The seven top dangers to pet parrots.

The top 7 killers of pet parrots according to avian veterinarians include the following:

1. Other animals. Parrots can sustain fatal injuries by being bitten, clawed, pounced on, shaken, or chased by your faithful pooch, or cuddly kitten. Dogs and cats and other animals can kill your bird either by the bacteria in their saliva, or by causing severe injuries that result in toxic shock. Avian vets recommend that if your bird has been attacked or teased by another animal, always assume that your pet has been bitten and seek veterinary assistance immediately!

2. Unclipped wings. If you don't have your birds wings properly clipped, it can end up flying out of an open door or window and be lost forever. Or it can fly into glass windows, ceiling fans, into the fireplace, onto hot stove-tops, into the toilet, or aquarium and drown. Be extra cautious with small streamlined birds, like cockatiels and budgies. It often only takes one or two long flight feathers for them to be able to gain altitude.

3. Toxic fumes. Non-stick cookware is one of the biggest culprits here. The PTFE or polytetraflouroethylene in Teflon or non-stick cookware can be released as a gas while cooking, causing death. (By the way, does anyone remember the use of canaries in mine shafts to detect deadly gases? If this stuff can kill our birds just like that do we really want to be using it in our home around our precious families?) Many household aerosol products, such as hairspray, deodorant, and perfume can also cause respiratory problems.

4. Secondhand smoke. By inhaling smoke from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, your bird (and/or dog and cat) just like people, can develop eye problems, skin irritation and respiratory disease.

5. Trauma. If your parrot is out of his cage unsupervised, he is in grave danger of being stepped on, sat on, crushed in a closing door, or rolled over on. He even runs the risk of being sucked up into the vacuum! For some reason conures and caiques seem especially prone to being stepped on, maybe because of their natural curiosity, and love of exploring new places (like under the sofa or reclining chair).

6. Toxic food or plants. There are several foods that are known toxins for birds, chocolate, caffeine, avocado, and onions are all things that should be avoided at all costs! There are also many toxic houseplants that you should keep out of your house or at least away from your birds. I will include a list of known plants to avoid and those that are safe in my next post.

7. Water. Your parrot can die of water deprivation due to a malfunctioning water bottle. For this reason, water cup that is tip proof is a better choice for birds. Even though it will need to be cleaned much more frequently. Be sure that if he is able to bathe in his bowl, that all the water isn't splashed out in the process. Budgies (parakeets) and lovebirds are particularly enthusiastic bathers!