Bird keeper’s lung

[Snowbird]

Hey, I had a question about so called Bird Keeper’s Lung. At the moment, my cockatiel has been in my bedroom. I’ve heard mixed opinions about this. I’ve had people tell me that it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve had people tell me that I should avoid that at all costs. My vet told me that it should be perfectly fine with my cockatiel being in my room. Yet I’ve heard other vets online say differently than my vet.

Does anyone have any opinions on this issue?

 

[ChristaNL]

If it is only one bird and you clean scrupulously ... should not be a problem afaik.
It helps if your bird takes regular baths and the room is not very small.


LOL, I think almost everyone has an opinion- not sure if geting each and every one of them is going to help much because they are more or less just that: opinions.


fact is: it's a bird that gives of (relatively speaking) a lot of dust because it is born that way
what you do about that dust- rinse, vacuum or inhale is up to you...

 

[Anansi]

Bird keeper's lung usually happens to bird keepers who spend a lot of time in crowded aviaries that are not regularly cleaned. It's the buildup of excretions and dander and such. So yes, as Christa said, so long as you keep your 'Tiel's cage nice and clean it won't be a problem.

 

[WakaWaka]

If you have the room and finances, an air cleaner could help to keep some of the dust down.

 

[EllenD]

I worked at the Avian Diagnostics Lab at Penn State right after grad school (Animal Diagnostics Lab of PSU), where we worked on a vaccine/cure for Avian Influenza, as well as did mass-diagnostic testing for farmer's flocks, etc. The vets who ran the lab also saw poultry birds, game birds, and parrots on a regular basis. So it was a great experience for me as an animal health professional at the time...

Anyway, "Bird Keeper's Lung" is called a bunch of different names, but the first name was "Bird-Breeder's Lung" for a reason...It's main cause is EXPOSURE TO A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF THE DUST THAT COMES FROM A PROTEIN THAT IS RELEASED FROM THEIR FECES WHEN IT'S DRY! The inclusion of feather-dust isn't actually accurate, as in most-all cases of this happening, there is a massive amount of both dried-feces and dead feathers that the person has been exposed to for long periods of time, every day, for years. It typically effects large-volume Breeders, breeders/farmers of large poultry flocks (such as people who work here in central PA at First Quality, a poultry-chicken supplier for companies like Purdue), and people who work for long periods of time in large, enclosed aviaries...

Rarely does this syndrome effect people who own pet birds, even people who own many, many pet birds, as they are not typically exposed to large amounts of dust from their bird's dried feces, as most owners clean their bird's cages out. I'm going to go-out on a limb here and say that there are very few, if any, registered/recorded cases of Bird-Keeper's Lung from a person who owns pet birds (no matter the species) and where it's a result of the feather-dust from the birds. In fact, I'd bet my life that there aren't any registered cases of private, pet bird-owners developing it solely from feather-dust...The only cases I'm aware of of pet-parrot owners developing Bird-Keeper's Lung come from "hoarding situations" where there were massive amounts of dried droppings all over the person's home, like they've had the birds freely flying around their home's for years and never once cleaned up the amassing piles of dried poop everywhere.

So no, having your cockatiel's cage in your bedroom is not going to cause you any health issues as long as you clean the cage at least once a week, and clean your room as well.

 

[reeb]

I have a pretty big bedroom, and my three (a cockatiel and two budgies) live in the room with me. It's more the size of a small bachelor flat than a bedroom - I'm a uni student living in a little flatlet attached to my parent's house. The birds only have access to half the room (the place where my bed is is closed behind a curtain). Their play gym is by a window, with their cage across the room. There is an air purifier, and I vaccuum and clean regularly. I've never experienced any problems.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Very informative thread!
Thanks, everybody.

 

[smbrds]

Haven't heard of it, but it now makes sense. I second the posts on cleanliness. Also for dust that was mentioned, a good HEPA air cleaner works well.

 

[EllenD]

Haven't heard of it, but it now makes sense. I second the posts on cleanliness. Also for dust that was mentioned, a good HEPA air cleaner works well.

HEPA filters do work very well, I always recommend that people with any pets, like dogs, cats, birds, rodents, etc. buy only a vacuum that has at least one HEPA filter in it, if not more, such as most of the Shark's, Dyson's, etc.

Another thing that I thought of regarding this topic, you have to remember that Cockatiels are one of the birds who emit dust/powder, just like Cockatoos and African Greys, and there seem to be an awful lot of people who are allergic to this dust, more than I was aware of before joining any parrot-forums...So if you've heard about people who own Cockatiels developing any respiratory issues, it's not related to "Bird-Keeper's Lung", but rather just allergies...And again, this can usually be kept under-control simply by frequent vacuuming and cleaning the room that the Cockatiel/Cockatoo/African Grey is in, along with it's cage, as well as by giving these guys a shower at least once a week..

 

[Amadeo]

I keep both of my budgies and cockateil in my bedroom. Provided I clean/vacuum regularly I have had no issues. Just make sure you keep both your room and their cages clean, which should go without saying, and I see no issue.
I used to work for a chicken breeder where chickens where kept enmase within rather small spaces, not a great place for either human or bird (after five years I left for various reasons, one being the shocking state of care).
In that situation, without masks, you'd develop some lung problems. Unless you plan on crowding and hoarding birds it shouldn't be a problem.

I second the use of a filter, especially for cockateils.
I only have one and he is the source of probably 60% of the dust in my room, despite being one bird.

 

[Snowbird]

I appreciate everyone’s opinions on this issue. It has definitely put me at ease as everyone else here is much more experienced with birds than I am at the moment. My cockatiel is actually the first bird I’ve personally owned. She was being neglected, and the owner wanted to get rid of her. I had to take a crash course as I didn’t want her to stay with the owner or go to someone who also wouldn’t take care of her. Even though I have a friend who owned birds and a helpful vet, there’s still a lot about birds that I’m still learning about. As such, I appreciate everyone’s input on my question.

I’m quite committed to keeping her cage, room and wherever she goes quite clean. I definitely clean, vacuum and dust pretty often as well. I also have a HEPA filter in my room; although I am looking to get a higher end HEPA filter later on in the future as the one I have works, but is probably isn’t ideal.

Just to let everyone know, my bird, Princess, is doing quite well. She’s very healthy, knows what toys are now, talkative, spoiled , eating right and is happy. Even though she was about a year old and practically wild when I got her, she’s slowly starting to learn to perch on my hand. It’s taken about one year of constantly working with her to get her to this point. Even after owning her for a year, there’s still information I’m coming across that I’m still learning. Again, thanks to everyone who offered me their opinions. It is much appreciated.

 

[noodles123]

I think that if you get a decent air-filter, clean daily and vacuum that a single bird of this size wouldn't pose much of a threat. My cockatoo is VERY dusty and large, so even having followed the aforementioned precautions, I wouldn't keep her in my room, but your bird is smaller. If you have allergies or asthma, that is another thing that could be aggravated, but the size and type of bird likely makes a big difference. I know that you can still develop respiratory problems from bird dust without having bird-keepers lung. Do you use a good cage cleaner like f10?
One thought I did have, if you were to get sick with something that could be transmitted to your bird (or vice-versa), that could be an issue, as you would be sharing the same air all night.

 

[Snowbird]

Noodles123, thank you for the input. Yes, my cockatiel is pretty small. She’s about 80 to 90 grams.

When I do clean my bird’s cage, I normally clean with a little Dawn soap and warm water. I don’t use any special cleaners. I do make sure the cage is scrubbed clean. I make sure as much dander and all the fecal matter is taken off of the cage when I clean it. If you think another cleaner such as f10 would be more helpful, I’ll definitely look into this kind of cleaner.

The one good thing is that I don’t have asthma. I have minor allergies to pollen. I haven’t seen any allergy issues from the dander.

I definitely understand your thought of the possibility of transmitting something to each other via the air we breath together. The first thought that came to my head when I got her was that I needed to check her for anything she could have that is transmittable. I’m happy to report that she came back negative on everything. As for the possibility of me giving anything to her, I’m hoping that the HEPA filter helps with cleaning up a bit of the air we breath together.

Thank you for your input. I appreciate any further input you may have on this issue as well.

 

[noodles123]

I got my air filter for about 60-80 dollars on Amazon---it's a Veva and I know that it isn't that great as filters go (compared to the expensive ones) but I have been happy with it!

If you do get a filter, make sure it isn't an ion producing one (the ozone is bad for birds).



I have also been really happy with my f10 SC cleaner---the label scared me at first because it seems to contradict the fact that it is safe to use around birds and people, but apparently it is a generic label required in the USA in order to satisfy some EPA legalities...so if you do get it, it isn't really scary- it just seems that way if you read the fine print. That having been said, the company indicated that this is only a USA thing and that the other countries don't require the same warnings...It is safe from everything I have read and based on my experiences (I use it all of the time and haven't experienced any negative reactions with regard to myself or my bird).