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Bird safe essential oil

apsgreen

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Are the young living essential oils safe for birds? This would be with an oil diffuser. My cousin used it with her bird and it’s fine. My cockatiel has a pleasant smell but my family doesn’t enjoy it as much as I do From what I’ve seen I would be getting the lemon scent
 

Mizzely

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I personally despise young living and will never buy any of their products :p

It's not a simple answer. In theory, all essential oils are toxic, as the oils can coat their air sacs and suffocate them over time.

If you're using them just to make the air smell good, I wouldn't use them at all. I only use essential oils like I do medicine: with purpose and only as needed.
 

Destiny

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Essential oils, regardless of brand, are not bird-safe. Some oils are more hazardous than others, but I wouldn't recommend using an oil diffuser around birds. Same with burning incense.

Birds have very sensitive lungs that can be harmed by smoke and oil droplets in the air. It is especially dangerous to use an oil diffuser near the bird's cage, because it will not be able to move away if the essential oil is too strong or if it develops trouble breathing.

If you do use a oil diffuser in your home, research the oils carefully. Some oils are directly toxic to cats and can be irritating to eyes or lungs for both people and animals. Do not assume that all products are equally safe, because many essential oils are marketed using unsupported health claims and without adequate safety information.
 
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finchly

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There are oils that can be used around birds, but you have to know
The brand
The oil.

So if your cousin uses brand A and you say “she uses lavender’ but you buy brand B, it could be totally different in its makeup.

There are at least 2 parrot specific facebook groups concerning essential oils, if you’re on FB.
 

apsgreen

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There are oils that can be used around birds, but you have to know
The brand
The oil.

So if your cousin uses brand A and you say “she uses lavender’ but you buy brand B, it could be totally different in its makeup.

There are at least 2 parrot specific facebook groups concerning essential oils, if you’re on FB.
We’re using the same brand and same scent. Young living is the brand.
 

Zara

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My cousin used it with her bird and it’s fine.
(Insert name here) smokes around their bird and the bird looks fine/is alive. The real danger is the damage we cannot see.
 

finchly

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We’re using the same brand and same scent. Young living is the brand.
OK so I went and looked it up for you. I am not a vet and neither are the people running the FB group but they do a lot of outside testing. YL lavender is considered 'safe.' That said -- @Mizzely doesn't recommend that brand. I have never used it. I saw someone post (in the FB group) that she had it tested independently and found it to be adulterated, so take what I recommended with a grain of salt.

Don't use any oil around your bird if he's under 1 year old.
 

Shezbug

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I wish I could find the links for all the information I read a few years back about two particular essential oil companies so I could post it..... it was enough to make me uncomfortable to use them for my self so I certainly wouldn’t trust them around birds. They’re the BT’s of EO’s.

If any of them tell you they’re fine to ingest then there’s your first heads up to either avoid them or help yourself and learn everything there is to know about EO’s.

All I can say is research, research and then research more. You can never be too careful and chances are just not worth taking.
 

Mizzely

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Yes, any company that tells you it's okay to use their oils "neat" or on babies is dangerous and I won't do business with them.

If their oil is "so pure" - then it is potent and should not be used undiluted. You can't have it be both ways.
 

Shezbug

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The two companies I’m thinking of really are like BT’s. It’s all about marketing which they’ve learned how to do better than make good essential oils.
 

finchly

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Yes, any company that tells you it's okay to use their oils "neat" or on babies is dangerous and I won't do business with them.

If their oil is "so pure" - then it is potent and should not be used undiluted. You can't have it be both ways.
Wow. One should never use any eo “neat.” Surely they could get in trouble for that. I know even if I get some on my skin if it’s not diluted I break out.
 

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Wow. One should never use any eo “neat.” Surely they could get in trouble for that. I know even if I get some on my skin if it’s not diluted I break out.
Yeah, some can really hurt if used that way! I think because EOs are still pretty unregulated that unless someone gets seriously injured and basically sues them, they'll keep doing what they are doing and no one will do anything about it.
 

tka

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Young Living and DoTerra are both pyramid schemes, a deeply unethical, predatory business model. That is reason enough to steer well clear of both companies. They care more about making sure that people higher up the pyramid get money rather than develop a good product. You have no idea what's actually in that bottle and whether it is what the company claims it is.


Young Living has been warned by the FDA to stop making claims that their products can prevent or cure disease or health conditions: Young Living - 09/22/2014

The long term effects of essential oils on animals, especially birds, hasn't been rigorously tested under laboratory conditions, but there's enough anecdotal evidence and small-scale studies that their use will harm birds' delicate respiratory systems. Personally I refuse to have essential oils in the house at all, let alone in a diffuser or something intended to create a fine mist that will be breathed in.
 

Hankmacaw

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If you watch this video you will realize just how very efficient a bird's respiratory system is. They get every bit of all contaminants out of a breath of air and oils are one of the worst to stay forever in the respiratory system.

 

taxidermynerd

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Young Living and DoTerra are both pyramid schemes, a deeply unethical, predatory business model. That is reason enough to steer well clear of both companies. They care more about making sure that people higher up the pyramid get money rather than develop a good product. You have no idea what's actually in that bottle and whether it is what the company claims it is.


Young Living has been warned by the FDA to stop making claims that their products can prevent or cure disease or health conditions: Young Living - 09/22/2014

The long term effects of essential oils on animals, especially birds, hasn't been rigorously tested under laboratory conditions, but there's enough anecdotal evidence and small-scale studies that their use will harm birds' delicate respiratory systems. Personally I refuse to have essential oils in the house at all, let alone in a diffuser or something intended to create a fine mist that will be breathed in.
I was gonna mention that. There are some great content creators on YouTube who talk about this kind of thing, including all the controversy. It goes deep.
 
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finchly

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You guys know that I love EOs and they have been very beneficial to me . I turned to alternative meds, EOs being one, because I have several chronic illnesses.

I moved my flock indoors in 2014? I think. That changed things. Everyone said don't diffuse oils. At the time I was diffusing lavender as well as a blend from DoTerra at night in my room. I need the oils. Without them I don't sleep, last night I was up from 2-5:30. Then overslept. As usual.
I started reading -- books, not websites. Books written by MDs and PHDs and so forth, not people who are parroting (pardon the pun) what they hear.
I have taken the courses to be an aromatherapist, but never taken the exam.
I have read every word in the parrot-oriented FB essential oil groups. Stories of how a bird was 'saved' by EOs. Some had been exposed to smoke, toxic fumes, other items. I've read all the independent 3rd party tests that one group performs (they're eye-opening!). I do believe the oils worked in these cases.

Also - there are many business models like DT, YL including Pampered Chef and (Oh shoot, what's the jewelry line where it's all $5). They are just that, a business model. Slang term pyramid scheme, although that's technically a scheme where there is a promise of a product but it doesn't come to fruition, and with these companies there actually is a product. Anyway, potato potahto, it's a model that is often embraced in order to get a product out with minimal advertising cost, if you can get women (usually) talking about your product and selling it they'll do the word of mouth thing. That's exactly what the founders of Rodan and Fields, another multi-level marketing company, said was their motivation. So personally I don't care about DoTerr'as business style.

As far as the big, bad FDA saying "don't make these claims," this has been and always will be the goal toward alternative therapies from our gov't. They don't care about the fact that people are hurting they care about money. Big pharmaceutical companies have deep pockets and the FDA will remain in them. After all, if they said yeah go get alternative therapy, you'll actually be BETTER -- then they'd work their way out of a job. I was into herbal meds before they were a thing, late 70s/early 80s and the same thing happened then. The government, doctors, and therefore people who considered themselves "educated" and "above" those things chanted 'it doesn't work, it's voodoo science, it's false, it's fake, you don't know what's in those capsules.' If you were brave enough to try a good brand and lucky enough to find someone well-versed in its healing properties, you discovered you could get better.... in my case chronic, recurring bronchitis and pneumonia dropped to, eventually, zero.

Anyway I feel fairly well versed in the topic and here's my 2 cents. I buy 2 brands: DoTerra and Plant Therapy. If you have an ethical issue with DoTerra, don't buy it but when I'm experiencing severe restless legs and can't go to sleep and within 10 min of applying the right DT oil I'm asleep - that's important.

So. My point finally. The more I learn, the less likely I am to expose my parrots to EOs in the air. Now, that is not to say I won't apply them topically for a particular use. But as mentioned above, they're not regulated. And we don't know everything. And you run across people who are putting more drops in the diffuser than recommended because they don't understand the process. Or they want to use a 'hot' oil and don't bother to find out it's toxic to birds. Or people who apply it neat to an open wound because they don't understand the oils are not mixed like say a bottle of cough syrup. There's not enough education for the public to make a correct decision.

Furthermore, if that bird was 'cured' by the essential oils, how do we know the tradeoff? What if it was 6 years off his life, would you take that? What if it's 10+ years? What if he gets some air sac issue down the road and nobody connects it to those EOs? So I do believe lavender is safe based on many sources who claim it is, but I am making a choice not to use it on my flock. Choosing not to use it is akin to choosing which foods to feed and not feed, in my opinion. Just a choice, and a personal choice. I believe in oils wholeheartedly and I do not diffuse them for parrots. I rarely use oils in my room now, even though my little corner is far from the birds and in the opposite corner from the air vent. I love these little guys and want to make every effort to keep them with me.
Would I diffuse if one had an illness and a respected expert suggested it? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Also ---- I can make topical concoctions for human use and not expose them. There are other ways of providing the same plant matter to birds. Herb salad, anyone? Or fresh plants. What about sprouts? Etc, Etc. We don't have to diffuse in order to reap the benefits.

Sorry to rant in your thread, @apsgreen . As you see you've hit a hot button in this forum! If you want to know more you might visit the FB groups.
 

Mizzely

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I'm also not anti EOs. I love Plant Therapy and use them for various ailments with very good results. I have diffused before, even specifically for the birds, and don't anymore. A large part of that is because so many aren't safe for cats, rats, and kids. Trying to balance the safety of everyone means it's much easier to not diffuse. I think EOs have a lot of potential, and I'll be the last person to say that the FDA knows everything, especially when it comes to alternative medicines.

I'm not opposed to Multi Level Marketing, but I do think those selling EOs in particular should be held accountable for some of the things they say or do. My grandma spent a TON of money YL oils because a rep told her it would cure her cancer and give her more time with her grandchildren. My friend's niece has cancer right now and these predatory sales people keep messaging her mom telling her to stop with Chemo and instead buy their essential oils and shakes.
 

finchly

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My grandma spent a TON of money YL oils because a rep told her it would cure her cancer and give her more time with her grandchildren. My friend's niece has cancer right now and these predatory sales people keep messaging her mom telling her to stop with Chemo and instead buy their essential oils and shakes.
Oh! :eek::eek::eek:

Preying on the weak/vulnerable. NOT COOL.

I agree, the reps say things that are untrue or exaggerated. They aren't trained. They say what someone else said, or told them to say. Can we give the benefit of the doubt and blame it on ignorance? No, not really.
 

StandUpand

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I thought this article was extremely interesting and I will be looking to see if dr.shelton has wrote a book about her research using essential oils for avian vetting
 
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