Want to double check

I visited my friend over the weekend and brought my conure with me. In the morning I smelled a strong body spray in the air, so I kept Roxy in her travel cage with a towel over it and closed the guest bedroom door. My friend "said" she understood why Roxy couldn't come out until the body spray fully dissipated. But then she went on to tell me that when they had a canary, they had candles and perfume and all that smelly stuff and it didn't bother the canary at all....I asked how long did it live and she said 5 years. My first question is how long does the average--well taken care of, canary live for? I thought it was more around 10 years? According to her the reason it died at 5 years old was because they put the cage next to a window during the winter and the cold draft killed it...but I don't think it was just that. All the research out there says fragrance is toxic to any bird, right? She loves my conure now, and has been telling her family that she would like to get one in the future. But she doesn't take the "no fragrance" part seriously....ugh, sorry I just needed to vent and double check that the canary was getting "damaged" from the family having fragrances all over the house.

Although we must be careful with sprays around our birds. I would have to be the worst for smelly things around my home. However i think a well ventilated home with plenty of cross breeze would not compromise a parrots health. That is the case in my home. It's never closed up even at night, summer or winter.

However canaries don't do very well in drafts. They should be protected from winds & constant drafts. If they get to cold yes they can die. I have a canary & his cage is covered with a towel except the front. Even though we are in our Autum I know that the constant breeze can cause health problems for him.

I would never take a chance with my birds lives for any scented products. I don't use any candles or air fresheners. I do put on body spray/perfume before I leave the house, but I put it on right before I leave in the bathroom and don't go anywhere near the birds afterwards.

I don't think it's the scents they can't handle - it's more the additional chemicals that humans put in the products...

I also think we can be too overprotective of our birds, and not let their natural immune system develop.

Ventilation is important for our birds, and us as well for that matter. Hard to do in Michigan during the winter though (except this winter, lol!). IF I put on perfume, I do it upstairs where my birds almost never go. And I try not to use anything in an aerosol can. I will go outside to spray cans of Endust onto dusting items. And wait a bit to bring it in. I also don't use scented candles or air freshener. But, I'm sure if they are slightly exposed to some things here and there it probably won't cause any lasting harm.

Did you know people who live in third world countries almost never develop allergies or asthma? And children exposed at an early age to dogs and cats almost never develop allergies to their dander? It is possible for us to be too clean and cause health problems from that as well!

Thank you everyone for responding! I did always wonder if we could build up our bird's immune system? Or are we hurting them by being overprotective with fragrances and such?

I burn candles often for years but we always have filtration system, ceiling fan, and central heat/air running 24/7 but we never use aerosol products nor any pesticides in the house ever. Canaries are very sensitive to fumes and draft! I never imagine canaries can be playful and all, but my pair plays everyday and it's fun to watch them interact with my other birds.

I don't expose Amigo to scented candles, aerosols or perfumes, (my husband is allergic to perfumes), Amigo is exposed to not only his own dander, (which is world class), but...the dander of all our dogs. We use air purifiers, his cage gets cleaned at least every other day,I vacuum daily and a lot of mornings he wakes up stuffy in the nose and will sneeze several times. I notice this only when the house is closed up, no windows or doors open for fresh air. We also use a wood burning stove for heat, doesn't help. Ventilation is a must!

After Amigo has been outside for even 20mins., his head is free and clear! The pollen from the trees in the summer, so far, have not posed a problem.