Chemicals that are Extremely Harmful to Pet Birds

Sharing a home with a bird can be extremely entertaining, as pets they bring lots of pleasure into their owner's lives. Some species boast extremely long life spans so owning one is a huge long-term commitment. Taking good care of birds requires time and dedication which means doing quite a bit of research before deciding on what type of bird would best suit your lifestyle.

Birds are very sensitive to quite a few things and this includes anything that contains chemicals and other toxic ingredients. Should a bird be exposed to any it could seriously impact their health and in a worst case scenario it may even prove fatal to them. As such, it is ultra important to check any product you use around the house and which are quite commonly found in the kitchen or bathroom if you share a home with a feathered friend.

Think twice before using any sort of aerosol around the home

As a rule of thumb, it's best to think twice before using any sort of aerosol around the home because it could end up seriously impacting a pet bird's very fragile respiratory system. Should a bird be exposed to any sort of harmful chemical, the results could be disastrous and they may well die within minutes of having inhaled anything nasty. With this said, even spray perfumes or any sort of body lotions can be harmful to them if they are close enough to inhale any of the product which is why it’s so important to keep a watchful eye on what you spray on yourself when you're around birds. All chemicals are potentially harmful to birds and if you keep this thought in your mind, you'll stand a better chance of keeping your pet bird safe and out of harm's way.

Insect sprays are lethal

With the warmer weather comes lots of insects which includes flies and it's all too easy to buy some insect spray to kill them off. However, sharing a home with a bird means no more insect sprays because they are extremely harmful to our feathered friends. If a home needs to be professionally cleaned by a pest control firm, you must remove pet birds before any work can begin and then to keep them away from the home until it is safe to bring them back again which is when all the fumes have totally evaporated.

Commonly found household products could prove fatal

Most cleaning products commonly found in a kitchen or bathroom contain certain chemicals and when used around the home, they release harmful fumes some of which are so toxic they will kill a bird in minutes. If you share your home with a feathered friend you need to carefully source cleaning products that are safe to use around them. You should always buy them from reputable companies that have been in business for years. It would be a serious mistake to buy a product you've never heard of and which is made by a company on the other side of the world because you never know what has actually been used to make them. Products that are highly toxic to our feathered friends include the following:

• Bleach
• Bathroom cleaners
• Oven cleaners
• Window cleaners
• Floor cleaners

Nail polish and hair dye are dangerous to birds

Chemicals found in nail polish and hair dye are also very toxic to birds which means you should never have your pet near you when you are handling or using any of them. Your pet should be in another room well away from you and any fumes that may be present in the air when you polish your nails or dye your hair.

It's also really important and much safer to put a pet bird in another room when you want to clean the one they normally live in and to only put them back once you are sure all the fumes given off by any cleaning products have completely evaporated.

Things to avoid using in the home if you share a home with a bird include the following:

• Scented candles
• Plug-ins
• Air fresheners
• Incense
• Cigarette or cigar smoke

Conclusion

If you share your home with a feathered friend the best way to keep them safe from inhaling any toxic fumes is to treat all common household products as being dangerous to birds. However, even fragrances and perfumes you use on yourself can be harmful to them so it’s important to keep them well away from aerosol body sprays, deodorants and perfumes. Lastly, you should never smoke when you are around a pet bird because it could make them very ill and even prove deadly. Birds have such fragile respiratory systems and it does not take much exposure to negatively impact them which could see a bird drop dead in minutes.