"Knowing the things that can harm your birds is just as important as knowing what's best for them."
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There are no doubt unforeseen accidents that can happen which are out of your control. But below are things that you can control and your bird depends on you to know what's best for them, and what it needs to stay away from.
These are things you must protect your pet bird from:
1. Non-stick coating / Teflon cookware.
The fumes from overheated non-stick cookware are deadly for birds. It is very easy to be distracted with a telephone call or other matters while cooking and the overheated temperature will only take seconds to produce the fumes that will kill birds almost instantly. Get rid of all teflon/non-stick cookware. It's a small sacrifice compared to that bundle of joy beside you that will share your life for many years.
This applies to all home appliances that are coated with polytetraflouethylene (PTFE) - cooking and baking utensils, electric cookers, portable heaters, irons with nonstick plates, self-cleaning ovens, coated light bulbs, certain hair dryers and curling irons, to name a few. PTFE is odorless and invisible. Don't chance it - read the box, and ask the manufacturer if uncertain.
2. Cigarette Smoke.
Almost as dangerous as fumes from non-stick cookware is cigarette smoke. Tobacco smoke hurts pet birds a lot more than they do humans. In a small unventilated room with smoke and birds, it can kill them in no time. If there is ventilation, the smoke is still harmful to their well being. It causes health problems, behavior problems, and difficulty in breathing that your birds can't tell you. Why go through the hard work of raising a happy, well adjusted pet; only to have its health damaged by something they have absolutely no control over? Behavioral problems in parrots are a result of several things, but not feeling good physically is the primary reason for them. Birds and cigarette smoke cannot live together.
3. Drafts.
New bird owners often have the mistaken idea that birds' cages should be placed next to an open window for fresh air. Birds do need fresh air, but drafts are fatal to them. They can have fresh air blowing at them when they are outdoors with you, but NOT in a cage that's placed right in front of an open window. Birds do love to look out of windows, and if you place them there, make sure that the windows are closed tightly and securely. Allow fresh air to enter the room from another window that's not directly in front of the bird's cage.
4. Certain Foods.
Some food items are toxic to birds. Chocolates and avocado are the most common danger foods to birds. Next to those are foods that contain too much sugar, salt, and caffeine. Also limit the amount of processed foods. Click here to read about foods you should avoid in more detail.
5. Anything Scented.
Scented candles, potpourri, artificial flowers with scent, scented soap, strong perfume - must not be anywhere close or to birds, or directly in front of them. That's not to say you can't have any of these. If you do, have it in a room without birds and make sure that there are windows open to circulate the air.
6. Lead Coated Objects.
Do not let your birds chew or swallow any lead painted objects. Examples of these are (lead based) paint, linoluem, some costume jewelry, wine bottle foil, to name a few. Lead poisoning causes nervous system disorders and seizures.
7. Other Pets and Animals.
Take no chances with other animals, pets or stray. Our home has dogs and birds, but our dogs are never in the house when we are not home, and never in the same room with the birds without us supervising every move. This is in spite of the fact that our dogs are trained to stay away from birds and they do take off when they see a bird on the floor. Yet dogs and cats have natural instincts and those instincts have to be valued higher than any training they may have had. Also their saliva is toxic to birds. As far as wild animals go, each time you open your door to go outside, close the doors behind you. Don't take chances of exposing your pet birds to wild animals. Do not leave your bird outside the house unsupervised. An outdoor playcage should have covered top and side protection and the bars should be very small (or double wired) so that no wild birds can touch them. Wild birds and other animals carry bacteria that are toxic to parrots.
8. Open toilet seats or anything with "deep" water.
Birds cannot swim and once their feathers are wet they are totally helpless, even if they are fully flighted. Worse if they are clipped. Many birds are attracted to water bowls as most of them enjoy bathing. Make sure that anything with water around your house that is too deep for them is covered at all times.
9. Electric Wires.
Just like having to childproof a house, you have to do the same with your pet parrot. And for birds with clipped wings, they will wander around your house like a crawling baby. Wires must be hidden and away from their reach to prevent electric shock from biting through wires.
10. Window Glass.
This is mainly for fully flighted birds. Birds won't see the glass boundary, and can fly right into it, causing a broken neck and sometimes death from major concussion. Cover glass windows, doors and mirrored walls. Putting blinds could help them see that there's something in front of it.
11. Poisons and Poisonous Plants.
Same with parrot-proofing for electric wires, you must make sure that your bird cannot reach any household poisons, or poisonous indoor houseplants.
12. Open Doors.
Open doors or windows are the primary reasons for accidents and escapes. Keep them closed at all times, even if you plan on stepping back in shortly. Fully flighted birds can fly right out, and walking clipped birds can be caught or crushed in carelessly closed doors.
13. Household Fumes.
The kitchen is probably the worse place to have your birds closeby. Steam and fumes burden the respiratory passages in birds. Stovetops and ovens are dangerous zones for pet birds to be anywhere close to. Keep birds away from the kitchen, and keep the house ventilated.
14. Chemicals from Cleaning Substances.
Cleaning products contain chemicals that can harm your bird. When cleaning the house, move birds to a different room so that they can't inhale the toxins. If you can smell it, it's toxic for the birds. Same with carpet shampooing - move birds from the area, and then ventilate the room thoroughly after the work is finished.
15. Home Renovations.
Things associated with home improvements are generally unsafe for birds. If you're painting the house, the fumes are deadly to birds. Same with knocking down walls, repairs, tools, and adhesives, to name a few. When renovating a home, move your birds away from the area completely. Or if need be, house them at a friend's home, or board them until the project is done.
16. Always Watch Where You Walk When Clipped Birds Are Out Of Their Cages.
Zachary's wings are clipped and he can only glide about 45 degrees to the ground if he tries to take off. 95% of the time he climbs and walks around like a crawling baby. ( See Amazon links page on Flight Feather Trimming). He is only allowed to walk around the house when we are following him closely. Anytime a bird is out of its cage, everyone around the house must pay special attention to where they're walking, and the speed of their movement. This is especially important if you have kids or visitors. Your birds could be walking around and as short as they stand, it's very easy for someone to not notice them. Prevent accidents you'll regret by being extra careful when your birds are out of their cages. It's safer to lock your birds up when visitors and young kids are around.
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Other matters worth playing close attention to, to avoid accidents include:
Bird's Leg Band - These bands can sometimes get caught in open wires, or on toys that have a thin hook that sticks out in some way. It can be fatal if a bird is caught that way when it's alone and no one is around to release it. Make sure that cage wires, toys and perches do not have thin stick-like particles sticking out, that can hook onto a bird's leg band.
Toys - hanging toys are fun, but be careful that ring toys are not sized where a bird can be swinging and then get its head caught up in a ring and strangled. Also baby toys are popular parrot items, but be sure to give them only hard plastic toys that do not crack or break when they bite on it, as birds will try to chew everything they get a hold of. Give solid baby toys only when you are present to supervise.
Bells with open clappers are not good toys for large parrots. They tend to remove the clappers and can swallow small pieces from breaking them. Always supervise your parrot with bells if it's something that your birds truly love to play with.
Tap Water - Most people live in places where they themselves don't drink water from the tap. Birds are even more sensitive than humans are as far as how their body reacts to toxins. If you know not to drink tap water, don't give that to your birds either. Serve them purified filtered water, boiled, or bottled water.
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