Household Dangers
As
all bird owners know our feathered friends are by nature very intelligent and
curious creatures. When they are left to their own volition, they are capable
of getting into a variety of potentially life threatening situations, much like
a 2-3 year old child. Drawing on this analogy, we as "parents", must
try to anticipate these problems before they happen and eliminate them. Some
hazards are obvious such as poisons and unfriendly animals, however, many are
not so obvious and may arise even when we think we are doing everything right.
WING CLIPPING
For example there are many bird owners who allow their birds to remain flighted.
They may believe it is cruel to limit a birds' desire to fly. However, a pet
bird in captivity is already in an unnatural situation and as long as there
is a good social interaction between the owner and the bird most pets do not
seem inhibited psychologically by a wing trim. Further you must seriously consider
the potential trauma that occurs when a bird flies head on into a unseen window
or your beloved pet flies through an open window never to be seen again. Keeping
your bird in its cage when unattended is also advisable - no matter how careful
you are there may be some potential hazard you overlooked that your bird will
get into while you're gone.
CAGE
SELECTION Since the cage is your bird's living quarters, it is very important
to make sure it is hazard free. Make sure there are no sharp edges, strings
or frayed fabric to get tangled in, cage bars that narrow to a acute angle where
the head or a limb could be trapped. Home made cages made of galvanized wire
are toxic to birds if they chew on them.
GENERAL
HAZARDS Some other often overlooked hazards include, spring type clasps, toys
with small beads that could be swallowed toys with lead weights and glazed ceramic
bowls. It is not advisable to use corn cob bedding or wood chips on the floor
because if swallowed these may produce an obstruction, they tend to harbor bacterial
and fungal colonies and thus constantly expose your pet to these harmful germs.
They hide abnormal stools which may be an early indication to you that your
bird is sick. We recommend newspaper (black & white print only) or plain
brown paper to be used on the floor and that is to be changed daily.
NO
HAZARD LIST IS EVER COMPLETE There are a wide variety of household hazards and
as soon as a list is compiled, you must realize that there may be many others
that are not on the list. Hopefully the list that follows will give you an idea
of the objects you should look out for. If you have any questions, please call
us and we'll be happy to help.
TOXINS
LEAD - Weights (in penguins and other bird toys, on curtain draw strings, automobile
wheel balances, fishing line weights), the clapper in some bells, batteries,
solder, shotgun / air rifle pellets, lead base paints, lead free paints with
leaded drying agents, hardware cloth, galvanized wire, linoleum, plaster, drywall,
and other building supplies, contaminated bone meal, dolomite and cuttlebone,
leaded gasoline fumes, some lubricants (lead napthalate) costume jewelry, light
bulb bases, wine bottle foil, seams in stain glass windows, etc.
ZINC
- Galvanized wire, keys, the metal guard on butane lighters, pennies minted
since l982. COPPER - Copper wire, pennies minted before 1982.
MYCOTOXINS
- Toxins produced by molds in improperly stored seed and other foods.
ETHYLENE
GLYCOL- Antifreeze
FOODS
- Chocolate, theophylline, caffeine, high salt foods, alcoholic beverages.
TOXIC
PLANTS - Avocado, black locust, clematis, diffenbachia, foxglove, Lilly of the
valley, lupine, crown vetch, oleander, parsley, philodendron, poinsettia, rhododendron,
Virginia creeper, and yew.
INHALANT
FUMES - Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gas from overheated non-stick surfaces
such as, but not only Teflon, tobacco smoke, disinfectant and insecticide fumes.
FERTILIZERS
INSECTICIDES
RODENTICIDES