Incense/febreze safe around birds?

Sunny_the_tiel · Mar 6, 2013

I love to use incense and febreze here at my house because after a while the smell of my 3 dogs gets into the carpet and just makes the house smell less fresh. If they are not safe to use, do you have any recommendations of bird safe air fresheners and/or carpet powders?

MarciaLove · Mar 6, 2013

they are very very unsafe for birds!!! I use a mixture in spray bottle of half water half lemon juice and sprayed around the room. you can also boiled apple peels and cinnamon sticks in a pot with just enough water to cover peel and sticks and then spray that around, both those methods really freshen up a room.

weco · Mar 6, 2013

All you're doing is masking the dog's odors, not removing them, but to answer your question, febreze used to be on the no - no list, but they changed the formula & it's been safe for a year or so.....

Scented candles & incense are still dangerous around birds...you understand that whenever you burn anything you are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere around the birds. The particulates given off by the burning can lodge in a bird's air sacs and cause infections.....do you cook french fries in a pan of oil, on the stove? Every time you do, you subject your birds to the possibility of their air sacs being blistered, or at the very least, coating their air sacs , which will lead to infections.....

With incense, anything may have been used in the manufacturer...there are no controls.....

Rio Mom · Mar 6, 2013

I love simmering cinnamon sticks in water, smells amazing! You can use orange peels, cloves, vanilla, etc too. The smell of the cinnamon sure makes me hungry though! I think about snickerdoodles and french toast LOL.

Sunny_the_tiel · Mar 7, 2013

Thank you guys so much for the answers. I haven't used any of them since I got my birds, but I was just wondering. Once I have the chance to I'm going to rip up the carpet and place wood tile. The carpet they put in this house is cheap.

Kiwibird · Mar 7, 2013

In general, any product with an artificial or chemical scent is NOT safe around parrots, especially smaller species like keets' and tiels'. Anything the produces smoke/burns like candles or incense isn't advisable either. They just have such tiny and sensitive lungs, things with strong artificial odors can damage or kill them. Plus, those things also tend not to be good for you or your larger pets to inhale either. Remember, when you smell the "scent" when you spray that stuff, it means your inhaling the chemicals that produce it.

As mentioned, lemon/citrus leaves a nice fresh scent, as well as boiling the apples and cinnamon. I personally prefer using a few drops of essential oil in a water-filled spritzer bottle, since there is a wider variety of scents and they are non-toxic to spray around birds. My personal favorite is rose, but there are a lot of different scents out there.

Karigan · Mar 7, 2013

If you're wanting something smelly and safe, Scentsy products are fairly natural and bird safe. They're a natural scented wax that melts with a lightbulb. Nice scents, no wick or harmful chemicals.

Reeny · Mar 7, 2013

I was just going to ask this question about Scentsy. I have their products but was concerned about using with a new baby bird. Glad to hear they are safe.

Karigan · Mar 7, 2013

Scentsy will not guarentee their product with birds, but they have answered questions, and claim that "it is safe around most birds".

Scentsy products + birds - Page 4 - Avian Avenue

KriStellar26 · Mar 7, 2013

Honestly, I do NOT think Scentsy products are safe. Their wax is paraffin based from what I was told, and paraffin is what makes it toxic.

KriStellar26 · Mar 7, 2013

weco said:
All you're doing is masking the dog's odors, not removing them, but to answer your question, febreze used to be on the no - no list, but they changed the formula & it's been safe for a year or so.....

Scented candles & incense are still dangerous around birds...you understand that whenever you burn anything you are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere around the birds. The particulates given off by the burning can lodge in a bird's air sacs and cause infections.....do you cook french fries in a pan of oil, on the stove? Every time you do, you subject your birds to the possibility of their air sacs being blistered, or at the very least, coating their air sacs , which will lead to infections.....

With incense, anything may have been used in the manufacturer...there are no controls.....

I had to ask about your comment about cooking french fries on the stove. You are saying that cooking oil is toxic to birds? I am confused. I understand no Teflon, but cooking with oil in general is dangerous? Please clarify.

MarciaLove · Mar 7, 2013

but as wax burns small particles of it will dispense into the air and will stick to the inside of their delicate lungs and build up over time.

Birdlover11 · Mar 7, 2013

stellar981 said:
weco said:

All you're doing is masking the dog's odors, not removing them, but to answer your question, febreze used to be on the no - no list, but they changed the formula & it's been safe for a year or so.....

Scented candles & incense are still dangerous around birds...you understand that whenever you burn anything you are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere around the birds. The particulates given off by the burning can lodge in a bird's air sacs and cause infections.....do you cook french fries in a pan of oil, on the stove? Every time you do, you subject your birds to the possibility of their air sacs being blistered, or at the very least, coating their air sacs , which will lead to infections.....

With incense, anything may have been used in the manufacturer...there are no controls.....

Click to expand...

I had to ask about your comment about cooking french fries on the stove. You are saying that cooking oil is toxic to birds? I am confused. I understand no Teflon, but cooking with oil in general is dangerous? Please clarify.

Me too, I am really confused. My mom makes French fries every week on the stove , an my budgies never had any reaction to it. They would just continue singing.

MarciaLove · Mar 7, 2013

yea whats with that cooking oil thing?? I know for a fact olive oil which is what I cook with is totally safe for birds.

mistywaterwoman · Mar 7, 2013

Oil particles do carry through the air, maybe Weco knows something we don't. Perhaps if you fry foods too often, the oil can (over time) coat their lungs. I can easily imagine it happening...

We don't fry anything, usually, but sometimes I will make beignets for breakfast and I can *feel* and smell the oil in the air afterwards, for hours.

SandyBee · Mar 7, 2013

I have read that oil cooked at high heat can travel and is bad for our birdies lungs.
I still wouldn't trust Febreeze though.

Vanilla extract is another option, I try and stick to all natural products.

Birdlover11 · Mar 7, 2013

SandyBee said:
I have read that oil cooked at high heat can travel and is bad for our birdies lungs.
I still wouldn't trust Febreeze though.

Vanilla extract is another option, I try and stick to all natural products.

Is it bad enough to seriously harm ? I am really worried, the cage is right across from the kitchen

SandyBee · Mar 7, 2013

I searched a bunch of sites here's a quote that many of them have.

"Overheated cooking oil can be as lethal to birds as teflon fumes. Be sure to remove birds from the kitchen immediately if you burn oil, and vent the room thoroughly. Stovetops and ovens are dangerous zones for pet birds to be anywhere close to. Keep birds away from the kitchen, and keep the house ventilated."

It seems the danger is when it overheats, but I would be very carefull

weco · Mar 8, 2013

For those looking for clarification of my earlier post in this thread, look at the new thread: Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken, Stir Fry...Is It Safe?

Incense/febreze safe around birds?

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