Schefflera in bird room

[Krissa]

I'm bringing all my plants inside for the winter and I am planning on placing my Lady palm and boston ferns in the room with Loki. I also have a large Schefflera. I have seen it on many lists as safe, but also as poisonous. Does anyone have any history with this plant and parrots. I was going to keep it in the guest room where Loki can't go (door closed) but would like to put it in his room for enrichment if it is safe.

 

[Mara&Lilo]

Be careful with your plant choice for enrichment! All ferns are poisonous, also the boston fern. Besides the Schefflera is also a poisonous plant. You should try fresh branches, for example of fruit trees for enrichment That´s definitely safe.

 

[Ziggymon]

I've never seen Boston fern on a toxic list, only on bird safe lists.

As far as the schefflera is concerned - if there's any doubt (IOW, if it appears on some bird safe lists and some toxic lists), my personal rule is to not take the risk. Just not worth it, IMO.

 

[AmberMuffinz]

Be careful with your plant choice for enrichment! All ferns are poisonous, also the boston fern. Besides the Schefflera is also a poisonous plant. You should try fresh branches, for example of fruit trees for enrichment That´s definitely safe.

Not all fruit trees are safe actually. Many lists have some fruit trees as poisonous. I know apple is safe while plum trees are toxic for example.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Potted plants should never be placed in a bird room. All I can do is repeat the advice of the experts, which is to keep your birds completely away from potting soil and disinfect any time you go out in the garden and dig in the dirt.

Aspergillus is around all of the time, but damp soil is the perfect breeding ground for massive amounts of the fungus. I'd rather take my bird outside and toss her into the wind than to take a chance of her living the life and dying the death that Hank died.

Please read what those who know say. Getting the word out is all I can do for Hank now.
Aspergillosis (Sad Update)

It's the spores of the fungus that float around in the air. The fungus plant/animal itself needs a host to feed off of. When there is a friendly host for the fungus (such as potted plants, compost or manure) the fungus grows rampantly and produced copious amounts of spores into the atmosphere. Spores are like seeds and when they find a friendly host, that can't fight them or they are in great masses, they bloom and reproduce and damage the host. Fungus spores are almost indestructible and there have been spores found that are thousands of years old, that when put in beneficial conditions have grown. It's the spores that are breathed in by us or our birds andaspergillosis fumigatus has the smallest spores that are more capable of making their way deep into the respiratory system. Good news is that anyone/bird that has a normal immune system can fight off normal Asper levels, but not massive injections.

Among humans, transplant patients who are taking anti-rejection medication (suppresses the immune system) are most susceptible to Asper transplant and lung transplant patients are the most susceptible.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Here are some ideas for making your bird room more natural without risking his health and welfare.

I would definitely stay away from synthetic plants. You should never give your bird anything to eat/chew on that they can't digest - in Jasper's case that means whiffle balls. Those synthetics have dyes and are coated with "stuff" to maintain their color and stiffness.

How about using a large dowel, or even a branch off of a tree and set it into the type of base that is used for patio umbrellas. The branches and trunks and leaves of bird safe trees do not host Asper it's the soil. I would drill holes in the upright piece and stick branches with leaves of bird safe plants into the hole, giving them a manufactured tree to climb and eat. My vet supplies bamboo and eucalyptus to his birds that are boarding with him - they love them. I understand that both are sold by some vendors and failing that you can substitute limbs that are native to your area (and are bird safe).

Other alternatives are climbing nets and hanging play trees with leaves and branches stuck around in them. Use your imagination, keeping your bird's safety and welfare in mind. It's not so important what appeals to YOU, but what is good for your bird.

ML

 

[AmberMuffinz]

Potted plants should never be placed in a bird room. All I can do is repeat the advice of the experts, which is to keep your birds completely away from potting soil and disinfect any time you go out in the garden and dig in the dirt.

Aspergillus is around all of the time, but damp soil is the perfect breeding ground for massive amounts of the fungus. I'd rather take my bird outside and toss her into the wind than to take a chance of her living the life and dying the death that Hank died.

Please read what those who know say. Getting the word out is all I can do for Hank now.
Aspergillosis (Sad Update)

It's the spores of the fungus that float around in the air. The fungus plant/animal itself needs a host to feed off of. When there is a friendly host for the fungus (such as potted plants, compost or manure) the fungus grows rampantly and produced copious amounts of spores into the atmosphere. Spores are like seeds and when they find a friendly host, that can't fight them or they are in great masses, they bloom and reproduce and damage the host. Fungus spores are almost indestructible and there have been spores found that are thousands of years old, that when put in beneficial conditions have grown. It's the spores that are breathed in by us or our birds andaspergillosis fumigatus has the smallest spores that are more capable of making their way deep into the respiratory system. Good news is that anyone/bird that has a normal immune system can fight off normal Asper levels, but not massive injections.

Among humans, transplant patients who are taking anti-rejection medication (suppresses the immune system) are most susceptible to Asper transplant and lung transplant patients are the most susceptible.

I never knew how much of a risk potted plants were until recently. I'll be moving my little "garden" outside... If they die in the cold, they die. But it's better than the dangers they pose inside! Especially now since my new playstand is going to sit in the spot where the plants were.

 

[Krissa]

I'll pass on the Schefflera then. I have never seen a boston fern on a bad list, but if someone says they think they are poisonous to birds then I won't put them in with the bird. He has lots of grapevines to play on hanging from the ceiling. I just wanted to make the room a bit more natural looking.

I keep my plants very dry in the winter, I think I watered my bosten ferns three times the whole winter last year. The majority of my houseplants are cacti. I keep them totally dry from September until late March. The soil is very dry and would not be a good medium for mold spores. I test the soil moisture weekly to avoid root rot when I overwinter plants. I have grown Asper in the lab for many years (I was a microbiologist) so I understand the organism well. I am not concerned about having the potted plants in the house. As I am an avid gardener it is unreasonable to disinfect myself every time I dig in the dirt. Destroying my normal skin flora daily through the use of alcohol hand sanitizers or antibacterial soap is a good way to catch some pathogenic bacteria.

While I understand many individuals have lost their birds to Asper on this forum, I personally feel that people worry about microorganisms too much and over-sterilize the environment. To develop a healthy functioning immune system one must be exposed to pathogens. There is research linking the overly sterilized environments found in the western world to autoimmune disorders and asthma. Its called the Hygiene Hypothesis and was first put forth by David P. Strachan in 1989. Instead of worrying about pathogens in my home, I work to boost the immune system of myself and my pets by feeding high vitamin A foods, encouraging exercise and exposure to sunlight. I'm not saying that I let mold grow in my shower, never clean cages and leave raw chicken everywhere, but I'm not going to worry about my bird flying past a potted plant.

Please note I'm not trying to start an argument, I am just stating my reasons for placing my plants in my home with my pets.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Krissa - "Instead of worrying about pathogens in my home, I work to boost the immune system of myself and my pets by feeding high vitamin A foods, encouraging exercise and exposure to sunlight. I'm not saying that I let mold grow in my shower, never clean cages and leave raw chicken everywhere, but I'm not going to worry about my bird flying past a potted plant.

Please note I'm not trying to start an argument, I am just stating my reasons for placing my plants in my home with my pets."

And that is of course your informed choice. Just like leaving my birds outside without a harness is my choice, based on the long term knowledge of my birds and the environment where they are. Believe me I have never kept my birds in a sterilized environment - I'm the second worst housekeeper in the world (someone has to be worse).

My first BS was microbiology (UCD), my second was accounting (ASU). One thing I learned in both regimens that you must analyze risks and eliminate those that can't be mitigated. Unfortunately, there is no way to evaluate how robust the immune system of an animal is without testing it with pathogens. A fail is not acceptable.

Don't forget V-C which is one of the building blocks of the immune system immune system- for as much as the immune system is understood.

ML

 

[Love My Zons]

My discussion with the Vet yesterday included Asper only because of reading about it here with birds that contract it. His reply was it is around, around us in our environment. He spoke directly about birds who have contracted it to be happening due to their living conditions.

Filthy cages was of topic that I asked about and rehomed birds that come from poor conditions.

 

[Ziggymon]

Meh. My vet also says we are all exposed to Asper pretty much daily, and it's the strength of the immune system that determines whether there's going to be a problem.

I also am one of those who believes that we do more harm in the long run by keeping things *too* sterile.

All that being said, I've decided to not bring my plants in for the winter this year. A number of factors play into this decision on my part, including how difficult it has become to find a potting medium that I consider safe (Asper aside) for the birds, should they get into it. It's not a decision I'm taking lightly - one of those plants has been with me 33 years.

 

[AmberMuffinz]

Meh. My vet also says we are all exposed to Asper pretty much daily, and it's the strength of the immune system that determines whether there's going to be a problem.

I also am one of those who believes that we do more harm in the long run by keeping things *too* sterile.

All that being said, I've decided to not bring my plants in for the winter this year. A number of factors play into this decision on my part, including how difficult it has become to find a potting medium that I consider safe (Asper aside) for the birds, should they get into it. It's not a decision I'm taking lightly - one of those plants has been with me 33 years.

Perhaps an idea is to build an outside green house for the winter. I'm sure there are some great easy tutorials online to make a make-shift one so the chance of your favorite plants dying out completely is lessened. Just an idea!

 

[Krissa]

Perhaps an idea is to build an outside green house for the winter. I'm sure there are some great easy tutorials online to make a make-shift one so the chance of your favorite plants dying out completely is lessened. Just an idea!

I would love a greenhouse, its one of my dreams But I have stupid zoning in my area . I had a beautiful one planned and almost purchased the materials - then I met the zoning board.

As to vitamin C, I was under the impression that parrots manufacture their own vitamin C. I do feed fresh veggies/fruits daily and give an occasional orange slice (I pull the pellets when I give the orange to prevent an increased uptake of iron). Should I do more in working on the vitamin C intake? The fruits/veggies I focus on are high in A - sweet potato, squash, peppers, dandelion, broccoli etc).

Also:
I just wanted to say how happy I am that this has not become a shout fest, on the other forum I was on these types of topics could not be discussed civilly. I have learned volumes about birds since I found this forum

 

[RedFeather]

I have a personal note about schefflera. My parents had a Netherland Dwarf rabbit named Mini many years ago. She had free range in the house and ate a few nibbles of a schefflera leaf. This happened in front of my father, and he watched as she fell, lost control of her left side and the movement of her legs, and died. It happened within minutes and there was nothing he could do. He did some research and found that schefflera toxin is not hazardous to adult humans, which is why it can show up on a safe list, but it is deadly to small animals. I'd even be nervous for toddlers to be around it, so I've never had one myself.

 

[Rara Avis]

I don't have any experience with schefflera. IMO it is difficult to ascertain whether or not a plant is toxic to birds specifically - I think many of the lists are based upon what is poisonous to humans and other mammals, when in fact different animals will not have the same reaction to a particular plant, alkaloid, or food item.
I would still err on the side of caution. Personally I don't allow my birds near my houseplants, even ones that are listed as safe. You just never know.

 

[Lexii]

I know pretty much everyone has said the same thing,
but especially Loki being a Pionus (they're known to get asper easier then some species) I wouldn't use potted plants.

 

[Mara&Lilo]

@ Ziggymon: I never saw a non toxic fern specious. I think all of them are poisonous.

 

[Ziggymon]

@ Ziggymon: I never saw a non toxic fern specious. I think all of them are poisonous.

Safe Aviary Plants
Toxic and Safe Plants/Trees for Birds - Household Poisons
Safe Plants for Birds
Safe and Toxic Plants for Pet Birds List, poisonous and toxic plants for pet birds, safe herbs for pet birds, safe flowers for pet birds, safe garden plants for pet birds, safe garden flowers for pet birds, safe seeds to grow for pet birds, safe hous
Houseplants Safe for Birds | Avian and Exotic Animal Care, Raleigh, NC
SAFE PLANTS FOR BIRDS

Those are the first six sites that showed up when I googled whether Boston ferns are bird safe. There are loads of other lists where they appear as bird safe (as do some other ferns), but perhaps it's your turn to back up your assertion that Boston ferns are toxic?

Leah, schefflera is toxic to cats, so I'm not surprised that it's toxic to rabbits. However, plants that are definitely toxic to cats aren't necessarily toxic to birds, and vice versa.


AmberMuffinz, the winters here get cold enough that a makeshift greenhouse wouldn't do the trick. I do heat the chicken house, but I am confident the plants wouldn't survive a winter with the chickens.

 

[kackels]

What about sticking the plants in the garage or a storage building? That's what I do every year! If we are going to have a few days of "nice winter weather" then I bring them out for some sun and a small drink, then back in they go till after the last frost.

 

[Ziggymon]

What about sticking the plants in the garage or a storage building? That's what I do every year! If we are going to have a few days of "nice winter weather" then I bring them out for some sun and a small drink, then back in they go till after the last frost.

You don't live in an area where it's not unusual to have daytime temps in the single digits and night time temps below zero.