About Candles Near Birds

[BirbBrains]

So, I was wondering a bit about candles. I have a lot of them. None are strong enough to smell all over the entire house, but they do have a scent. Assuming that I do decide to adopt some feathered friends (most likely budgies or cockatiels), I will have them in a less populated, small room with a closing door and window.

I know that candles can really hurt birds' lungs, and even kill them completely. However, in the room I will put the birds in, I never burn candles. I do in the room across, the kitchen, and the living room, but never that room. Can I still burn candles near birds if the door is closed, window opened, or even a fan in the room as well? If anyone can help me with this, that would be lovely!

 

[Birdbabe]

No,,,get battery operated tea candles, they look the same, same ambiance, same light, no danger.

 

[saroj12]

no candles anywhere in the house. Throw them out or give them away.

 

[BirbBrains]

would shoving a towel under the door prevent the scent? And opening my window? Usually, when I burn candles, I do so to calm myself, and never can smell the scent from the room Though they are occasionally in the room across from the future bird room, I can't even smell them from that room. Usually they are in an area a few rooms down. I've seen videos saying that they're ok if in another room. Also, @Saoji12, your icons in your signature are adorable!!

 

[rocky'smom]

No NO double NO no candles

 

[Shezbug]

I believe it is not just scented candles.......it is all candles!

Being able to smell a fragrance from the candle is not the only issue I believe.

 

[BirbBrains]

Oh! I was actually wondering what exactly about candles hurt birds! It just being the scent didn't make much sense to me.

 

[finchly]

I really miss my candles, but they are deadly to birds. If you absolutely must have candles, perhaps don’’t have birds.

 

[BirbBrains]

Is a certain chemical in candles what kills birds? An unblockable type of gas? I keep looking stuff up, but it won't give me anything informitive enough

 

[BirbBrains]

Are burning regular fires with little smoke, the bird in a closed room, and even a little fan or open window, okay?

 

[Clueless]

@BirbBrains

The risk is not worth it.

If you want candles, go outside and sit by them out there.

The wicks are made of bad things. The scent is bad. I once found candles that ithought would be safe but then discovered the wick issue. I gave a LOT of candles away once the parrots moved in. I don't regret it.

If you just want the smell, simmer natural things like cinnamon sticks and orange peels but SET A TIMER so you don't boil a pot dry. That can be extremely bad.

 

[Hankmacaw]

@BirbBrains
The items that damage a bird's respiratory system are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) . These VOC are emitted by many things and are not always visible nor do they have an odor. Many times VOC are emitted on a molecular level and are able to penetrate deeply into a living object. Candles are almost always a petroleum product and the wick has zinc or tin in them. Petroleum fumes are not good for us and are deadly for birds. Zinc and tin (which contains zinc) is the leading cause of Heavy Metal Toxicity in birds.

A parrot may not show immediate effects, but the VOC stays in their respiratory system and accumulation over a period of time will effect them very, very detrimentally.

A parrot's respiratory system is extremely complex and nothing like a mammal's. Here is an excellent video of how a bird's respiratory system works and you can see how many times the VOC has an opportunity to stay in the bird's system and effect the bird. The one thing not mentioned in this video is that some of the air ingested stays in their hollow bones (which makes them lighter and able to fly).

The Avian Respiratory System (Great Video) | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

Now you know why there are few if any work arounds when it comes to burning candles around birds.

 

[BirbBrains]

Would bringing the bird to an outside space for a while until the candle stops being used help? Also, they make "bird safe" candles, but do they actually help?

 

[BirbBrains]

sorry, @Hankmacaw , I just saw your comment now. That's very interesting. Is the wick kind of the main problem? Is there a way to check what is in the wick?

 

[Hankmacaw]

As I emphasized in my post, all of the VOCs in the candle are a problem. When anything burns VOCs are emitted and many are emitted at the molecular level. Almost all candles are a petroleum product VERY BAD and the wick whether it contains metals or not ends up as VOCs.

You really should be able to live without candles, but if you can't, you should not get a bird.

 

[Brittany0208]

I agree with @Hankmacaw, some things are dangerous to parrots no matter how much we try to minimize contact. I did away with all my candles and a rice cooker that I had only had for a year. It sucks that I had to give it away, but my bird's health and very life could've been at stake. Not worth the risk in any capacity, and if you must have candles, then birds aren't for you. They would suffer greatly. Ultimately, the choice is yours to make but I think you should consider the bird's well-being before you bring one into your home.

 

[BirbBrains]

i don't really need candles, I'm just minorly disappointed that there aren't any ways to still use them

 

[Shezbug]

There are many things that I miss and would like to still be able to use however my birds safety is much more important to me than any of those things so I will make do without. I have a massive box full of used and brand new candles as well as a shoe box full of incense that I used to burn all the time, I also have hundreds of dollars of essential oils that are all packed away so no one even thinks about diffusing any.
Believe me when I tell you that it is a small price to pay for the pleasure of keeping a companion bird

 

[BirbBrains]

Haha, I agree.

 

[Peachfaced]

At Christmas time last year, we had some candles (unscented and not lit) out just as decoration on a table. They were large enough that I stuck the little battery tea lights inside the holes of the candles and from a distance, it looked real.