How to Keep Your Pet Birds Safe at Home

One only needs to consider the past practices of how miners used canaries as a gauge for unhealthy air levels in the mines to sense how keen birds are to their surroundings. Should canaries expire while in the mines, it would alert the miners that the air was at an unhealthy level with abundant time for the miners to leave. While birds are sensitive creatures, they are also known to outlast some owners.

Pet birds are easily affected by unwholesome smells, similar to wild birds. Common household appliances and items such as Teflon pans, aerosol sprays and even innocuous furniture polish can be fatal for birds. The best policy when handling anything that may give off a strong odor is to use it in a well-ventilated area that is well away from your birds.

Pet birds have a strong desire to chew, and this can prove to be a serious danger. When a bird chomps on soldered joints on welded items, lead poisoning is a common result. In addition, birds like to nibble on potted plants. Despite contrary belief, poinsettia plants are not poisonous. It is better to be safe than sorry so do err on the side of caution should you be uncertain if a plant is poisonous for your pet bird and remove it from the reach of your pet. A small pot of innocuous parsley can be helpful to the bird to overcome the desire of nibbling on houseplants as it is a safe substitute.

Fresh food that is fed to your birds will do them a whole lot of good; however, food like coffee, chocolate and avocado are fatal for birds and they should never be given such foods.

During festive seasons, many families tend to bring trees into their homes. Many might think that a bird's natural habitat is a tree and have the belief that their birds will have an affinity for perching on it. It is true that birds might enjoy this exercise, many pine trees could have had preservatives or chemicals administered and prove fatal to your pet. Furthermore, electrical lights and decorations can be pose a certain kind of danger for your birds.

There are a number of precautionary issues to see to if your bird does not have had its wings clipped. Firstly, all glass doors and windows should be shielded one way or another. A good bet is achieved by blinds, shades or curtains. Placing safety decals on windows and glass is another option, besides curtains or blinds, to alert the bird that the glass is there and help avoid serious or fatal accidents. You should treat other large reflective surfaces and mirrors in a similar manner when your pet bird is released from its cage.

Standing water can also be a hazard. The bird can meet its untimely end in a toilet bowl or full kitchen sink in a few seconds. Cooking while a bird is out of its cage is not advised, especially if you have an uncovered pot on the stove.

Finally, always be mindful of the whereabouts of your bird even if its wings are clipped. Even a bird with clipped wings can soar for a considerable distance if there is an upward breeze. It is easy to forget that your bird is perched on your shoulder when your doorbell suddenly rings and you rush to answer it but you must remember never to carry your bird to an open door regardless of whether or not its wings are clipped.