Can you blow dry in another room?

happycat

New member
Mar 9, 2012
488
1
Virginia, U.S.
Parrots
Kakariki (Kirby) Cockatiel (Shiro) Jenday Conure (Jojo)
Not directly on your bird but can you blow dry in another room? It may have teflon.
 

SandyBee

New member
Oct 5, 2012
1,455
1
Coquitlam BC, Canada
Parrots
DYH Amazon-Rescue- Bosley (36),
African Brown head-Rescue- August(9)
I always blow dry my hair in my bathroom, it is 2 rooms away from my birdies cages.
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
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Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
When in doubt, contact the manufacturer. If it contains PTFE, toss it. If it doesn't, you should be in the safe. (also, ionizers are bad for birds!)
 

JDlugosz

New member
Jun 25, 2013
163
0
Parrots
Bronze Wing Pionus
When in doubt, contact the manufacturer. If it contains PTFE, toss it. If it doesn't, you should be in the safe. (also, ionizers are bad for birds!)

Or is that another myth?

Barrons's Parrotlet Handbook: “Ionizers are absolutely safe to use”, “In a birdroom … an ionizer is almost a must.”

In a previous thread, it was discussed that ozone is the issue, and a bad/broken/faulty ionizer might produce sparks that create ozone. I wonder it it stems from the infamous Ionic Breeze product, which presumably uses this principle (link) or this and probably generates lots of ozone.
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
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Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
I don't trust ionizers. Ionizers are banned in California. I have also heard stories of where ionizers have bothered birds and owners. Once they turned the ionizer off, or the machine, the symptoms went away.

If not for those stories, I'd agree, it could be a myth!

Found some links... and quotes. I'd put a link to where the quotes came from, but I do believe it's against the forums policy to link to other forums...

USATODAY.com - Ionizing air cleaners get zapped

***Here's my conclusion about air cleaners that ionize. I'm not sure what it is about them that effect our loved ones. Whether it's the ozone they produce, or increasing the size of airborne partials, ionization had effected Cosmo adversely it seems. I bought an IQAir Healthpro series air purifier. It doesn't use ionization to clean the air. It cost a bit, but it's worth it. Cosmo has a cleaner, safer environment to live in as well as myself*** Thanks for the input.


I'm skeptical of anything from Parrot Secrets, but this just might be true.

I received this in an email and wanted to share it with everyone I could.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks ago I have received a very friendly email from
a subscriber of the 'Parrots Secrets' Newsleter and member
of the Elite Parrots Club who told us about how harmful ionizers
can be both for humans and birds in general.

I found Laurie Hoegsted's email so helpful and informative,
that I personally asked her permission to publish it on this
email today. So please find enclosed below a real story
about ionizers, since they can cause the most damage to
parrot -- including including potential fatalities!

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Why Ionizers may harm your Parrot's health
-------------------------------------------------------------------


"I have something for you that may be of interest. As I have
told you, I have an umbrella Cockatoo named Sasha. Make
a long story short, the last two weeks we were here alone
as hubby went south for a visit. I received a new feeder for
the cage and also an air purifier.


I was so happy too think the air would be cleaner and he
would have a feeder that would save money and messes.
The feeder works great but Sasha didn't act right. I woke
one morning and the air smelled strange or funny. It was
nice outside so everyday we would be out for awhile.

On Thursday two weeks ago, I took him to the vet for nail trim
and we found out he had lost weight, also night before when
I came in he had pooped all over the place.

So we knew he wasn't feeling great. The vet asked if anything
was different around the house. I told him: hubby was away,
Sasha had a new feeder and the household had a new air purifier.
He explained about changes and how birds will act different.


Sasha likes the feeder, examines it and eats more now. The vet
said he didn't know about the IONIZERS in air purifiers. He had
brought it up at a convention and that was the subject all day.
Seems like no one understands about them.

My sister, a nurse, told me to shut it off. She said she and a
doctor found out that it caused problems in lungs of some people.
My mother was real sick from hers. My sister turned hers off as
she smelled the funny odor in the air. So I shut mine off.

You would not believe the difference in my cockatoo, Sasha. I
called the vet and told him he was onto something and also called
the Oreck company and told them about it.

They were really concerned and said that they were going to put
more into the books explaining about ionizers and I told them
to put a warning on there about birds and small animals.

Parrots don't have the capacity for fresh air in those little lungs
if bad things are going in there. I told the manufacture of the air
purifier that I wasn't happy about the fact I almost lost my baby.

A $2000 bird!

They were really apologetic, but if they didn't know it wasn't
something they could fix. They are going to send the information
to the research center and look into the ionizers for the future.
I'm sorry this is so long, but I have been concerned about this.

What if people don't pay attention and human babies are getting
sick from this and maybe dying? What if beloved parrots are dying
without explanation? Our vet agreed with my concern. He's going to
look into it too."

By Laurie Hoegsted


And there are other stories out there... so take it as you will.
 

JDlugosz

New member
Jun 25, 2013
163
0
Parrots
Bronze Wing Pionus
You'd think USA Today would have better proof readers.

re Stories out there: There is an expression in science, The plural of anecdote is not data.

I do agree that if an ionizer is putting out ozone, that is bad. And how do you tell? The parrot is more sensitive to it than the level you can smell. I suppose the book's advise should be qualified to professional-grade ionizers, properly maintained. Consumer grade stuff may be trash right out of the box, or develop problems later if the points get worn or something.

If the particle clumping or other effects bothered parrots, they would not be thought to be “perfectly safe” in aviaries and breeders' bird rooms. So it must be some difference between what they use and what common people pick up at Wal-Mart. And many of the stories are mistaken as to the cause-and-effect reported.

The IQAir is what I use. I would recommend it to others. I figured my own health and home comfort is worth the price.

BTW, old fashioned TV screens (CRT) put out positive ions. Are there reports of TV watching making birds sick?
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
Media
2
43
Parrots
Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
I would say that a lot of things change as the years go on and more discoveries are made. That book that mentions ionizers as safe was written 14 years ago! A lot can change in as little as 10 years, if not less... so personally, wouldn't trust it!

I can't say I've heard of TV's making birds sick, but many people are making their way to flat screen TV's and newer devices now-a-days. That said, I have heard of new furniture and carpet making birds sick! (key word being new! such as stain resistant sprays or other things used to protect the frabic)
 

crimson

New member
Oct 8, 2012
3,223
Media
5
6
Ontario,Canada
Parrots
Senegal-Martini,1 pineapple conure~ Kahlua,1 GCC~ Flare, spl/b, 4 Lovebirds Halo,Tye-Die,Luna,Violet,8 Cockatiels,Num Num&Tundra,8-Ball&Angus,Magnet&Sunkist,Pearl, Blush, 1 gouldian finch, 7 canaries
Ok, I'll admit I never even thought about my blow dryer not being safe, yikes!...how in the world did that get by me???....

thank goodness it MUST BE SAFE, as I always have at least one bird sitting on my shoulder while I dry my hair, and they are all fine. I've had it for about 4 years.

the next blow dryer I buy I will definitely check out first!!
 

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