Household Hazards for Pet Birds

Birds , Routine Care and Breeding of Birds

Household Hazards for Pet Birds

date January 30, 2025

While time outside a cage can be a positive experience your bird, it can also be dangerous, especially for small birds that can be easily stepped on or injured in falls. Birds also do not understand the nature of glass windows or mirrors. Like wild birds that fly into windows from the outside, pet birds can be injured flying into these barriers. Birds outside their cages should be carefully monitored to ensure they cannot escape and to avoid accidents and injury. All windows and doors in the area should be fully closed before you release your bird from its cage.

Common Household Poisons

This list is not inclusive because there may be other substances toxic to birds that have not been widely documented. The bird’s environment should be limited to those items known to be safe.

  1. Acetone (nail polish remover)

  2. Ammonia

  3. Antifreeze

  4. Ant syrup or paste

  5. Avocado

  6. Bathroom bowl cleaner

  7. Bleach

  8. Boric acid

  9. Camphophenique

  10. Carbon tetrachloride

  11. Charcoal lighter

  12. Clinitest tablets

  13. Copper and brass cleaners

  14. Corn and wart remover

  15. Crayons

  16. Deodorants

  17. Detergents

  18. Disinfectants

  19. Drain cleaners

  20. Epoxy or super glue

  21. Fabric softeners

  22. Fluoropolymer fumes

  23. Galvanized materials

  1. Garden sprays

  2. Gasoline

  3. Gun cleaner

  4. Gunpowder

  5. Hair dyes

  6. Hexachlorophene (in some soaps)

  7. House plants (including calla lilies, mistletoe, poinsettia, and others)

  8. Indelible markers

  9. Insecticides

  10. Iodine

  11. Kerosene

  12. Lighter fluid

  13. Linoleum (contains lead)

  14. Matches

  15. Model glue

  16. Mothballs

  17. Muriatic acid

  18. Mushrooms (some varieties)

  19. Nail polish

  20. Oven cleaner

  21. Paint

  22. Paint remover

  23. Paint thinner

  24. Perfume

  1. Permanent wave solutions

  2. Pesticides

  3. Photographic solutions

  4. Pine oil

  5. Prescription and nonprescription drugs

  6. Red squill

  7. Rodenticides

  8. Rubbing alcohol

  9. Shaving lotion

  10. Silver polish

  11. Snail bait

  12. Spot remover

  13. Spray starch

  14. Sulphuric acid

  15. Suntan lotion

  16. Turpentine

  17. Weed killers

  18. Window cleaners

Other hazards for birds outside their cages include access to toxic materials (including certain house plants and dangerous foods and medicines), electrical cords, stove tops, open toilets, and other seemingly innocent household objects ( see Common Household Poisons). Birds have been caught in blankets, trapped in clothes dryers, drowned in sinks and toilets and even sucked into vacuum cleaners. Be sure to monitor your bird any time it is outside its cage.

Content Credits: Manual

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