Post by C.F.Admin on Jul 17, 2007 13:08:13 GMT 10
Living areas dangers to consider and the one secret
substance that is deadly to parrots of all sizes!
Most every parrot is a “chewer” and you must make certain all electrical cords and cable wirings are placed safely out of sight. I use simple twist-ties such as are used to close a garbage bag to wrap extra wiring and attach the “extra wire bundle” with tape or a tack that has the twist tie ONLY wrapped around it, pulling the wires up and behind furniture, desks, entertainment centers, lamps, and other objects. You may find a better way, but this one has worked for me.
Any house plants you have, you must make certain are bird-safe. I place mine on top of furniture where the parrots can not reach. But that is to protect the plant, rather than the parrot. I would never allow a bird-toxic plant in my home! Lists of bird-safe plants are easily located on the Internet and will be discussed in a future article. You need to check any plants you are not sure about and take no chances with your parrot’s life and health!
Furniture chewing can be a problem and you can use a simple training method to avoid this problem. First of all, spend time training your parrots not to chew furniture by sitting with them on the furniture. When they begin to chew, use the “NO” command, while touching their beaks. DO NOT strike their beaks, just a simple touch to distract them. They soon learn they are not to chew there. I have found that providing a play tree near my desk (where I spend most of my time, you might place yours by your favorite chair) and have toys that they CAN chew available at all times.
Holiday decorations receive the same treatments as my regular wiring. Don’t display a bunch of items that will tempt your birds into chewing things they shouldn’t. I’ve never had a problem with any of my parrots wanting to chew a Christmas tree, but if you have live poinsettias they MUST be placed in an impossible to reach location. They are extremely toxic to birds and children.
When I clean my living areas, I NEVER, EVER use any product which contains any form of Teflon. That includes the new bathroom cleaners that contain this substance. Teflon is DEADLY to parrots of all sizes. Carpet cleaners will recommend you allow them to add “stain guard” to your rugs – they are offering you a death sentence to your pets. I never allow such substance in my home. If it’s not good for birds, it can’t be too great for our health either!
The kitchen area and why you should avoid purchasing
those "easy to clean" drip pans!
Kitchen safety is a big problem. I spend time there and the birds may want to follow me into the kitchen. I discourage them for several reasons. Even though I have no toxic items out where a bird could reach it, there are just too many dangers in the kitchen.
A bird can’t tell when a stove eye is hot and could flap down from your shoulder onto a hot eye where you have just removed a pan. Whatever is being stirred in a pot can look like good eating to a bird, and the possibility of having a bird jump into a hot food absolutely terrifies me. Also, there are sharp objects in the kitchen that may not look threatening to your feathered loved ones. Knives don’t look sharp to a parrot, but they might try to flap down onto a knife in the dish drainer and cut themselves badly.
Teflon in the kitchen is another issue of great concern to me – and must become an issue of concern for you as well. I don’t use Teflon cookware very much at all. I do have one skillet I use for cooking eggs because Teflon is just best for that. But I never leave the pan unattended when cooking. Teflon releases a deadly poison when heated to hot temperatures which will kill a parrot, even a large one, within minutes. It is safe enough cook eggs at low temperatures, but if you left and the pan heated so that the eggs burned, the poison would certainly be released. When you choose to cook with Teflon, make sure all your birds are safely away from the kitchen.
I have read horror stories from people who bought Teflon under-eye burner drip pans for their stoves. Their birds all died! You should never purchase one of these “easy clean” drip pans. I’d rather scrub and scrub to clean a regular aluminum drip pan. Another horror story was about a lady who bought a Teflon baking pan for cooking her turkey. She lost 10 birds as a result! Would you want to take a chance with your bird’s life?
There is one exception to allowing my birds in the kitchen. I have several who will only bathe in the kitchen sink. When I give them baths, I make sure to be with them every single minute and never have any sharp object in the nearby dish drainer. If you choose to provide kitchen sink baths for your parrots, just remember, supervision is the key.
The bathroom area and how to avoid getting soap or shampoo
on your parrot while you shower together!
There are tons of dangers in the bathroom, so I seldom allow my birds in that room of the house. I have makeup exposed, there is that large hole of water in the toilet that might look like a big bath, hard porcelain could break a bone is a bird flapped down – I just don’t take the risk.
Strong cleaners are used in the bathroom to sanitize it properly for your family. You must not expose your birds where chemicals have just been used. I place everyone in their cages when I clean the bathroom. I also NEVER allow a bird nearby when I am spraying my hair with hairspray. If you use any type of strays of a similar nature such as deodorant, hair products, or skin care products, you should use the same caution!
There’s an exception here too: I have a conure that wants to shower rather than bathe. So, I have installed on my shower enclosure wall a non-slippery towel holder large enough for the bird to perch properly and I allow her to shower with me a few times per week. The perch is placed so that I will not get soap or shampoo on her but she will enjoy a fine, steady mist. It’s so neat to watch her spread her wings and get soaked! However, I NEVER give her a shower just after I clean the bathroom. If you find you have parrots who love showers, you can easily install a similar perch or purchase one made specifically for this purpose.
Again, any cleaners using Teflon are barred forever from my bathroom. All those new products that may make cleaning much easier are not for me – or you if you truly love your birds. Let the dog or cat owner use them if they want; but birds are so sensitive to Teflon, it’s not worth the chance of risking your best buddies’ health.
In Closing
The whole key to bird safety in the home is use of common sense.
I do have a man who comes to my home to spray for bugs, preventing any infestations. Before I signed on a service, I talked to several until I found one that assured me they had the proper chemicals and had serviced several bird owners before without problems. He is not allowed to spray directly around my bird cages, but on the open floor below the cage is alright. He’s great and makes sure nothing gets on my birds, even though he assures me the chemical he uses is non-toxic to birds. It has worked out very well.
Don’t ever let anyone spray just any bug spray. If you want to have bug spray on hand for the occasional spider that may come in or such, look for a product containing pryethrin as the active ingredient. This chemical IS bird safe. I have tested it myself!
Never paint around your birds. Painting is for outdoors. Only thoroughly dried painted objects can be allowed inside. This means that any petroleum-based paint must stay outside for two to three days in order to off-gas fully. This doesn’t mean your children can’t watercolor around the birds. But painting the rooms in your house will require bird sitting service and painting any object with spray paint, the paint must age outdoors! I’ve read enough horror stories involving deaths of much-loved parrots to never take any chances in this area.
I know you love your parrots as much as I love mine, so please, provide them a safe and happy home so they will be with you for years and years. You would find it most difficult to know that careless on your part caused the death of a feathered loved one.
substance that is deadly to parrots of all sizes!
Most every parrot is a “chewer” and you must make certain all electrical cords and cable wirings are placed safely out of sight. I use simple twist-ties such as are used to close a garbage bag to wrap extra wiring and attach the “extra wire bundle” with tape or a tack that has the twist tie ONLY wrapped around it, pulling the wires up and behind furniture, desks, entertainment centers, lamps, and other objects. You may find a better way, but this one has worked for me.
Any house plants you have, you must make certain are bird-safe. I place mine on top of furniture where the parrots can not reach. But that is to protect the plant, rather than the parrot. I would never allow a bird-toxic plant in my home! Lists of bird-safe plants are easily located on the Internet and will be discussed in a future article. You need to check any plants you are not sure about and take no chances with your parrot’s life and health!
Furniture chewing can be a problem and you can use a simple training method to avoid this problem. First of all, spend time training your parrots not to chew furniture by sitting with them on the furniture. When they begin to chew, use the “NO” command, while touching their beaks. DO NOT strike their beaks, just a simple touch to distract them. They soon learn they are not to chew there. I have found that providing a play tree near my desk (where I spend most of my time, you might place yours by your favorite chair) and have toys that they CAN chew available at all times.
Holiday decorations receive the same treatments as my regular wiring. Don’t display a bunch of items that will tempt your birds into chewing things they shouldn’t. I’ve never had a problem with any of my parrots wanting to chew a Christmas tree, but if you have live poinsettias they MUST be placed in an impossible to reach location. They are extremely toxic to birds and children.
When I clean my living areas, I NEVER, EVER use any product which contains any form of Teflon. That includes the new bathroom cleaners that contain this substance. Teflon is DEADLY to parrots of all sizes. Carpet cleaners will recommend you allow them to add “stain guard” to your rugs – they are offering you a death sentence to your pets. I never allow such substance in my home. If it’s not good for birds, it can’t be too great for our health either!
The kitchen area and why you should avoid purchasing
those "easy to clean" drip pans!
Kitchen safety is a big problem. I spend time there and the birds may want to follow me into the kitchen. I discourage them for several reasons. Even though I have no toxic items out where a bird could reach it, there are just too many dangers in the kitchen.
A bird can’t tell when a stove eye is hot and could flap down from your shoulder onto a hot eye where you have just removed a pan. Whatever is being stirred in a pot can look like good eating to a bird, and the possibility of having a bird jump into a hot food absolutely terrifies me. Also, there are sharp objects in the kitchen that may not look threatening to your feathered loved ones. Knives don’t look sharp to a parrot, but they might try to flap down onto a knife in the dish drainer and cut themselves badly.
Teflon in the kitchen is another issue of great concern to me – and must become an issue of concern for you as well. I don’t use Teflon cookware very much at all. I do have one skillet I use for cooking eggs because Teflon is just best for that. But I never leave the pan unattended when cooking. Teflon releases a deadly poison when heated to hot temperatures which will kill a parrot, even a large one, within minutes. It is safe enough cook eggs at low temperatures, but if you left and the pan heated so that the eggs burned, the poison would certainly be released. When you choose to cook with Teflon, make sure all your birds are safely away from the kitchen.
I have read horror stories from people who bought Teflon under-eye burner drip pans for their stoves. Their birds all died! You should never purchase one of these “easy clean” drip pans. I’d rather scrub and scrub to clean a regular aluminum drip pan. Another horror story was about a lady who bought a Teflon baking pan for cooking her turkey. She lost 10 birds as a result! Would you want to take a chance with your bird’s life?
There is one exception to allowing my birds in the kitchen. I have several who will only bathe in the kitchen sink. When I give them baths, I make sure to be with them every single minute and never have any sharp object in the nearby dish drainer. If you choose to provide kitchen sink baths for your parrots, just remember, supervision is the key.
The bathroom area and how to avoid getting soap or shampoo
on your parrot while you shower together!
There are tons of dangers in the bathroom, so I seldom allow my birds in that room of the house. I have makeup exposed, there is that large hole of water in the toilet that might look like a big bath, hard porcelain could break a bone is a bird flapped down – I just don’t take the risk.
Strong cleaners are used in the bathroom to sanitize it properly for your family. You must not expose your birds where chemicals have just been used. I place everyone in their cages when I clean the bathroom. I also NEVER allow a bird nearby when I am spraying my hair with hairspray. If you use any type of strays of a similar nature such as deodorant, hair products, or skin care products, you should use the same caution!
There’s an exception here too: I have a conure that wants to shower rather than bathe. So, I have installed on my shower enclosure wall a non-slippery towel holder large enough for the bird to perch properly and I allow her to shower with me a few times per week. The perch is placed so that I will not get soap or shampoo on her but she will enjoy a fine, steady mist. It’s so neat to watch her spread her wings and get soaked! However, I NEVER give her a shower just after I clean the bathroom. If you find you have parrots who love showers, you can easily install a similar perch or purchase one made specifically for this purpose.
Again, any cleaners using Teflon are barred forever from my bathroom. All those new products that may make cleaning much easier are not for me – or you if you truly love your birds. Let the dog or cat owner use them if they want; but birds are so sensitive to Teflon, it’s not worth the chance of risking your best buddies’ health.
In Closing
The whole key to bird safety in the home is use of common sense.
I do have a man who comes to my home to spray for bugs, preventing any infestations. Before I signed on a service, I talked to several until I found one that assured me they had the proper chemicals and had serviced several bird owners before without problems. He is not allowed to spray directly around my bird cages, but on the open floor below the cage is alright. He’s great and makes sure nothing gets on my birds, even though he assures me the chemical he uses is non-toxic to birds. It has worked out very well.
Don’t ever let anyone spray just any bug spray. If you want to have bug spray on hand for the occasional spider that may come in or such, look for a product containing pryethrin as the active ingredient. This chemical IS bird safe. I have tested it myself!
Never paint around your birds. Painting is for outdoors. Only thoroughly dried painted objects can be allowed inside. This means that any petroleum-based paint must stay outside for two to three days in order to off-gas fully. This doesn’t mean your children can’t watercolor around the birds. But painting the rooms in your house will require bird sitting service and painting any object with spray paint, the paint must age outdoors! I’ve read enough horror stories involving deaths of much-loved parrots to never take any chances in this area.
I know you love your parrots as much as I love mine, so please, provide them a safe and happy home so they will be with you for years and years. You would find it most difficult to know that careless on your part caused the death of a feathered loved one.
