Birds with free household access are at potential risk of exposure to toxicants. Experts at the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center offer the following poison prevention tips to keep your companion experts offer tips to keep companion birds safe from poisoning:
- Birds are highly sensitive to inhalant fumes. Avoid exposing birds to fumes from self-cleaning ovens and overheated cookware, automobile exhaust, tobacco smoke, glues and paints, insecticidal fumigants, perfume and hair spray.
- Keep prescription and over-the-counter drugs out of beak's reach, preferably in closed cabinets. Painkillers, cold medicines, anticancer drugs, vitamins and diet pills are all examples of human medications that can be lethal to birds, even in small amounts.
- Never allow your bird access to areas in which cleaning agents are being used or stored. Should your pet ingest them, he could suffer from a range of symptoms, depending on the substance, from mild stomach upset to severe burns of the tongue, mouth and crop.
- Some foods and beverages that could be dangerous to birds include avocados, chocolate in any form, coffee and tea, moldy or spoiled foods, onions and garlic, tomato leaves and stems and yeast dough
If you suspect your bird has gotten into a potentially poisonous substance, call your veterinarian, or call the APCC's emergency hotline at (888) 426-4435 for round-the-clock telephone assistance. For more bird safety tips, visit the ASPCA's Web site.
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