I’m worried :(

[cinnamon]

so i’ve been reading a bunch about things that are bad for cockatiels. my birdie is 5 months old i’ve had him for 3 months. i know teflon is bad for them but we use only teflon, my grandma has also cooked with him on her shoulder once because she forgot and i sometimes bring him in the room while cooking bc i forget. we also use bathroom sprays. i’ve also burned candles a few rooms away and he’s been in the room with a burning candle once or twice but only for 5 min. my moms bf smokes and i heard that the smoke can get into their bodies by skin to skin touch. he has touched my bird before i will make sure he won’t anymore. i hope i’m not overreacting but i’m really worried since someone said that once it’s in their body it never comes out and it says there forever or something. does anyone have any advice?

 

[Zara]

does anyone have any advice?

Yes, Start making changes now.
You cannot change anything that has happened but you can start now to improve your birds life

Give your candles away to a friend, get rid of all bathroom sprays, any type of scented aerosols, commercial cleaning products, tell your mums boyfriend to smoke outside (this will also reduce the need for scented sprays and candles), then invest in some stainless steel pots and pans. It is good to keep the bird out of the kitchen regardless of what you use to cook with. A hot stove is dangerous.

i heard that the smoke can get into their bodies by skin to skin touch. he has touched my bird before

Tell him to wash his hands before handling your bird.

 

[fashionfobie]

You are clearly a caring bird parrot. Thank you!
You can make the changes now to prevent harm. I can understand the dynamic of a family household. If your family will not change their cookware you need to be proactive and not allow your bird anywhere near the kitchen.. especially during cooking.

Teflon or anything PTFE is very lethal. We can't stress it enough. Toxicity is fast acting and very painful. There is also no cure. Take this concern very seriously.

The candels and smokey hands are easier to correct straight away

 

[finchly]

Teflon or anything PTFE is very lethal. We can't stress it enough. Toxicity is fast acting and very painful. There is also no cure. Take this concern very serious

If Teflon overheats and birds are in the vicinity. They drop dead. No Teflon liners in the oven and no air fryers either.

I couldn’t find the pictures but once you’ve seen a whole flock struck down with Teflon toxicity you’ll always remember it.

 

[Lady Jane]

All the things you write about are harmful to a birds respiratory system. The Teflon can and will cause the death of an entire flock of birds if the gases are present from heating the pan to a certain temperature. I have known 2 bird owners who held their birds in hands as they quickly died from these gases. One was a small bird and the other one was an African Grey. Perhaps if you educate your family as to why changes in lifestyle should be made for the sake of your birds health they may understand better.

A good list of Dangers that effect your birds

<img alt="" src="http://www.homestead.com/~media/elements/shared/javascript_disabled.gif" height="40" border="0" width="373"> WHAT HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS ARE DANGEROUS TO MY BIRDS? There are many drugs and household products that have not been tested for safety around birds. Birds are about...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Monica]

i know teflon is bad for them but we use only teflon

How do you know that the pans contain Teflon or PTFE? Have you contacted the manufacturer or looked more into it?

we also use bathroom sprays

You might want to find out if the bathroom sprays are harmful or not.

i’ve also burned candles a few rooms away and he’s been in the room with a burning candle once or twice but only for 5 min.

Some candles are fine. Scented candles and candles that have lead in the wick are the most dangerous. Plain or beeswax candles with cotton wicks are considered the safest.

my moms bf smokes

Any chance he'd be willing to smoke outside and wash hands before interacting with your tiel?

 

[cinnamon]

Yes, Start making changes now.
You cannot change anything that has happened but you can start now to improve your birds life

Give your candles away to a friend, get rid of all bathroom sprays, any type of scented aerosols, commercial cleaning products, tell your mums boyfriend to smoke outside (this will also reduce the need for scented sprays and candles), then invest in some stainless steel pots and pans. It is good to keep the bird out of the kitchen regardless of what you use to cook with. A hot stove is dangerous.


Tell him to wash his hands before handling your bird.

thanks so much for the advice this is very helpful. do you know if it’s okay to burn a candle in a room that my bird doesn’t go into? it’s a small closet i have that has 2 doors to it.

 

[cinnamon]

How do you know that the pans contain Teflon or PTFE? Have you contacted the manufacturer or looked more into it?




You might want to find out if the bathroom sprays are harmful or not.




Some candles are fine. Scented candles and candles that have lead in the wick are the most dangerous. Plain or beeswax candles with cotton wicks are considered the safest.




Any chance he'd be willing to smoke outside and wash hands before interacting with your tiel?

he’s not over much maybe once a month but he does smoke outside. i just don’t like him handling my birdie

 

[cinnamon]

You are clearly a caring bird parrot. Thank you!
You can make the changes now to prevent harm. I can understand the dynamic of a family household. If your family will not change their cookware you need to be proactive and not allow your bird anywhere near the kitchen.. especially during cooking.

Teflon or anything PTFE is very lethal. We can't stress it enough. Toxicity is fast acting and very painful. There is also no cure. Take this concern very seriously.

The candels and smokey hands are easier to correct straight away

yeah i’m a minor and i don’t have a choice on what cookware we use/buy. we also can’t just throw away all our pans and buy new ones. if i keep him out of the room will he be ok?

 

[finchly]

Maybe you can find good cookware at a thrift store.... I recently saw Caphalon (sp) at ours. It's a very expensive brand was there for a song.

Yes keep him out of the room, and if anyone burns something open your bedroom window or even get him outside ASAP.

You *can* throw away your things and replace -- many have done so.

As far as candles, I am so paranoid I've never burned one while owning birds - my friend researched it and gave me a soy candle, it is stuffed away in a drawer. However my daughter burned one in her room without my knowledge and I guess my birds were fine.

 

[Hawk12237]

I use only stainless steel cook ware. No point in taking chances.

 

[Smbrds]

Good on you for taking precautions and wanting the best care for your tiel. I would look more into different cookware and candles. The easier solution is removing your bird away from it, possibly in another room. There are just so many stories from birds mixed with candles and cookware or being in the kitchen especially with fumes and accidents. Also have your BF wash his hands before handling.

 

[Lady Jane]

I venture to say every member here went through disposing of Teflon cook pans and other items with Teflon. We do this for the health of our birds. You do not need candles either. There are battery operated candles now that you can use. Paraffin wax is not even that safe for humans to be exposed to.

 

[Smbrds]

I venture to say every member here went through disposing of Teflon cook pans and other items with Teflon. We do this for the health of our birds. You do not need candles either. There are battery operated candles now that you can use. Paraffin wax is not even that safe for humans to be exposed to.

That's for sure true! Off topic, when Hurricane Irma (Irma God!) came through and knocked out the power, I used a battery operated candle for my bedroom, where Baby is.