy
Beyond just keeping it in tip-top condition, cleaning your feeder is also the most effective and most important step towards preventing the spread of avian diseases. Moldy or decomposing seeds and hulls that accumulate on feeder trays can make birds sick. It is important to be aware that bacteria and fungal spores can also quickly build up on bird feeders, bird baths and bird tables, which can spread infections among garden birds.
Bird Buddy is designed with the safety and comfort of our feathered friends in mind, and is incredibly easy to clean. The dirt-resistant material ensures that you can wipe off any grime that has built up on the feeder by using a wet cloth or a sponge, while the drainage holes at the bottom of the feeder make it possible for you to flush it through with a jet of water. You can give the inside of the seed container an extra scrub by using a bottle brush. If you purchased the solar roof add-on, it is best cleaned by spraying it with water and leaving it to dry.
Choosing the right cleaning solution is also important to ensure that your feathered friends stay safe. We recommend staying away from harsh chemicals in combination with scratchy sponges, as that could damage the casing and be dangerous if accidentally ingested by the birds. If you wish to use a cleaning solution, any commercially available 10% bleach solution will work fine.
Keep in mind that moisture can lead to the development of mold, which can make the seeds dangerous to ingest, so make sure you thoroughly dry your Bird Buddy before placing it back on its perch. Not enough? For a more thorough cleaning, Bird Buddy can also be disassembled completely.
To make sure you don't forget to clean your Bird Buddy feeder regularly, you can set up a reminder to clean your feeder in the Bird Buddy app!
