Bird Droppings
 

Has anyone come up with a solution to keep birds from landing on the top rail of your birdcage? We spend a part of every day cleaning bird poop off our patio and would love to find something to deter them. We’ve tried the owls but they seemed to make it worse. Help!

Spikes.
Amazon.com

Electric utilities use a spike strip to keep birds and other animals off sensitive equipment, I am sorry I do not recall the product name, but an internet search for bird deterrents should produce suitable results. Your biggest problem with be getting someone to mount these. You may also find ultrasonic noise (or similar) products that may or may not work, these would be much easier to mount inside the birdcage. I have seen articles with mention of reflective displays that will keep birds away, no idea if these actually work or the longevity of the item.
Finally, try a search on this site, I seem to recall previous threads, but i do not recall if there were any solutions.

Try hanging CDs or DVDs on a string over the birdcage. They reflect the light and scare the birds away. Another option is to attach a spike strip on the top rail.

Hmmm!
. . . . . This should work keeping Birds off... :coolsmiley:

Some have used rubber snakes to scare away birds. Seems to work. Toss a couple up there and see what happens. Good luck.

Fake owls. I see them on many bird cages.

They already stated in their post they tried that and they didn't work!!!

Spikes may keep birds from landing, but they will still poop as they fly over. As they say, sh*t happens.

Daddy Longlegs (Amazon)

Amazon.com

Those owl replicas that you can buy at Lowe's don't work beyond a few days.

What DOES work is a "kinetic" owl. You can get 'em on Amazon. Also other birds-of-prey replicas such as ospreys. They're lifesized, with "wings" that spin in the wind. After trying everything under the sun to keep the critters away from my patio garden I finally went the kinetic owl route. Keeps everything away. They're made to sit on a pole with the other end of the pole in the ground, so they rotate with the wind as well as "flapping" their wings.

Mounting it might be a problem. The pole that comes with them is a fiberglas thingy maybe three feet long at most, and it bends (and breaks) readily when the wind is too strong. I solved that by buying a 4' length of 3/8" rebar at Lowe's and duct-taping the swivel end of the fiberglas pole to the re-bar. Works perfectly and keeps the owl ("Seymour") a respectable distance from the ground. With a little ingenuity you'd have no problem mounting it on the bird cage so it is at or above pooping-bird level.

Bird spikes (plastic or aluminum) work very well, but with any cure it has its issues with collecting wind blow debris. There was a jell type product that became rubbery and can be installed from tubes to the areas that birds land on like silicone. It was called HOT FOOT, as it made it uncomfortable for birds to set on the areas covered without causing any health issues to the birds. Of course there was a life expectancy to the product and has to be replaced.

I tried this in a barn, the birds build nests in the spikes!

They just build nests in the spikes. I know. I have tried that.

Vaseline, so when they land it’s slippery.

Yes, and You'll love this FIX!

We live on a rather large lake/
pond in Ocala.
We didn't automatically go running to Amazon for an expensive solution to an age old problem.

We use a perfect solution that works like a DREAM.

... AND IS VERY CHEAP!

Go to Ace Hardware and buy a long tape of red shiny mylar!

It resembles a roll of masking tape.
We made 4 LONG streamers and hung them to the top rails of the birdcage where 100's of Cattle igrets used to perch!!
ENDED THE PROBLEM.

We NEVER have more than a beautiful bluebird land on the corner, not on the screen anymore.

We don't crawl up ladders, so we get someone to do this every Spring for us. Mylar strips SCARE all birds when they flutter in the wind and shine.
I miss 'Heloise', don't you?
Simple and Inexpensive!!!

I tried everything - spikes, mylar tape, owls (all kinds) - what finally worked was a motion-activated solar floodlight. I discovered the birds were landing on my birdcage almost always right before sunrise. The motion activated light has worked great for over a year now - I mounted it on an aluminum L-channel on the side of the birdcage - that raised it to the level where the light would be triggered by the approaching birds. You can purchase a 2-pack of them on Amazon for $25 - definitely worth it!

So sorry this simplistic method didn't work for you!

I asked the people up and down the eastern seaboard, directly on the Atlantic Ocean what to do about thousands of birds flocking to our birdcage, porch railings and backyard fence, bushes, trees.

It was unanimous. Some suggested putting them on tree branches too. Many cited trees which extend over grills, patio's, porches, etc.

We've been using this method for 5-7 years with 100% success.
We enjoy seeing the 12" streamers floating with the wind.

Again, I'm so sorry it didn't work for you, Indy!

I don't know if this would work (I've read it does) but move the owls around. It will appear more natural to prey.

Birds
 

Not sure what birds you have and that may make a difference. Along the coast businesses and homeowners use fishing line to deter gulls and such, but it doesn't bother some birds.

Bird dropping
 

Purchase a heavy duty squirt bottle that can squirt a distance. Fill it with 1/2 cleaning vinegar (or the most acidic vinegar you can find) and add 1/4 water.

Spray the areas a couple times a day. If a bird happens to be there and you can spray it with the vinegar, go for it. It will take perseverance. Birds hate the smell and slight burning sensation of vinegar, so they will avoid the area. Rubbing alcohol works also.
This solution worked for us and it was less ugly than alternatives.

We found success mounting 5 strobe light/ultrasound devices with motion detection on the back edge of the cage. They have a range of 25-30 feet.

From Amazon for about $30 each. Abilly 2023 Solar Ultrasonic in Repellent Defender Rat, Squirrel, Deer, Raccoon, Skunk, Rabbit, Mole, Dog, Cat, Waterproof with Motion Detector

We tried motion detection flood lights but they only worked for a little while. We also tried Bird b gone devices with whirling reflectors and they worked for a month but made our place look like a landing strip.

I have these and agree. We had a problem with birds landing and doing their business right into the pool below. Since we've had the daddy longlegs, no problem. You'll have to get a screen company to get up there and install them.

Electrify the cage … tractor supply should have what you need! Remember the birds started the war, you didn’t …