Anyone else with pet birds?

[daved20319]

We're definitely bird people, 47 (pet) chickens in the front pasture, and a pair of parakeets in the house, until today. Due to a major snow storm that was NOT in the forecast, I've been inside doing some overdue and much needed housework. Decided this would be a great day to let the oven clean itself while I cleaned the house. Everything was going just fine, until suddenly my wife hollers for me to come quick, one of the parakeets seemed to be having a stroke or something. By the time I got to the living room and got him out of his cage, he was already gone. The other one seemed okay at first, just stressed, then he started breathing real heavy and was having trouble keeping his balance. The only thing different about today was the oven cleaning cycle, so I got him into a different room with its own air cleaner, but it was already too late. He was the younger and stronger of the two birds, so lasted a little longer, but the fumes from the self cleaning oven killed both of them. Needless to say, this is a sad day, these guys were pals, they'd sit on my shoulders or my head supervising whatever I was doing. If I was in the kitchen, they'd flit back and forth between me and the sink until I turned the faucet on to a thin stream so they could take showers. If I was on my laptop, they'd sit on the edge of the screen, looking at it upside down, or admiring their reflection if the light was right. This is going to leave a big hole in our daily lives.

Bottom line, if you don't know it already, take this to heart. These small birds are VERY vulnerable to anything nasty in the air. Turns out our oven has a Teflon type coating to make it easier to clean itself. But an overheated Teflon pan is just as much a death sentence. And this isn't necessarily just birds, other small animals, and even humans, can react badly to these toxins when they get in the air. So keep your furred or feathered friends in mind the next time you grab that can of whatever, or put that new non-stick skillet on the stove. Take care everyone, later.

Dave

Read More

 

[Alexx1401]

Sorry to hear. This has been well known for decades but many still do not seem to know about it until they find out the hard way
All birds have "lungs" that do not work like most Mammals. The birds are much more efficient but, this makes them more susceptible. There was a reason Canary's were used for this.
this guy has been with us for 20 years now and we of course have to be careful with him. He will outlive us.

 

[daved20319]

I knew about issues with over heated non-stick pans, but the oven is new, new enough that I've only run a self clean cycle once, and that was in the summer with the windows wide open. And like I said, I didn't realize it has a Teflon type lining. Beautiful parrot, the local feed store has one just like it that's the store mascot, her name's Daisy, and if her cage is open when I go in, she likes to join me as I walk around the store, then play with pens on the counter as I'm checking out. Later.

Dave

 

[Alexx1401]

I knew about issues with over heated non-stick pans, but the oven is new, new enough that I've only run a self clean cycle once, and that was in the summer with the windows wide open. And like I said, I didn't realize it has a Teflon type lining. Beautiful parrot, the local feed store has one just like it that's the store mascot, her name's Daisy, and if her cage is open when I go in, she likes to join me as I walk around the store, then play with pens on the counter as I'm checking out. Later.

Dave

To kill them it's seldom the PTFE doing the killing. Burnt food with any kind of fats or grease can do them in easily. Have had pet birds 40 years and have used coated pans all this time. It's you have to be careful with burning anything with oils or fats in them around the birds. Clogs up the air sacks and they can't get the O2 they need.
PTFE if heated to exstreams can make a toxic gas that can kill all animals but it's really hard to do on a stove. Have seen several birds killed by people who bought some other form of cookware thinking it was safe. Then burn some kind of oil or fats and the birds suddenly drop. The old joke I used to use with people wanting pet birds was if you use the smoke detector as a timer keep the bird FAR away from the kitchen

 

[Certaindeaf]

Sorry to hear about that..
I sprayed my toaster oven with some dollar store oven cleaner outside on the patio and I about croaked.. thank the jebus I did it outside.

 

[Mikej]

If you have an oven hood exhaust fan that vents outside you use a piece of card board to make a tube that will set on top of the stove over the vent to direct fumes up to the fan.

I have a bird habit. About $40.00/month. Wild birds, that is. Feed humming birds and have four kinds of seed in the yard that draws about 6-7 different kind of wild birds. We have a pair of crows that have nested near by for a second year. They had one little one last year and that left the nest early and ended up dead on our front lawn. This year they had two little ones that grew to maturity. Very fascinating watching the parents, who trust us, teach the babies how to eat for themselves. All four still come around for peanuts when I'm outside. Or I can call them "clicking" like you would to get a horse to go. That same call brings in a pair of Scrub Jays, of which one of them became so used to us, "she?" started coming in the garage for peanuts. And then we got her to come to hand for a peanut. Now she will go from window to window trying to get our attention. Even pounding her beak on the chair outside the slider, or squawking sometimes, when Wifey is sitting there. Slide the door open, stick you hand out with a peanut and she lands on the hand to get the peanut.

 

[Alexx1401]

If you have an oven hood exhaust fan that vents outside you use a piece of card board to make a tube that will set on top of the stove over the vent to direct fumes up to the fan.

I have a bird habit. About $40.00/month. Wild birds, that is. Feed humming birds and have four kinds of seed in the yard that draws about 6-7 different kind of wild birds. We have a pair of crows that have nested near by for a second year. They had one little one last year and that left the nest early and ended up dead on our front lawn. This year they had two little ones that grew to maturity. Very fascinating watching the parents, who trust us, teach the babies how to eat for themselves. All four still come around for peanuts when I'm outside. Or I can call them "clicking" like you would to get a horse to go. That same call brings in a pair of Scrub Jays, of which one of them became so used to us, "she?" started coming in the garage for peanuts. And then we got her to come to hand for a peanut. Now she will go from window to window trying to get our attention. Even pounding her beak on the chair outside the slider, or squawking sometimes, when Wifey is sitting there. Slide the door open, stick you hand out with a peanut and she lands on the hand to get the peanut.

I have fed them all my life. For a while long back my Dad was living with me. In nice weather he used to like to sit out in the back yard and watch the critters coming for the food I put out. One day when I pulled in from work he said the birds must tell each other "If there's no god who's this guy we see drive up here and feed us every day?"
In winter here the rare times it freezes I have to put out fresh food for the hummers when I get home from work. They are out there in the dark trying to feed from them as I am hanging them back up with fresh food. Can hear them buzzing all around me and making that odd little noise they make. Have always enjoyed it.