We always remain cautious of the things that could harm our birds. We try and avoid every possible danger that could prove fatal or cause harm to our avian pets. However, there still can be various things around us that can kill our birds before even we could come to know about it. We are mentioning herein, common mistakes and pet myths believed and committed by bird owners make and thus lose their favorite pet.
Many birds face dehydration and then an eventual death due to lack of water. The most common reason for this could be water bottle malfunction. You may not know when the bottle got blocked and the bird was unable to drink water. Since the bird gets deprived of water for few days, it will eventually lead to fatal dehydration. One should regularly check the level of water in the bottles to see if the bird can drink water or not. You should also keep filling up the bottle or the pot of water you have kept for the birds for drinking water regularly. The maximum time a bird can live without water is three days.
Disinfectants or household cleaning products can also be harmful to birds as they release injurious fumes as well. Disinfectants contain ammonia or phenol, which is toxic to birds and similarly, household cleaning products may contain bleach, which again is hazardous to a bird’s health. Similarly, few of the aerosol products used at homes can also be unsafe for birds. Such products include hair sprays, perfumes, deodorants etc. They also cause respiratory problems in avian species. Other common sources of toxic fume or smoke can be natural-gas leaks, improper usage of the heater, and smoke from a fire or burnt food. Such fumes are commonly in the form of Carbon Monoxide (CO) which if inhaled through by any of the birds may prove fatal. Make sure your pet sitter is able to keep these toxic substances away from the pets.
Other things which the bird owners may not realize but could harm the bird is adding a new bird in addition to the already existing one. You may not realize that the new bird may have some kind of infection that is transferable. The best thing to do before introducing a new pet with an existing one is to get it checked thoroughly from a vet against any infection. Many such cases have been reported wherein the existing birds catch the infection from the newly added bird or birds and then die due to infection. However, few of the infections cannot be detected at an early stage and can be missed while testing the bird. Always quarantine the bird at least for a period of one month or two before introducing it to the home. This is preferred, as in case the bird has some infection the stress of moving it to a new home may aggravate it rapidly resulting into showing signs of illness. This will confirm you whether the bird is healthy or not.
Many pet owners make the mistake of kissing their birds with open mouth or letting the birds peck or play with their tongue, lips or teeth. Such kind of contact may prove fatal to the birds as our mouth contains several kinds of bacteria and fungi that may cause serious infections.
It is impossible to prevent all kinds of dangers that could harm your bird, but by keeping the above things in mind you may prevent a lot of common accidents that occur with most of the pet birds.
Dehydration
Many birds face dehydration and then an eventual death due to lack of water. The most common reason for this could be water bottle malfunction. You may not know when the bottle got blocked and the bird was unable to drink water. Since the bird gets deprived of water for few days, it will eventually lead to fatal dehydration. One should regularly check the level of water in the bottles to see if the bird can drink water or not. You should also keep filling up the bottle or the pot of water you have kept for the birds for drinking water regularly. The maximum time a bird can live without water is three days.Unclipped Wings
You may sometimes let your bird out of the cage and allow it to fly or hop inside the house only. For this, you should ensure that the wings are clipped properly. Unless did so, the bird may fly erratically and hurt itself badly. They could also run-in to a ceiling fan and die eventually. Few of the birds broke their necks, some reported fractures, or bleeding inside the brain, few got scratched or developed cuts and injuries while trying to fly inside the house. Your bird may accidentally fell into a pot of boiling water, may mistake mirrors or windows as an outlet and crash into them or they can fell into an open commodes or active fireplace. Keep clipping their wings regularly to avoid any such incidence.Toxic fumes
Few utensils or cookware in our household consist of a coating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) that is known to be toxic to birds. Whenever the food is cooked or even heated in these kinds of utensils, it produces fumes that can prove fatal to the birds. Common household utensils with a coating of PTFE include non-stick cookware, drip pans, irons, ironing board covers, heat-lamps, etc. Another common source of toxic fumes for birds could be the inhalation of smoke fumes from someone who is smoking a cigarette or a cigar near them. These are poisonous to the pets and they may develop respiratory problems and also develop a bacterial infection that can cause their death.Disinfectants or household cleaning products can also be harmful to birds as they release injurious fumes as well. Disinfectants contain ammonia or phenol, which is toxic to birds and similarly, household cleaning products may contain bleach, which again is hazardous to a bird’s health. Similarly, few of the aerosol products used at homes can also be unsafe for birds. Such products include hair sprays, perfumes, deodorants etc. They also cause respiratory problems in avian species. Other common sources of toxic fume or smoke can be natural-gas leaks, improper usage of the heater, and smoke from a fire or burnt food. Such fumes are commonly in the form of Carbon Monoxide (CO) which if inhaled through by any of the birds may prove fatal. Make sure your pet sitter is able to keep these toxic substances away from the pets.
A trauma or a shock
Few of the incidents reported to vets that caused a death of a bird included stepping accidentally on the poor bird. Some of the birds were also reported being squashed inadvertently. This mainly happens, as the owners could not see little birds out of their cage roaming inside home. While many of the birds may have a narrow escape with just few minor injuries, some may have to face fatal injuries. Some of the birds were reported death while chewing the electric cords and got an electric shock. Some of the birds also get caught into the refrigerators or freezers, open dryers, computer printers, etc. and face death. If you are opening a cage’s door and giving the freedom to the bird to hop around the house, keep her under strict supervision. You may not even know how and when you would hurt that bird and lead to its death. A case was reported to a local vet wherein the bird sat in the clothes which were to be kept in a basket for laundry. The bird owner did not notice and put the clothes in the washing machine. It was only later when she got the clothes out of the machine that she realized her mistake. The bird had drowned and lost her life.Other Animals
If you have other pets at home, you require being extra cautious of your bird’s movements. Some of the pets like a dog or a cat may play and will give you that it is comfortable in the presence of the other bird, but you may never know what can irk them and provoke them to bite or scratch or just step on the pet bird. Animal bite is quite serious and can be life threatening. It can cause serious infection in the blood stream. Cat’s bite is the most dangerous one. There is a bacteria found in the cat’s mouth named Pasteurella, which is extremely unsafe for the pet bird. Even a small puncture by a cat’s tooth may result to serious injuries in the bird. The birds may also hurt each other in a fight or by just being notorious. For example, lovebirds usually hurt other birds by nipping on their toes. This could lead to bleeding in the toes and may prove fatal. Some of the birds get hurt while fighting with each other; this happens especially at the onset of puberty.Toxic food or plants
Some foods are toxic to birds like chocolate or cocoa, avocado fruit, caffeine, onion etc. Chocolate metabolizes into Theobromine that causes poisoning in bird's stomach. Few of the houseplants are also toxic to the birds. If ingested, they can kill the birds. Similarly few of the outdoor plants are also toxic to pet birds, for example, Oleander. If eaten by a bird may result into Oleander toxicosis. You should hire pet sitter to provide pet care chores in case you are going on tour and not able to look after your pet.Hand Feeding mistakes
Many owners make the mistake of feeding the young bird with their own hands. Your hands may be carrying several infections that you may unknowingly transfer to your pet birds. Bacterial infection, fungal infection and polyoma virus infection are the common infections that can cause death of your bird. Always buy birds that have weaned. Many bird owners make the mistake of buying a baby bird and then feed her by the hand that results in causing deadly infection to the birds. Through hand feeding, many things can go wrong like the food is mixed incorrectly and prepared at a wrong temperature, feeding through dirty utensils, etc. that may prove fatal to the bird. Always ensure that the place where the bird is being kept is clean and hygienic. Many times by mistake it happens that the food is fed to the bird at a really low temperature which results in slowed down the gastrointestinal tract and eventually causes death. Babies should never be forced for eating as they could inhale the baby formula which may cause aspiration pneumonia wherein the baby tries to breathe in air for few days but is unable to do so and hence eventually dies due to lack of it.Owner Caused diseases
Many bird owners love to go for bird shows or club meetings wherein everyone brings in their birds and show to the rest. However, it is not realized that some of the birds may be ill and may contain virus or infection that they could get transferred to other birds as well. Such birds do not appear ill but do transfer infectious bacteria or virus to healthy birds eventually making them ill too. Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), chlamydiosis (psittacosis), Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) and pacheco's disease are examples of such diseases. Vets also recommend that, even if all the birds are checked against diseases still they should not be brought together or restricted to an absolute minimum.Other things which the bird owners may not realize but could harm the bird is adding a new bird in addition to the already existing one. You may not realize that the new bird may have some kind of infection that is transferable. The best thing to do before introducing a new pet with an existing one is to get it checked thoroughly from a vet against any infection. Many such cases have been reported wherein the existing birds catch the infection from the newly added bird or birds and then die due to infection. However, few of the infections cannot be detected at an early stage and can be missed while testing the bird. Always quarantine the bird at least for a period of one month or two before introducing it to the home. This is preferred, as in case the bird has some infection the stress of moving it to a new home may aggravate it rapidly resulting into showing signs of illness. This will confirm you whether the bird is healthy or not.
Many pet owners make the mistake of kissing their birds with open mouth or letting the birds peck or play with their tongue, lips or teeth. Such kind of contact may prove fatal to the birds as our mouth contains several kinds of bacteria and fungi that may cause serious infections.
Heat exposure
Many birds, especially the exotic birds, cannot tolerate excessive exposure to heat. Never leave your bird inside the cars during the daytime as it may expose the bird to direct heat resulting in hyperthermia and lead to its death. Avoid keeping the cage in direct sunlight that is usually near the window. The excessive heat dehydrates the bird, and it begins panting and eventually the bird dies. Always ensure the bird is in a shady place. Brooder malfunction can be another reason of causing hyperthermia in a bird.Sleeping with birds
Do not allow the bird to sleep in bed with you or any other person. In sound sleep, you may never know when you could roll over or smother it under a pillow or the bed cover sheets resulting into suffocation or serious injuries to the bird. Birds should be allowed to sleep in their cage only. This is the place where they are safe at almost any risk.It is impossible to prevent all kinds of dangers that could harm your bird, but by keeping the above things in mind you may prevent a lot of common accidents that occur with most of the pet birds.