Hello!

So I am setting up my cage, and I just wanted to know what you guys thought about placement of things. I am trying to figure out where to place my wheel and I was wondering if there was a certain thing I should do. Should it be higher up in the cage? Near the floor? Should I have a hammock or something near it?

And also, what cleaners do you recommend? Just vinegar/water, or should I Clorox(washing it after with water and making sure the smell is gone after, of course)?

It doesn't really matter where the wheel is in the cage as long as they can get to it. I wouldn't put it too high in the cage just in case they fall out. As for cleaning you can use the vinegar solution or even a 10% bleach/water solution. I would use any type of disinfectant with chemicals in it though that could be harmful to the gilders.

I like to put the wheels at MY eye level in the cage because it is fun to just stand and watch them play, run, jump and ride in the wheel.

My preferred cleaning routine is to take the whole cage outside and wash it with Dawn dish soap and rinse it with the hose and allow it to dry in the sun before bringing it back inside.

Rinsing with the hose and getting all the food and waste out of the spaces under the cage pan with water pressure is my key to getting the whole cage clean.

Yes, I'm fortunate enough to be able to take the whole cage outside for a thorough cleaning and hose blasting.

Vinegar and water is a good wipe down for in between deep cleans. I wouldn't use a clorox (or any other cleaning product) if it wasn't during a deep clean with the use of a hose...shower attachment, etc.

As for the wheel, it's up to you! You would want enough space from the cage bottom to give enough room for one to walk under without getting a knock on the head. I've gotten to where I place mine on the side vs. back wall. The wheels fling quite a bit of 'debris' and so I can easily wipe the floor and the part of the cage in front of the wheel and the shower curtain on that side and behind the cage catch the rest, and then that goes in the washer every week or so. Personal preference!

I use 50/50 mix of vinegar and hot water with around 5-7 drops of eucalyptus essential oil and a couple drops of dawn dish soap for cleaning. I mix all that up in a bucket, then scrub with a scrub brush to take off any grime then I wipe any residue off with a microfibrer towel. I do this about every 7-9 days.

Drop trays are wiped out daily, I have a spray bottle with the above solution and I spray, let it sit for the time it takes me to remove dinner dishes and refill water bottles, then wipe out with a damp papertowel.

About once a month I deep clean the cage, starting with a steam cleaner then a 10% bleach water solution.

Toys and wheels get cleaned on a weekly rotation, they get the 10% bleach water soak, and bedding gets washed with hot water and a cup of vinegar. If the weather is permitting, I air dry them outside in the sun. Or drip dry inside, in the winter.

I upgraded my critter nations to triple stacks, so I can't roll them outside anymore to hose them down.

Oh, and when I clean, I only clean one thing per day. I never clean toys and bedding on the same day, or cage and wheel.. Always leave at least half a week between jobs so the gliders won't over mark.

I use vinegar/water solution for wipe downs. I spot clean for a few weeks, then do a good wipe down, sometimes double. Every few months I use a steam cleaner in between. I don't use 50/50 solution though, typically it's more like 1/3 v and 2/3 w. I always wipe dry after too.

The important thing with the wheel placement is to make sure there is clearance all around. Sometimes suggies hang on edge, and of course someone may be near by as well, either way, you don't want them to be bumped.

I move the wheels around, I've had one high, one low, mostly I keep the cage mount in one place for a long time and move the floor stand one around. Lately, it's been the cage mount midway on one side, and the floor stand wheel will either be on the floor, or on a shelf a little higher than the cage mount. I also like to keep the cage mount on the side of cage instead of the back, but mostly because I can get to it easier from the door to remove for cleaning or even wiping down while inside the cage.

As for how you arrange the glider furnishings and your cleaning routine, it may change over time. It does for me, I've tried several different routines as to how I clean the cage. I pretty much have always used the v/w but depending on my schedule and what just seems to work or not work, it changes. I would love to be able to take my cage outside for a good hosing, or even in the shower, but I haven't had the proper location for the cage to do that, or a large enough tub to fit the cage into anyway.

So try different things and see what works for you and your gliders.

Thank you all so much for your responses. I wasn't really sure what cleaners they were more sensitive to, but vinegar and dawn soap (and the bleach properly parted) seem like a much easier, safer alternative than trying with those. I am unable to take the cage outside (or in the shower), so I was worried about what cleaning methods I could use. I never thought of using a steamer! Though, now that I think about it, it is definitely a viable solution.

What do you wash your fleece with? From what I understand, a washing machine works fine with unscented detergent, but are there other ways I should consider that work better or keep the fleece longer?