Efficient Breathers

Birds are efficient breathers because …

Avoid all types of aerosols and fragrances!

We’re on 4 Facebook Bird groups and every week someone chimes in with a “bad news” story that could easily have been prevented. Here is a list of hazards for your bird that you want to avoid in your home:

Candles

If the power goes out and you have to light a candle or if it happens in the winter time and you’re trying to keep warm, keep unscented candles handy and have a small blanket for your bird. You should probably have a sleeping apparatus for him anyway and you should have enough extra blankets to weather a night of winter with no heat but if you have to, have your bird flannel ready and keep him in your flannel pocket or inside the flannel to keep warm.

Perfumes

No perfume either when you’re near the birds. If you’re wearing perfume, use a very small dab, preferably in your hair. Its more disbursed and actually helps spread so other people can smell it. Also, your bird probably won’t land in your hair as an adult so this helps. Try to only use it when you go out somewhere nice and are going to come home late with the bird already asleep. It will give it time to wear off by the morning. Especially if you’re already married. No need to nasally impress your coworkers when you’ve got a bird. No one will ever knock you for not having perfume on. In fact many radio stations, MRI facilities, conferences have a strict “no scent” policy. Aside from the money savings, you’ll be saving your bird so save it for special occasions.

Essential Oils / Glade^® PlugIns^®

Oils are bad for birds in general.

Febreze & other aerosol air fresheners

If you use spray in the bathroom for the “deuce under a spruce” effect, make sure you have the vent on and the door shut. Honestly, lighting a sulphur match works quite well and dissipates rather quickly and matches are dirt cheap and you need them anyway for a charcoal grill. Ozium is used in hospitals to sanitize air but I don’t know if its safe for birds. I will say that with Ozium a little goes a LONG way. Seriously. Even if you attempt to do the shortest spritz you possibly can, it will fill numerous rooms and that soapy scent lingers for quite some time. If you use it, use it only in the bathroom with the vent fan on. Otherwise, use a match and deal with it. The bird don’t care if yo’ azz stank. They will care when they can’t breathe. If you need to deodorize other rooms (teenagers who are in sports) then move the bird then spray the Ozium. Don’t use masking scents. At least Ozium kills airborne bacteria. To check to see if the scent is gone, since our olfactory system gets saturated quickly when a scent is prevalent, go outside for 3-4 minutes and walk back in the house. Once you can no longer smell it, put the bird back. If at all possible, Wait ’til warm, 70+ degree weather to do any window opening or airing out unless the bird is in another room.

Cooking Sprays

When I spray a cooking spray, such as PAM^®, on my baking pans I go outside and spray (even in winter) then wait for 30 seconds and then bring it back in after the aerosols have dissipated. If the birds are upstairs or in another room far away from it that will cut down on the chances but still be careful.  I now have a mister that you put cooking oil in and pump a few times then you spray mist the oil just like you would PAM.

Hairspray

Hairspray, only use in the bathroom with the ventilation fan on. If you don’t have one then open a window. This isn’t the 80’s. Even so, if your hair is more important than your bird then find your bird a good home and get rid of it. Or wait until the revival of the worst decade of the 20th Century (minus the Great Depression) is over and THEN get a bird.

Lysol^® / disinfectant sprays

If you use Lysol, then spray the cloth outside (or in a closed bathroom with a vent) and then use it on the surface. Honestly, its better to just get the wipes. Best yet, use natural cleaning remedies.

Pledge^® / anything else that comes in an aerosol can

Aerosols in general can kill a bird in just a few minutes, so please limit or eliminate your use of furniture cleaners, Scrubbing Bubbles^®, spray paints, etc.

Pet-Safe Household Cleaners

Even though a product may claim to be “pet safe” (safe for mammals, like dogs & cats), it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily “bird safe,” since the breathing systems of birds are greatly different than those of our furry friends. That said, only use cleaning agents that are safe for pets. Even then, make sure they have a light scent. Most cleaners have these horrendous scents to them that are so strong it hurts my nose to use them and gives me a headache. If it gives me a headache, it can’t be good for birds. Some ideas for cleaners include:

Bleach-free products

No bleach or bleach containing products. Especially for cleaning a sink if your bird plans on bathing in a sink. At least not for a few days afterwards. Preferably if your bird (small bird) bathes in the sink then put a rectangular grill grate like a dish rack over the top if they like running water. This way the water pours through and your bird doesn’t have to worry about coming in contact with cleaning products or food boogers in the sink hole that carry germs. If you do use a questionable product make sure you rinse well and do not let the bird near it at least 24-48 hours after you clean the sink if you do use harsh chemicals. I recently talked to someone who’s dad had a bird that died because it fell into a dish in the sink that was soaking. It was a pot with soapy water in it and the bird flew there to take a drink, slipped on the soapy side and drowned because the soap covered its wings and it had nothing to grab on to. I’m tellin’ ya. These stories are everywhere and that was somebody I personally knew.

Vinegar & Water

Honestly, a vinegar and water (insert joke here) work just fine.

Mild dish soap

Baking Soda

Natural alternatives

Try different natural cleaning remedies. The internet is chock full of them. Especially home & garden magazines and Pinterest.

Dry mops or Swiffer^® Sweepers^®

A dry Swiffer or pad using a liquid stated above will work well for cleaning floors.

Norwex^®

Norwex has a great sweeping product for flat floors. I don’t know about their enzyme spray but I’d contact their customer support and ask them if its safe for birds. Have them send it to you in writing that its safe. This is a good practice for any company’s product that might not be safe. Chances are they won’t send it because if the bird dies then they aren’t going to send you a written statement that will nail them as culpable but you at least now see how dangerous some of this stuff can be when you start thinking about your feathered buddy. We lived for thousands of years without harsh chemicals and cover scents. I assure you, living without these things doesn’t mean you have to have a dirty house. Plus it will end up saving you a LOT of money.

Warning Signs

Always be aware of the warning signs a bird may display if they’re in distress, such as:

Fluffed Feathers

If the bird is fluffed out and doesn’t move a lot or is at the bottom of the cage it is probably sick. They will act normal but when they stop trying to “act” a certain way and they’re sick they’ll be lethargic.

Feather Plucking

They might even begin to pluck out chest feathers if they have a lung/ crop infection. If its breathing heavy with its mouth open and wings pointed down get to a vet quickly. Also, this is also how eggbound females act. Females can lay eggs while living alone so it is something to be mindful of. Also, a vet can give females a shot of Lupron to curb their breeding cycle for 2-4 weeks on average if you have a breeding female that won’t stop (like ours) did.

Prevention is key

Keep a birdie first-aid kit handy for dealing with emergencies that may arise:

Corn Starch or Flour

Always have corn starch (preferably Argo^® Corn Starch in the yellow container with a lid; the lid is for freshness) at the ready. If you have a bleeding bird you may need to use it. If you don’t have corn starch handy, flour will work as well. Refrain from chemical clotters as the chemicals will be more than likely eaten by your bird after the bleeding has stopped which can harm them.

Styptic Powder

If the bleeding is so bad that corn starch won’t work the bird is probably not going to make it since birds have very little blood. If that is the case then having a chemical clotter is probably better than nothing but usually corn starch or flour is fine.

Dedicated Bird Plyers

If there is a feather break and needs to be a feather pulled consult a vet if you can but sometimes you may need to do it yourself. It always seems that a tragedy happens on a Saturday afternoon when the regular vet just closed and the 24 hour vet (for 4x the cost) is needed. There is literature online on how to do this but always have a pair of small pliers specifically for the birds so all the grime on regular pliers don’t get the bird sick. It is also good to have a pair of long, slim (like a gar fish’s mouth) pliers to adjust toys and such from the outside of the cage if your bird is territorial.

Dedicated Bird Nail Clippers & Nail File

If you do your own nail trimming make sure you have a dedicated pair of nail clippers strictly for the birds. You don’t want your toe jam getting into the birds’ blood stream.

Dedicated Bird Scissors & White Cloth

Keep a dedicate pair of scissors for wing clippings and a nail file for filing (beaks and claws if needed). You will want to have a very soft (preferably white since that’s what vets usually use) cloth to cover your bird when you do things like filing, clipping, wing clipping, pulling blood feather, examining, etc. Do that every so often so the bird gets used to it and will be better at vet visits. I learned at a seminar, if the bird doesn’t like it then cover their head and work on one wing or foot at a time. They should remain calmer for this.