Top 5 Dangers in Our Homes for Birds

 Is our home safer for our parrots than the wild? Sure, inside our comes they have unlimited food, medical attention, and free from predation, but there are a lot more household dangers that are hiding within our homes for our parrots to run into. Though there are a large range of objects and scenarios that are unsafe for our parrots within the home, I have compiled a list of dangers that I believe should be the most well-known and understood, as it has catastrophic effects for our birds, including death, to ideas you see in mainstream culture that just are not safe. This is my top five list of dangers commonly found or unknown to new bird owners.

The first danger is one of the most common examples I see. It is the use of nonstick items. The coating is called Polytetrafluorethylene or commonly called Teflon. I am sure most parrot caretakers are aware of this, but I do what to go over the details for those who are unaware. Nonstick coatings, commonly found on appliances that heat up or that you cook with, are toxic to our parrots because as the coating breaks down, it emits a toxic chemical fume into their air that is undetectable to humans. It can lead to a polymer fume fever, even for humans, and for parrots, it leads to death from PTFE toxicity. These fumes get emitted into the environment when they are heated up past a specific temperature of around 570-degree Fahrenheit. But, if there are small abrasions or weak spots within the coating from general use, the temperature of which fumes are emitted can decrease significantly. Also, overtime as the coating wears down and becomes weaker, it can lead to toxicity in the air. The air toxicity is not detectable to humans be scent or vision, so there is seemingly no way to know if the items are emitting fumes into the environment.

 Why does this matter for parrots, since it probably happens often with humans and we never hear about people dying from it? Well, parrots have very different respiratory systems than humans. Parrots have 9 air sacs around their body which allow for faster oxygenation. Generally, how they work is air that is breathed in is immediately absorbed through the air sacs and used for more efficient breathing. This adaptation happens to aid in long flights for the bird to not get winded or out of breath. Parrots fly an average of 25 plus miles in the wild daily; imagine running 25 miles a day with our type of breathing, it would be a lot harder and take more out of us. Since these air sacs aid in faster absorption, there is far less filtration that happens of the air, which means even the slightest toxicity in the air can be a death sentence.

 So, what contains Teflon? Most items that have parts that heat up unfortunately contain it. It is very commonly seen within cookware, like pots and pans, but also in some kitchen devices, like air fryers and toasters. Sometimes, the inside of ovens, especially those with a “self-cleaning” function (which is also toxic to parrots since it emits fumes into the environment) have nonstick coatings. We can also find Teflon beyond the kitchen and appliances. Commonly seen in hair dryers, clothes irons, heating and air condition units, space heaters, and so much more. It is within best practice to remember to check the parts by calling the manufacturer to determine if an item is safe if it heats up at all or is made to be around heat.

The next danger is dangerous mainly because of the bird’s delicate respiratory system, and it is the use of air fresheners, candles, wax melts, diffusers, hairspray, and even colognes and perfumes. Again, because our birds do not have the same filtration of air as our respiratory system does, as well as they are much smaller than we are so smaller dosages affect them more, our birds are putting the chemicals within these products right into their bodies. The concern with oils and diffusers is a diffusers take microscopic droplets of oil and introduce them into the air. This means that when the bird breathes it in, it is also breathing in that oil. Also, some types of essential oils are toxic to animals, as well as the quality and where you get the oil from where it may be mixed with other oils and chemicals to bring more harmful effects to your birds. Generally, if it smells, make sure it is safe and within your bird’s best interest to be exposed to it.

The next one continues to follow the same guidelines as before, as it is respiratory based, but pesticides and insecticides. When using any type, make sure it is away to your bird and they do not have access to it. If you need to have your home chemically sprayed, most commonly for termites, bed bugs, cockroaches, or any other type of pest, make sure to remove birds entirely from the home. Fumes can linger within environments for longer than detected with our nose, and the scent and dangers could possibly even travel through walls and different levels of the house. It is within best practice to remove birds entirely from the situation when using sprays. Outdoor sprays for ants or other yard bugs are generally safe to use with the bird still inside, but any stronger chemicals with a strong odor, I would be cautious about. There are some safe and natural remedies to remove general bugs, like ants and moths, that can be used. These include diatomaceous earth to kill pests. Non-natural products that are safe are the Terro brand liquid ant traps or revenge moth traps for example, but be sure the bird does not have access to these and does not interact with them. It is safe to have in the environment and not direct contact with your bird. If you have questions on pesticides and insecticides, be sure to contact your trusted avian vet for their recommendation on how to control the situation and keep your bird’s safe. Keep in mind that majority of pest control workers do not understand parrot’s sensitive respiratory system and may say a treatment is safe for them when it is not, so always check with your vet if you are in this situation.

The next unsafe item in our homes that made it to my top five list includes saliva. This is important if you have a multispecies house or it is just humans interacting with parrots. Mammals have gram negative bacteria. This bacterium is found within our saliva and it helps break down out food, since our digestive system starts with the mechanical breaking down of food within our mouth, and the saliva aids in breaking down. Canines and felines also have the gram-negative bacteria. Our parrots do not have the same saliva; therefore, their digestive track works differently. Some birds have something similar to saliva, but it is mainly used to lubricate the food going through their bodies and less of chemical breaking down. Birds have gram positive bacteria through their bodies and cannot handle gram negative bacteria. In fact, on a gram stain test, if there are more than 10%-gram negative bacteria found in a bird, it is considered unwell and it is treated seriously. This is a concern because we all love to kiss our birds, which our lips have gram negative bacteria on it to a degree. Never let your bird inside your mouth, like to touch your teeth, and never lick your bird. Other pets in the house may want to lick your bird, or lick your bird’s cage if they dropped some food that they desire. This can cause the same bacteria concerns as it does with our mouths. For those unfortunately bit by mainly canines for also felines that needed stitches may already be aware of this because most doctors avoid sewing up patients with these bites because of the animal’s saliva cause an increase of infection. Felines have an increased number of gram-negative bacteria in their saliva which makes it even more sensitive for birds to interact with cats, or interact with objects recently licked by cats.

The last danger to talk about are ceiling fans. Likely, most people understand what possible dangers come from ceiling fans being turned on with a flying animal around. Similarly, to accidently leaving a door or window open, often we turn on the fan and do not think in the moment, and that is when accidents happen. The danger increases if your bird is flighted, as they would be more likely to interact with a ceiling fan, if they are more skittish and fearful because birds take flight when startled as an evolutionary trait, or if you encourage or allow your bird to use the ceiling fans as a perch. The object of the fan existing is not the issue, the issue comes from when it is turned on. It is likely assumed what will happen if your bird flies into a ceiling fan, but just to name it, either its instant death, broken bones, spinal cord problems, or neurological conditions that will permanently affect your bird.

Personally, I have two ceiling fans in my house, one in in a bird-living area and the other is in my bedroom where I do not have birds. I do sometimes use my ceiling fans. I have a very stern rule in my house that fans are only allowed to be turned on after all the birds are to bed at night. That means all birds are in their cages secured, all lights are off, and they will not be coming back out under any circumstance until the morning, where I triple check that all fans have been turned off. I know that may be a luxury for some who may not have that control. There are other fan options that are safer than ceiling fans. Fans whose blades are encased in wire that blocks the bird from getting near the turning blades as well as bladeless fans, which still have blades to move the air, but they are encased or disguised. Also, training your bird to avoid landing on fans can also decrease further injury when using bladeless options, as sometimes if they land on a wire encasement, the blades can still interact with their toes and cut them off or break them.

All in all, our homes are not naturally set up to properly house a parrot in them. A lot of sacrifices need to be made in order to keep your bird healthy and happy. Alternatives can be more pricy or harder to find. But it is the sacrifice caretakers make when they open their doors to a parrot. There are much more items within our homes that are unsafe, I only had time to share five here, so if you are ever concerned if an item is safe or unsafe for your bird, feel free to contact us or your trusted avian vet.