Cockatiel Dangers

The world outside of your cockatiel's cage can be a dangerous place, despite the fact that you brought your cockatiel into your home, and it seems safe enough for you, for your cockatiel, there are many hidden dangers...

Tight spaces, paint/wallpaper, cooking pots, cleaning supplies, house plants, candles, other pets... all but a small list of the hidden dangers we all take for granted, but could be deadly for your bird.

Cockatiels are highly inquisitive, they get their beaks into everything. You must monitor them whenever they are outside their cages, and you must take care to avoid toxic fumes in the air, even when they seem safe in their cages... this is a big responsibility, you want your bird to be safe!

Dangerous chemicals and fumes lurk in many household products. Many items do not need to be ingested, merely inhaled, to become toxic. This is definately not an all inclusive list. Basically any chemical product created synthetically or produced in any factory could pose a hazard to your bird. This include basic household cleaning supplies. Use biodegradable, non toxic cleaners or preferably homemade cleaning suppplies such as vinegar and water. Baking soda, mild dish soap (the one I use is the original blue "Dawn"... not the other fragranced ones, nor the extra cleansing etc) "Dawn" is the brand that I know many bird owners to use... Originally heard this from a Bird refuge shelter manager. Another product I use and it was a bird specialty shop who told me this one... is "Simple Green". You can find it in the car care section of "Wal-Mart".

room by room dangers

Kitchen- Do you have any nonstick cooking pans? The Teflon coating used to make the surface nonstick will also emit deadly fumes if overheated, almost instant death for your bird!

Many people have cleaning supplies stored in or near the kitchen area. You cockatiel will most likely never ingest any of these poisons, but again, the fumes could really impair your cockatiels breathing and cause great discomfort, if not death.

The kitchen will have extreme temperature fluctuations. Birds in a cage have no way to get away from the drafts or if overheated, either way, your bird suffers

Bathroom- What dangers could there be to your Cockatiel? A Cockatiel can drown in an open toilet. It doesn't matter if the flight feathers have been trimmed or not. The traditional toilet is too slick to climb out, wet birds don't fly as well and without full wingspan, the bird will be unable to flap up out of the water. And if you have one of those "blue" toilet cleaning tabs in your toilet, well, that could outright kill the bird, before he finishes drowning. Keep the lid down on the toilet bowl if you are in the bathroom with your cockatiel.

Your vanity/cabinet/shelving may hold all kinds of interesting bottles or jars that can contain substances that could harm your bird. If you take a shower with your bird, don't spray deodorant, hair spray, perfumes etc while your bird is in the bathroom. Take the bird out of the bathroom before finishing your grooming/hygiene routines.