Save Your Lungs: Avoiding Bird Keepers Lung
Recently, I have been having some health concerns. Nothing major or life threatening, but difficult to diagnose. Apart of it is the concern of not being able to breathe, well more the feeling of. All my tests have come back normal, no asthma, and nothing on my imaging. My medical history is a story for a different day, but it really scared me not feeling like I could breathe. I worried that after having birds for 20 years that it caught up to me and I was developing respiratory issues because of them. Bird keeper’s lung is a real thing, and when I worked in a rescue full time for 6 years, I had at least one person a month relinquishing their deeply beloved bird because it caused them lung damage, and their doctors refused to treat her till the bird was gone.
Thankfully it is looking like that is not my case. But it was an extreme wake up call. I have always tried to be good about managing dust, protecting myself, and keeping the environment safe for everyone. Being realistic, I still have 9 parrots and 3 dogs in a relatively small space. During winter, I cannot open the windows and help circulate air, or get the birds outside. I know other people struggle with this as well. I have come up with all the methods that I have used to greatly diminish the dust in my house and aid in staying safe and healthy with parrots!
The first thing I do is what everyone is likely initially thinking. I have MANY HEPA air purifiers in my house. HEPA filtration is the only type that is safe for parrots. Air purifiers that use ionizing or o-zone purification is unsafe, as well as if it claims to never have to buy replacement filters. The only air purifiers safe for parrots is HEPA. HEPA filtration works well for dust, dander, dog hair, and other common allergens. They have at least a two-step purification system, some having four or more! You are going to want to find one that specifically specializes in dust or dander, or says it is good for pets. All will do a similar job, but there are specialized filters that work better for these allergens.
You are going to want to be sure you are cleaning the filters at least once a week. I even clean out the entire unit once a month. Some layers of filters have a screen mesh that can be cleaned with water or just vacuumed. Most you cannot use water with. You can bang them outside on something, vacuum them outside, or what I do is vacuum them with my shop vac outside, then switch over to the flow function and blow it out. The blow feature on the units themselves and the filters takes out so much dust! You can also use a leaf blower and do a similar function if you do not have a shop vac. If your filters are not clean, or as clean as you can get them as often as you can, then the purifiers stop doing its job and just blows out dusty air. Keeping up on them, and replacing them promptly when you should, is important to their success!
I am going to link the three air purifiers that can be found in my house. I have a total of five running in my house at all times.
Note with the Honeywell ones, my model is no longer made (these units last forever). This is the replacement model for mine. It is as close as I could get to it.
Next thing that I have are exhaust fans! I have one on the ceiling and four window units. The air purifiers work on the floor level, then work at waist height level, and my ceiling one covers up high. I have air purifying measures covering all three sections for the best success. What the exhaust fans do is just suck out the air, dust, and all, and removes it from the environment. I am going to link below my window units because they are the best things ever. Since installing them, I am dusting cages less, no exaggeration. Within two days the window screens behind the units were snow white. I never knew the air was that bad!! The ones I am linking below has three fan speeds, and it also will draw air in from outside and circulate the air in the environment, which I am excited to test once when the weather warms up! I have them running in the winter on the exhaust function, and it does not affect the temperature in the room! Since it sucks the air out, even if a little air comes in, it does not make it far. When it dips into the low 20’s or below at night, I do take them down just in case. Otherwise, they are working double time for me! They are extremely simple to understand, set up, and remove if you need to.
Here is the link to the exact exhaust window fans I have!
One management option that people do not think a lot about when it comes to dust management is the humidity of the environment. Parrots naturally need a higher humidity environment for their skin and respiratory system, like most reptiles. But humidity also helps weigh dust down! This is a thing I learned a lifetime ago when I was a professional photographer doing underwater portraits. When cleaning the mirror on a camera, it is a very sensitize part of the camera and a very important one for image quality. If there is dust or debris, then it shows in the photos in the form of black dots. It is usually recommended to send the camera to a professional or the manufacturer to get it done, but if you want to do it at home, this is what they recommend. Put your shower as hot as it goes without the fan on for 10 minutes. Once it is humid and steamy, then you clean the sensor because the humidity weighs down the dust so there is less of a chance of getting more on it when cleaning.
For parrots, we can adopt this measure to help aid in our purification. Our air purifiers and window exhaust fans are useless unless the particles are on the ground near the unit for it to suck it in. Most of the dust is inaccessible to air purifiers. So, if we keep the humidity at least at 50%, that helps weight the dust down so our units can do their job better! It also is better for the parrots, and us too in the winter time or if you live in dry climates.
Here is a link to the temperature and humidity reader I have used for years now! I recommend putting this near your parrot’s cage or in the same room as your parrots to get an accurate reading. Remember to dust it off regularly so it can have an accurate reading.
Temperature and Humidity Reader
Another way to decrease dust is to go right to the source! Bathing your parrots can aid in decreasing the amount of dust you have, especially the dustier species like cockatoos, cockatiels, and all African parrots. You should bathe your bird about every three days or so. Bathing too frequently can strip the bird of their feather down dust that they do need to keep a healthy plumage. Effective bathing involves your bird to spread its wings, fluff up, and manipulate their body so water hits everywhere. If your bird stands still with everything tucked in, they are not getting the benefits! Birds use oils and dust to create a waterproof barrier so when it rains out in the wild, they can stay nice and dry. Same thing with the shower. If your bird does not like to be bathed, it can be taught, and I would love to help you with that!
Since I have a lot of feathered butts to bathe, I bought a simple $20.00 misting system and installed it into my shower. The line is held up by suction cups that fall every once in a while as they do. I have a shower head that had two different heads that you can toggle one, the other, or both to go at the same time. I do not know what it is called, as it was already here when I moved in six years ago, but its amazing! The kit came with a shower head modifier, as they are technically made to screw onto a hose bib. If the kit you choose does not, hardware stores sell them for under $10.00. I can toggle my shower when I need to use it, and use the misters for the birds. They are very powerful and work great, meaning showers do not last as long. They do create a lot of moisture, so have the fan on, dry the walls immediately after, and do not put any nails or screws that are not covered by caulk around the shower.
I do not remember the exact listing I bought my misting system from, as it has been a long time ago, but this is the listing I think I used:
Some last bits and bobs to suggest is seeing if you can create an air flow system to circulate air where you want it to go involving fans. Fans can be unsafe for parrots, but there are bladeless fans. This can help direct the air towards your purifiers to work more efficiently. Plants are always good to have, especially parrot safe ones, but they do not remove dust. Having your windows open as much as possible to let the fresh air in helps too! In the summer, my house gets to about 82F because I love the windows being open that much! The animals do not mind it either, even my basset hound and long-haired dachshund. Worse thing they do is lay on the floor for an hour, but usually they lay on my bed on my pillows and covers… Sorry, I meant to say their bed that they share with me. Dusting cages regularly is a no brainer, but also dusting the walls! I use my spinning mop with just water, sometimes some vinegar, and use that to wipe down the walls, the window trim, everything! It makes it a lot easier and more realistic for me to do and keep up on. Lastly, wearing N95 masks when dusting and cleaning helps protect us when the dust is the most disturbed.
I hope this has helped you gain a good understanding of how to manage parrot dust better and keep your lungs safe! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me using the button below, or just respond to this email!