Essential Oils

[chad246emr]

Hello all,

My finance is driving me nuts about not being able to burn candles/use non-stick cookware/aerosol sprays/use anything scented since we got our birds. He particularly wants something that scents our home.

I've done a bit of digging and found out essential oils are supposedly safe for parrots, but I wanted to see what you guys thought. I've read a few threads on here, but a lot of the time its a specific question that doesn't give me the broad intro to these oils that I need.

Is there a brand that's known to be safe? Brands that aren't? What should I look for? What type of "diffusion" method is okay? I've seen things that appear to emit a type of mist using the oils, similar to what a humidifier looks like, and I think I've also seen the sticks in a glass vile of the liquid used. I'm not even 100 percent clear on how to use essential oils for scent in general, let alone with birds. haha

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[bug_n_flock]

Hmm, I don't know about diffusion methods, but I wipe down furniture with lemongrass or patchouli sometimes(edit: only small amounts, like a couple of drops), or sprinkle some on a sock and keep in my dresser drawers. Sometimes I will dab a bit on similar to parfume and it has never affected any of my birds. Do with that what you will, I am not comfortable advising on this subject, just saying what I do around my birds.

 

[dhraiden]

Went down a rabbit hole researching this over the summer. Nothing can replace doing your own research and using verifiable, scientific sources (see this text on toxins, which I linked elsewhere, from a tome on Avian Medicine, bearing in mind it is from 1994).

That said, you are safest not using anything. If you must use something, make your own satchels of things liked boiled cinnamon sticks and cloves in cheesecloth. Keep your place clean by dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping and so on. Best all purpose cleaner is vinegar and (hot) water, but lookup Puracy and Better-Life, I've used both of those and can attest they're non-toxic and pet/people safe.

If your BF simply just has to use something, look up BEESWAX or SOY candles, read more on that at this post, which recommends (at the bottom) three brands (Way Out Wax seems fine).

Once you get the candle, don't light it near your birds or anything flammable like curtains, obviously. Don't light anywhere where the scent will carry to where the birds are. It takes far less of something to harm a small animal than it does us. Exercise caution, use good judgement, and test these things out in a limited fashion first. Don't go overboard.

 

[Soyajam]

I have also been researching this - as I've loved using diffusers (both the reed kind and the electric misty kind) for many years.

I'm certain the reed diffusers are out, since I'm sure they use synthetic fragances to get it so strong.

Essential oils are a bit more disputed, and personally, I'm keeping on with using those and diffusing them without heat.
I do make sure I don't let her get too close, and I always ensure that there is moderate ventilation either in the same room, or nearby.

This doesn't mean it's safe necessarily, and I might just be lucky. But I'm taking the risk here.

You can also get some nice scents from boiling spices + citrus in water in your kitchen apparently, but I'm far too lazy for that.

If you're going the essential oils route, make sure that the oils are from 'real' things, and not just fragrances pretending to be essential oils. (The worst offenders are themed and 'experience' flavours, like 'meditiation' and 'forest' scents. If you can get the ingredient list and they're all real, cool - but if you can't, I'd steer clear just in case).

 

[LordTriggs]

what I did was got some orange peel, boiled them then poured the water and peel into a dish with a perforated lid covering it. Whole house smelt like the inside of an orange! I know you can do the same with cinnamon so try that, and I'm sure other fruit peels would give off different smells

 

[clark_conure]

Theres a safe to eat list in the parrot foods and recipes thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Anything that is safe for them to eat listed there should be fine in a potpourri I imagine. Orange peals, lemon extract etc. Feed the fruit to the bird...and yourself, then throw the rinds, skins, seeds etc. in a potpourri ...I dunno what you call it..."thing".

 

[Kiwibird]

I think the "mint" oils can be irritating to birds respiratory tracts and should be avoided, but I think most other essential oils are ok. I don't use them close to Kiwi out of an abundance of caution but I have some scent warmers around I use coconut oil and essential oils in instead of the fragrance cubes. I put a heaping tbsp of coconut oil and 10-15 drops of essential oils, then top it off every couple days with a few more drops of essential oil (cleaning out/changing every other week). I only keep them on a few hours a day to be on the safe side since coconut and essential oils aren't what's intended to go in them. Those work nicely for making a single room smell nice and the scent lingers for some time after I've turned them off. I also have a diffuser (the kind that you put distilled water in) and that works well for dispersing the scents but I don't like adding extra humidity to the air since we live in a damp climate so I rarely ever use it.

Be 100% sure you are buying real essential oils and not just "fragrance oils". Essential oils are expensive- starting at about $8 and going up to $20+ for a tiny glass bottle. Fragrance oils are typically a lot cheaper and come in bigger bottles (often plastic, which you'd never find essential oils in). Places like Wal-Mart and Target are more likely to sell the potentially toxic fragrance oils whereas most health food stores should stock a good selection of essential oils.