I bought a rope perch a week or so ago from a pet store that I went to. I brought it home and immediately put it in the dishwasher. After it dried, I noticed that it had a horrible smell to it- I can't even describe it. Like mildew maybe? I don't know...but it doesn't smell pretty! So I soaked it for about an hour in hot water and GSE. Let it fully dry in the dish rack....still smells. It's a nice rope perch, but I only paid about $7 so I'm not totally opposed to just trashing it. Any ideas on getting it super clean and unscented before I give up?

I'd probably return it. It's still seven dollars ! lol and they may stop selling them to other people. But I wouldnt use it. Somethings not right. The price sounds too good to be safe prolly.

What kind of rope is it, Camille? Is it color dyed? I'm pretty paranoid about stuff that smells funny, especially when it comes to the fids. Another thing you might try is soaking it in white vinegar, and see if that neutralizes the smell. If it has end-caps to attach to the cage, I wonder if the adhesive could be causing it. I know I've had trouble with the adhesive letting go with rope perches. Same with Cholla cactus perches. It softens up and then won't hold the hardware tight. Never noticed an odor though.

I can't return it. I bought it in a town about 2 hours away- it cost me twice as much in gas to get it there!

I didn't notice it being smelly when I bought it though. I thought perhaps it had something to do with the ways I've been trying to wash it. It's got a big diameter- at least 1 inch. Maybe it's not drying out very well and that's causing the smell?

It's a rather short perch, maybe that's why it wasn't that expensive. It's just about 14 inches long. Compared to her other rope perch it's short.

Heck, I'd just trash it, Camille. My first guess is that it didn't get dry totally inside near the middle, where everything is tightly wrapped (even if you thought it was), and that it smelled because of that (some fibres and dyes smell when wet). After a couple of days, mold/mildew will start growing. Safer just to replace it, and not wash the new one :-). That's my philosophy, anyway. Since we don't even have a dishwasher, I just replace the rope perches when they get dirty. What the heck--they're relatively cheap. Especially compared to vet bills if it causes your birds to get ill.

Then again, I could be totally off base, as I'm a looooooong ways away, and can't see or smell what went on with the rope. Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be in the best interest of your birds.

I'd put it out in the sun tomorrow to bake & then see if it still smells.

I'd let it dry out completely between washings or it will get stinky - maybe another smell. If some thing is smelling like a bacterial or mold problem i boil it in a white vinegar & water mix. Don't think this a good idea if the item has glue in it tho - might wreck your pot.

If it smells like some plastic stink - it may have harmful fumes - but i can't imagine where they'd put plastic beyond the ends.

I have absolutely nothing to suggest here as all I can hear in my head is Phoebe from the old Friends series singing "smelly cat, smelly cat" except now she's changed the words to "smelly perch, smelly perch".

All right, all right, quit pushing me, I'm going, I'm going.....

Here's a picture of it.

LOL- my favorite show of all time! I have the series on DVD, and since I'm without cable we go through the entire series every few weeks!

I'll try putting it in the sun tomorrow, and if it still smells I'll just trash it. There's no way I'd let Ollie on it the way it is now. Thanks for your help everyone!