Plastic sheeting + air cooler questions~

[chickadeecap]

Hi all,

I'm about to bring home a baby GCC, and I'm working on my preparation.

I bought a clear vinyl (I think it's vinyl) tablecloth cover to put under the cage (we have carpet), but when I unwrapped it, its new-plastic chemical smell was pretty horrible. I've aired it outside for a couple of days now, but I'm not sure how much good it's doing. Does anyone happen to know whether it will be safe? My instincts are pointing towards no at the moment, I figure if it smells noxious to me, it'd be much worse for a bird!

I also wanted to ask about air coolers. I know heaters can be dangerous, but heaters aren't all that relevant in Australia We've got one of those air coolers that uses water. Just wanted to double check this will cause no issues?

Thank you so much in advance! I'm very grateful for everyone's knowledge on here

 

[Birdbabe]

Hi, if you air out the plastic sheet for about a week, it should be ok, or better yet, get a "plastic rug" like the kind that goes under computer chairs....air it out too. As for the cooler, we use "swamp coolers" here in arizona, they smell at first, but after a d ay or two should be OK..

 

[MommyBird]

If your desk chair mat is made from polycarbonate and not from PVC, it will not smell at all. I got mine at Amazon, they have worked fine for several years so far.

 

[chickadeecap]

Thank you! As of today, the plastic sheeting is smelling much less strongly. I'll leave it outside for a few more days, and it should be good c: If it still smells I'll get one of those office chair mats.

A swamp cooler is what we have, yes! That's a much neater description that "one of those coolers that uses water" haha.