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Pet Birds and Hazardous Fumes

Posted by: Frank Indiviglio in General Bird Care September 5, 2008 Comments Off on Pet Birds and Hazardous Fumes 3086 Views

In years past, caged canaries were used to warn coal miners (by becoming lethargic and/or deceased) that oxygen levels were dropping or toxic fume levels were rising – so much so that the term Canary in the Coal Mine now enjoys popular usage is applied to many situations.  Canaries and other birds are extremely sensitive to airborne hazards – useful to miners but troubling to pet owners.

The most commonly encountered fumes likely to cause problems in the average household arise from the materials used to treat non-stick cookware  – Teflon and similar products applied to pans, toasters, irons and the like.  When over-heated, these coatings release gasses that, while seemingly harmless to humans and furry pets, can kill birds. 

Move your bird to a safe area when cooking or using an oven in self-cleaning mode, and try not to burn anything (good advice in general!).  Good ventilation is an important safety measure, but may not be enough in some situations.

Aerosol cookware coatings are also dangerous to birds if overheated.  Other products to avoid using around your feathered friends are air fresheners, general cleaning products, insecticides and cigarettes (most will be safe once dried and cleared from the air by time and ventilation).  A number of insecticides are marketed as “pet safe” – these are usually formulations of Precor, Pyrethrin or Fenoxycarb – but it is best to wait until they have dried before returning your pet to treated areas.

Additional information on airborne and other hazards pet birds may face is posted at:
http://www.bird-haven.org/toxicproducts.html

About Frank Indiviglio

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I believe that I was born with an intense interest in animals, as neither I nor any of my family can recall a time when I was not fascinated by creatures large and small. One might imagine this to be an unfortunate set of circumstances for a person born and raised in the Bronx, but, in actuality, quite the opposite was true. Most importantly, my family encouraged both my interest and the extensive menagerie that sprung from it. My mother and grandmother somehow found ways to cope with the skunks, flying squirrels, octopus, caimans and countless other odd creatures that routinely arrived un-announced at our front door. Assisting in hand-feeding hatchling praying mantises and in eradicating hoards of mosquitoes (I once thought I had discovered “fresh-water brine shrimp” and stocked my tanks with thousands of mosquito larvae!) became second nature to them. My mother went on to become a serious naturalist, and has helped thousands learn about wildlife in her 16 years as a volunteer at the Bronx Zoo. My grandfather actively conspired in my zoo-buildings efforts, regularly appearing with chipmunks, boa constrictors, turtles rescued from the Fulton Fish Market and, especially, unusual marine creatures. It was his passion for seahorses that led me to write a book about them years later. Thank you very much, for a complete biography of my experience click here.
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