Onion Smell On Hands

[MariachiGoth]

So I know onions and garlic are a huge no no for parrots to eat since they’re toxic. I’m a culinary student and work in a kitchen so I always come home with my hands smelling like onions though. I’m cutting onions pretty much every single day of the week since the spring semester started. The smell will linger for hours no matter how much I wash my hands though! 😔I try not to handle them until I feel confident that the smell has definitely gone away. I only let them perch on my hands if they’re covered with a sweater sleeve or something.

Earlier I thought I finally got the onion smell out for the day, and felt safe enough hand feed them some chop, but afterwards I noticed my hands STILL smelled like onions despite the fact that I washed my hands nearly 6 times in the hours before!

I have two peach faced lovebirds, if that provides any necessary context? I know this is a pretty universal rule for all birds though lol.

 

[Inger]

I don't know whether the smell of onions is bad for them, but you might try washing your hands with coffee grounds or a coffee-based soap.

 

[Jcas]

As long as your hands have been washed your birds should be fine; however, I use a stainless steel Rub A Way bar to get onion smell off my hands and it works like magic! We’ve been using the same bar for probably a decade and it’s still just as effective.