I thought I read somewhere that pine is dangerous for budgies is this true, whether it be cleaning agents (pinesol), pine bedding, pine cones, could someone clarify this for me,

the article i thought about was when they were on the way to the vets and their budgie died half way because of the pine air freshner, now was this because the scent was artificial and killed the budgie or is pine it self actually deadly?

It's the fumes from the cleaners that harm (or kill) birds. They are extremely bad for birds because of their sensitive respiratory systems. Pine cones are safe and make good toys. Pine bedding is often said to be unsafe for small animals because of fumes and bacteria growth.

Edited November 25, 200618 yr by eterri

Here is information on pine

http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml

PINE

 

We've read an article about Pine and Cedar containing compounds that can cause respiratory problems. But we noticed the article was primarily about BEDDING, like the mat of shavings put in bottoms of animal cages; more commonly done for hampsters and other pets.

 

When we listed pine above, that's meant as perch wood, which this page is geared toward. Also be certain that the pine for perches - if you use it - is dry pine that has aged for as much as a year or two. Otherwise the pitch in the pine will be an awful thing for your birds feathers.About the pine bedding; yes, it makes sense that it would cause respiratory problems. Suppose you have a small piece of pine perch or a small chunk of aged pine for a bird toy. It will have a certain amount of exposed surface area for aroma to exude from. If you take that piece and shred it, just think of all the exposed surface area you have just exposed. That's the difference between a small piece of perch versus shredded pine bedding. Plus, the bedding not only covers the entire cage bottom, but it also has depth to it; loaded with pine wood surface area.

 

As for pine cleaners, candles etc.. that is the aromatic part and the other chemicals that are in these types of products that can cause respiratory issues.

 

Aromatic Substances > Added Subject (also in the link above)

 

Not only are pesticides dangerous to birds, so are many aromatic substances. You birds are better off if you avoid using perfumed candles, incense, air freshners and other substances. You may even want to ask the carpet or upholstery cleaning service to reduce concentration of cleaning solutions.

 

The name “flea bomb” should be a red flag.

 

Swich from Teflon pans - should you have any - to something like stainless steel or cast iron.

 

Teflon pans, while over-heating, can emit substances that are deadly for birds. So many substances are harmful to birds, we should consider altering how we maintain our house and body. If you can smell the product in a room with birds, maybe don’t use it. Or, move the birds until the air cleans. Put nail polish at the other end of the house. If you have to clean the windows, don’t spray a solution onto the glass since the mist will move in the air. Instead, squirt it on a rag, with less pressure. Less pressure means less mist which means less drift.

 

 

Also, a janitorial supply store, can sell a small window wash tool that's the size of a squeegee, with a cloth material in place of the rubber squeegee blade. Those can be dipped in a liquid to scrub windows instead of spraying.

 

I use this site as a reference other members may have different ones.

thank-you so much for clarifing this for me, i'm looking for something safe to put on the bottom of my avairy tohelp absorb the mess the birds make as well as have it more comfortable to the bottom dwellers i have in there, being currently its only news paper shredded because its wired i can not put dirt or sand.not sure what to use, is hemp okay? i know they make it to the same consintincy as pine bedding, any other suggestions?

Go to the aviary section and do a search or read through there or repost this there. I know that you will get a better response as I am not sure what is best for an aviary floor.

 

Bubbles aka Karen would be a good person to ask and Cheeta too since she has land dwellers. Oh and Una too (Laughing out loud) (I am sure there are others).

Pine cone is absolutely fine to use as a toy like people have mentioned... the wild cockatoos around here love eating them straight out of the tree, so that must mean that it's okay for the little budgies as well.

 

As with aviary I really am not sure what would be the best option. My aviary is slabbed. so it's just concrete pretty much. I let the husk falls to the floor for the quails to run around in comfort then providing a little dish of sand tray off the side for anyone who may be interested in playing in the say, and both budgies and quails take turns in the little sand/dirt dish. To be honest, I don't clean my aviary floor that often. I will do it if I know that the husks have gotten too much moisture in it therefore will get moldy, or if the budgies poop are becoming too much. I find that my quails and budgies just love 'burrowing' into the husks in the corner (generally where it's the thickest) and make an indent and just sit in it. Kinda like nesting but not.