Hygienic?

So my other half has expressed some concerns about my GCC's eating habits, specifically that she likes to run all over the kitchen bench when I'm cooking or preparing food. She likes to stand on the edge of bowls and help herself to whatever is there, particularly chicken (!), veggies and fruits, pasta, rice and bread (peanut butter in particular). He has suggested that I try to keep her eating from her own bowl, which of course I do, but this is easier said than done. She's out most of the day and loves to be around us. I think she's probably cleaner than my four and one year old sons, but wanted your opinions. She showers daily and isn't in contact with any other birds. So, is she germy?

Grrr. Sorry about upside down photo.

I am of the opinion of her getting used to doing this unchecked is a bad habit, but what happens when it is raw chicken or something toxic in the dish? How do you get it off her, know how much she has eaten? Or she touches a sharp knife? Do you wait or do you drop everything and rush to the vet?

Give her some of it (if safe) to herself in her own dish and more importantly safely in her cage when cooking and food prep commences as this will cut the accident risk.

BTW If Plum wants something we have he knows he only gets it in one place, yes you guessed in his cage! Once he is sure he is getting some he makes his way back inside it.
Cuts the mess down too.

The above sounds like great advice for her safety.

In terms of just germs and whether it's hygienic I don't actually know about birds. I know reptiles can carry salmonella and cats have some gruesome parasite that can live in people, but I don't think it really makes us ill.

As long as her feet don't come in contact with her poop (sorry) I would not have a problem with it, but I can understand that other people wouldn't want an animal near their food. It turns my stomach when people let their birds put their beaks in their mouths, but loads of people think it's funny and cute!

Jottlebot said:

The above sounds like great advice for her safety.

In terms of just germs and whether it's hygienic I don't actually know about birds. I know reptiles can carry salmonella and cats have some gruesome parasite that can live in people, but I don't think it really makes us ill.

As long as her feet don't come in contact with her poop (sorry) I would not have a problem with it, but I can understand that other people wouldn't want an animal near their food. It turns my stomach when people let their birds put their beaks in their mouths, but loads of people think it's funny and cute!

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Would they if their bird died as a consequence of doing this? Our saliva poses a huge health risk for our birds.

[FONT=arial, helvetica][SIZE=-1]Birds should never be allowed near their owner's mouths. Humans carry bacteria and fungi that can cause serious infection, or even death, in our birds. Birds should never be kissed with an open mouth, nor should birds be allowed any contact with the owner's teeth, tongue, lips or saliva.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Parrots can be carriers for some diseases, but those would have been tested for and identified at her initial vet wellness checkup. To my knowledge, parrots are not latent carriers of salmonella like reptiles and amphibians can be. I would not be concerned about her being a disease carrier unless she has a known disease or is displaying signs of illness. Parrots are actually pretty clean animals, even more so as pets since they are regularly bathed and receive good vet care. They also don't produce saliva, so no worries there about bird drool in your food since they don't drool. I would keep her feet out of contact with food you'll be eating or food containers/serving dishes because they do sometimes stomp through poop and you may be none the wiser... Parrots also put off dander and down feathers, but I'm honestly just not that concerned personally if a little microscopic bit of Kiwi ends up in my food somehow (and I'd hope I would notice if a whole feather drifted into a dish!). He is bathed regularly and clean enough to give a kiss on the head and be in close contact with my face, I'm not that concerned about him being near food personally. Of course, good safety should be observed and birds should never be in the kitchen when theres anything hot enough to burn them, but in general, they're much cleaner than other animals people allow in kitchen and probably a whole lot cleaner than human kids

Josiegirl said:

Grrr. Sorry about upside down photo.

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She defies gravity! Wow! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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Thanks everyone for your responses. I always keep her away from raw meat and dangerous items such as knives. I'll try harder to train Josie to eat out of her own bowl. She's just so cute it's hard to resist that face.

Yes she is cute but remember you are doing it for her good, to keep her safe and well.