Holiday Safety for Birds

As the holidays approach, many of us are getting caught up in the magic and bustle of the season. Preparing those mouth-watering holiday meals, shopping for friends and family, decorating our homes, and listening to seasonal music are all part of this special time. The holidays do bring some very specific dangers for pet birds, however, so if you are sharing your home with a feathered roommate, there are a few things you’ll want to be careful of in order to keep your beautiful pet safe. In this article, your local vet Welland goes over some tips on holiday safety for birds.

Birds have very sensitive lungs. Any type of perfume or aerosol product can be bad for your feathered pet. During the holidays, you may be tempted to burn scented candles, Yule logs, or potpourri, but all of these things can be very dangerous for your little pet. Cooking fumes can also be very bad for birds. Be sure the air is very clean in the room your pet’s cage is set up in, and avoid exposing your bird to any type of scents or perfumes.

Christmas trees are a very tempting sight for Birdy! Your pet will need time out of his cage, so you’ll want to be very careful with letting your bird out for playtime after you’ve put up your Christmas tree. Tinsel, decorations, and ornament hooks are all hazardous for your little feathered friend. Even the tree itself can be dangerous! To minimize the dangers for your pet, keep your bird away from the tree.

Poinsettias, Holly Berries, Mistletoe, and Christmas cactuses are all very toxic to your little feathered pet. If you do display any of these traditional holiday plants, be sure to keep them in rooms your bird cannot access.

Halogen lamps, electric heaters, woodstoves, fireplaces, and space heaters can all be very dangerous for pet birds. It’s much too easy for a bird to land on one of these heating devices and burn himself! Don’t let your bird loose in a room with any heating devices or candles.

Teflon is being used more and more frequently in cooking pans and heating devices. Teflon gives off fumes which are very poisonous to birds. Since many people have special pots and pans and cooking devices they only use around the holidays, you’ll want to be careful not to use anything made of Teflon, or if you do, keep your bird safe in another room.

We here at your local vet clinic Welland want to wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season!

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