Bird-safe
Encyclopedia
Household objects
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
-based cleaners (glass cleaners), hot surfaces such as heaters and stoves, electrical cords, open windows and doors, aerosol sprays, chemicals/pesticides, filled tubs, sinks, or open toilets, terrycloth towels (toe tangle), and certain kinds of applicants as well as lubricants. In some of the older buildings, those built before the 1970s, the paint can also include a certain amount of lead
Lead paint
Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead, a heavy metal, that is used as pigment, with lead chromate and lead carbonate being the most common. Lead is also added to paint to speed drying, increase durability, retain a fresh appearance, and resist moisture that causes corrosion...
, which can be dangerous to birds and other animals if swallowed.
Any source of open water can pose a potential danger to one's bird. Toilets are among the most common sources of water-related danger along with bathtubs, sinks, and water bowls of other pets or buckets.
Electrical cords are other potential dangers that can injure a bird. Commonly, birds are curious and they tend to explore everything with their beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
s. Electrical cords that are situated close to the cage can be bitten and the plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
tubing may be removed, causing harm to the bird. This danger can be avoided by covering all the cords in the house, or keeping the bird away from them.
Not only are windows unsafe for birds, but also the mirrors and doors can be a cause of accidents around the house. Interior doors may be dangerous if the bird enjoys sitting on the top of an open door. When the door is closed, the bird might get injured. Mirrors are tricky for birds because they are often mistaken as places to escape and a strong collision
Collision
A collision is an isolated event which two or more moving bodies exert forces on each other for a relatively short time.Although the most common colloquial use of the word "collision" refers to accidents in which two or more objects collide, the scientific use of the word "collision" implies...
may result in injuries.
The respiratory system
Respiratory system
The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
of birds is vulnerable at the impurities in the air. The impurities in the air can cause a bird to choke. Impurities in the air can come from cigarette smoke, carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
, scented candles, cooking smoke such as burned oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
, carpet powders, or household sprays. All these impurities can harm the bird's respiratory system and cause respiratory diseases.
Some of the plants can also pose a threat on the bird's safety
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
. Although most types of plants do not affect the health of pet birds there are some that might be toxic for them if chewed. This danger can be avoided if the owners get a list of toxic plants for birds from their avian veterinarian.
The self-cleaning cycle of an oven
Oven
An oven is a thermally insulated chamber used for the heating, baking or drying of a substance. It is most commonly used for cooking. Kilns, and furnaces are special-purpose ovens...
also releases toxic fumes. All self-cleaning cycles can produce deadly results for pet birds. It is recommended that bird owners use their hands and a scrub-brush to clean their ovens.
Anything that is hot can be a potential danger for the pet birds. These include boiling water, boiling food, fireplaces, and hot light bulbs or burning candles which can cause serious skin burns if a bird flies into them. Some birds are attracted to shiny flames or bulbs which makes them more prone to get harmed this way.
Medicines that pet owners have in their cabinet can be dangerous for birds. As birds are extremely curious, they might find an open cabinet
Cabinet (furniture)
A cabinet is usually a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors or drawers for storing miscellaneous items. Some cabinets stand alone while others are built into a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood or, now increasingly, of synthetic...
and chew on different pills
Pill (pharmacy)
A pill is a small, round, solid pharmaceutical oral dosage form that was in use before the advent of tablets and capsules. Pills were made by mixing the active ingredients with an excipient such as glucose syrup in a mortar and pestle to form a paste, then rolling the mass into a long cylindrical...
. Not only pills intended for use in humans are dangerous for birds but also those that are especially designed for birds, unless the veterinarian prescribed them.
Responsible pet owners can avoid these problems through supervision of the bird when it is outside its cage and removing dangers from some rooms. Windows should be covered whenever a bird is first flying in a new location. Some aviculturists recommend wing clipping
Wing clipping
Wing clipping is the process of trimming a bird's primary flight feathers so that it is no longer fully flighted.-Technique:Wing clipping is usually performed by avian veterinarians, pet store employees, breeders, or the birds' owners themselves. It is generally carried out on pet birds,...
which, when properly done, reduces the ability of a bird to fly and may reduce the bird's ability to encounter certain dangers such as ceiling fans and windows. However, a clipped bird may be more vulnerable to some other dangers, such as other pets, and falling-related injuries.
Cage safety
Powder coating
thumb|right|Aluminium extrusions being powder coatedPowder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler...
, which not only protects the bird from bare metal, but also keeps the metals from rusting in reaction to air. Exposure to metals such as lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, zinc, or tin can cause heavy metal poisoning
Heavy Metal Poisoning
Heavy Metal Poisoning is a song by American rock band Styx. It was included as the fifth track on their 1983 studio album Kilroy Was Here.The song in the story of Kilroy Was Here has the character of Dr Righteous preaching the evils of rock and roll...
in captive birds. Good quality powdercoated cages are made of steel or wrought iron, which are bird safe, but lower quality cages may contain traces of harmful metals or solder. Hardware, such as screws or wiring, may also be a source of toxic metals.
Galvanized (zinc plated) mesh is frequently used for outdoor aviaries; it is necessary to use only galvanized-after-welding mesh and to scrub it with vinegar to remove loose pieces of zinc, which greatly reduces any risk of zinc poisoning from the mesh. Galvanized-after-welding mesh usually must be purchased from aviary suppliers. However, some groups feel that zinc should never be used near birds—especially parrots—as they not only chew on everything, but climb using their mouths.
Cubic cages are preferred over round cages because a round cage lacks a safe corner for a bird to hide when frightened or alarmed. Round cages may also affect a bird's psychology; when kept in round cages birds often exhibit an unusual and repetitive stereotypical behavior whereby they twirl their heads and look round-and-round at the domed ceiling. The bar positioning in round cages can also affect a bird's feathers, particularly the tail feathers.
Bar-spacing is an important consideration; depending on the spacing of the bars and the size of a bird it may get its head stuck between the bars, or getting its head through then injure its neck while panicking. Some caging that is safe for large birds can pose a toe-entrapment risk to small birds such as finches or parakeets. For example, a collapsing cage with hinges cannot trap a macaw's enormous toes, but the small spaces of the hinge can catch the nail of a tiny parrotlet
Parrotlet
Parrotlets are a group of the smallest New World parrot species, comprising several genera, namely Forpus, Nannopsittaca, and Touit. They have a stocky build and a broad tail, much like the lovebirds of East Africa and fig parrots and pygmy parrots of Australasia...
.
The leg bands can be a source of accidents in the cage. The bird might become hooked in the leg band which may cause injury to the leg including dislocation
Dislocation
In materials science, a dislocation is a crystallographic defect, or irregularity, within a crystal structure. The presence of dislocations strongly influences many of the properties of materials...
s, fracture
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
s or sprain
Sprain
A sprain is an injury in a joint, caused by the ligament being stretched beyond its capacity. A muscular tear caused in the same manner is referred to as a strain. In cases where either ligament or muscle tissue is torn, immobilization and surgical repair may be necessary...
s. Poor quality leg bands can become irritating and cause swelling
Swelling (medical)
In medical parlance, swelling is the transient enlargement or protuberance in the body and may include tumors. According to cause, it may be congenital, traumatic, inflammatory, neoplastic or miscellaneous....
and inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
, or act as a tourniquet
Tourniquet
An emergency tourniquet is a tightly tied band applied around a body part sometimes used in an attempt to stop severe traumatic bleeding. Tourniquets are also used during venipuncture and other medical procedures. Severe bleeding means the loss of more than 1,000 ml of blood. This flow of blood...
causing the loss of the leg. Leg bands are not recommended by avian veterinarians, unless they are necessary in terms of identification.
Safe plants and foods
There are also many plants that may be harmful to pet birds. In some cases an entire plant can be harmful to a bird and in some cases only some parts of certain plants can be dangerous to birds The toxicity of a plant to birds depends upon the plant, the amount of the plant that has been ingested by the bird and also by the specific species of bird.There are some foods that people can share with birds but all those that contain caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
are dangerous to these pets. The inappropriate foods range from those that are just unhealthy to those that might kill pet birds. Fatty foods, foods with high concentration of sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
or salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
and chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
are toxic to birds and should not be shared. Alcoholic beverages are not to be drunk by birds as they are dangerous for their health. Fruits such as avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
should be avoided as well. The quality of the food that a bird gets is also very important, and this accounts not only for bird pets but for all pets. Fresh food is a must and one can avoid the food getting spoiled or growing mold by removing it from the cage before it has the chance to become potentially toxic for the bird. Raw onions should never be fed either.
Toxic foods are foods that can cause allergies and/or health problems in birds. Avocados, alcohol, and chocolate are poisonous to birds. Milk and excessively sugary, salty, and fatty foods should be avoided or fed rarely (some species of parrots do require larger amounts of fat or sugar in the diet, but this is provided with nuts or fruit and nectar, and not junk foods). Any food considered junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
for humans should also be considered junk food for pet birds.
Guacamole contains avocados and can cause almost instant death in birds. Seed-only diets are not healthy for most pet birds, contrary to popular belief. Most seeds are high in fat and low in nutrients (particularly sunflower and safflower seeds), qualities that can lead to obesity or malnutrition. Your bird will live much longer if you feed it a healthier diet of pellets, fresh vegetables and fruit, and a limited quantity of low-fat seeds such as millet or sprouted seeds, only using fatty seeds as occasional treats.
Excessive salty foods are considered potentially toxic as bird species that do not live on the shore or at sea have very low salt in their diet. Salty food can lead to a condition known as salt toxicosis.
Foods that contain the mineral iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
can be toxic to certain species of softbills, such as toucans, and to a lesser extent, to lories, where iron-storage disease can come about from the consumption of such foods. Special "low iron" softbill diets are available for iron-sensitive species.
Birds are not equipped to digest milk so milk and milk products are considered a poor choice by some keepers. However, cheese and yogurt can add helpful bacteria to a bird's digestive system and offer a calcium boost, for example, when a female laying eggs. Some captive birds enjoy milk products and show no ill effect from eating or drinking them.
The following plants are safe to be placed in the cage or next to the cage of the bird if they were not sprayed with toxic substances: ash, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
, dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
, elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
, guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
, madrona, magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
, Manzanita
Manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and...
, nut (besides chestnut and oak), papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, prune
Prune
A prune is any of various plum cultivars, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum, sold as fresh or dried fruit. The dried fruit is also referred to as a dried plum...
, ribbonwood, sassafras
Sassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
, thurlow, vine maple
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum is a species of maple native to western North America, from southwest British Columbia to northern California, always within 300 km of the Pacific Ocean coast....
, and willows.
Many plants are however toxic and should not be placed in the cage or where the bird can reach them. Bird owners are in fact recommended to check with their avian veterinarian on which plants are toxic in birds before getting a plant or a bird.
Despite the lengthy lists of foods and plants toxic to pet birds, a pet bird's resistance to toxic foods and plants varies by species and even the individual bird itself. A certain amount of food dangerous for a finch or budgie may not be dangerous for a macaw due to the difference in their digestive systems and size difference. Even within species, there may be difference among individual birds in their resistance to toxic materials—a bird that is on a usually healthy diet will be more immune to an accidental dose of toxic food than a bird that is usually on an insufficient diet; genetic dispositions also play a role. However, a rule of thumb amongst parrot owners is "prevention is better than cure", and most toxic food and plants lists are based on this rule.
It is believed that malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
is very common among the pet birds existent in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, although the owners may not notice it. Moreover, specialists think that a deficient nutrition is one of the most common reasons why young pet birds die at young ages. Therefore, pet owners are recommended to choose the right dietary plan for their pet bird, according to its species. Malnutrition may shorten the life span
Life span
Life span or lifespan may refer to:*Maximum life span, the maximum lifespan observed in a group*Life expectancy, the average lifespan expected of a group*Longevity, the average lifespan expected under ideal conditions...
of a pet bird with almost a decade in comparison with the life span of the same species that lives in the wildness
Wildness
Wildness is literally the quality of being wild or untamed, but further to this, it has been defined as a quality produced in nature , as that which emerges from a forest , and as a level of achievement in nature...
and can cause life threatening diseases.
Seed diets are normally high in fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
, especially when the seeds come from sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
, safflower
Safflower
Safflower is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. Plants are 30 to 150 cm tall with globular flower heads having yellow, orange or red flowers. Each branch will usually have from one to five flower heads...
and peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
. Also, they are low in calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
, low in protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
and do not contain the required amount of vitamins. Most seeds are almost devoid of vitamins whatsoever. In order to establish a balanced diet for one's pet bird, owners are advised to keep seeds as the main food, as long as they do not exceed 50% of the total diet. Dairy products are recommended to be given to birds as they make a great calcium and protein source, one of the two foods that are most likely to miss from a bird's diet. Many wild birds consume fruits and, sometimes, vegetables. They are an important source of vitamins which are mandatory in a bird's diet. Birds that have been accustomed with a diet mainly based on seeds may be difficult to change to a balanced and nutritious diet.
In order to make sure that the diet they are feeding their birds is appropriate, many bird owners prefer buying the food from pet stores which contain a mixture of seeds and dried fruits with some type of flavoring agent.
Toxicity of overheated non-stick surfaces
Many reports from bird owners claim that their pet birds died after the owners used non-stick cookware around the birds. The cause of this phenomenon is polytetrafluorethelyne (PTFE), a chemical used in the manufacture of industrial non-stick coatings. When they are overheated, the resulting combination of particles and gasses emitted from the surface is extremely toxic when inhaled for only a short time. PTFE becomes dangerous when the surface is heated over 396 degrees Fahrenheit . The most common source of these non-stick coatings is DuPontDuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
's Teflon, but there are other brands that produce non-stick coatings. PTFE-coated surfaces should be used extremely carefully in households that contain birds (good ventilation and never permitted to cook dry), as there are no warnings on these products about the dangers. There are a number of safer cooking options, including stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel.
Other sources of PTFE include some wafflemakers, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
s, and self-cleaning ovens, among other things. People using PTFE-coated surfaces in a household that has birds should make sure that the stove is never left unattended while something is cooking on it, and the kitchen in particular should be well ventilated. A pet bird should not be kept near the kitchen due to the proximity of these fumes when cookware is overheated.
Bird supplies
Bird supplies that are needed when caring for birds might be slightly different depending on the type of birds one is interested in. Commonly, people enjoy having a pet bird which involves buying a cage, food supplies and sometimes even bird toys. Others are however more interested in wild birds and they might want to feed or observe them when they come around in their gardens or yards.Purchasing bird supplies for pet birds is less complicated because one knows the type of bird he owns and all its needs. With wild birds is however more difficult because one needs to identify the bird species that visit their garden or yard and provide them bird supplies accordingly. Wild bird supplies include bird bath
Bird bath
A bird bath is an artificial "puddle" or small shallow pond, created with a water- filled basin, for birds to bathe and 'cool off' in, and drink from...
s, bird houses or bird feeders. Out of safety reasons, one should get the best quality supplies when it comes to both feeders and foods. Quality is of the upmost importance, since the feeder will be outside and will be exposed to extremely hot and, if left outside in winter, extremely cold temperatures. Also, people who are passionate of feeding wild birds should provide ways to protect the birds and their food from squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s and other animals.
Introduction to strangers
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
d and vet checked before being introduced to existing household birds. Birds that do not know each other should always be supervised when introduced, even if they are of the same species.
Ferrets can be potentially dangerous around pet birds as they have a strong hunting instinct. Cats and dogs are also potentially dangerous to pet birds, but most can be successfully trained to get along with birds in their household. However a pet bird should never be left unattended outside the cage around a cat or dog.
Mammalian saliva contains bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal infection in birds if introduced into a wound; a bird that receives even a minor bite or scratch should be taken to a veterinarian for treatment and appropriate antibiotics.
Some people have found to their dismay and cost that although newly bought birds that they put through quarantine looked healthy, the new birds caused birds of certain species of their stock to become ill and die when they were mixed together. That is what birds known as disease carriers can end up doing to your stock. Mixing newly purchased birds with established stock without a veterinary examination can be dangerous, no matter how healthy the new birds look even after quarantine.