Deciding what is best for bird and human

[KathyB]

Hi, I'm new here. I have two 10 year old cockatiels that I love dearly. I'm an experienced bird carer but struggling with my recent health changes.
I've had back and hip surgery, and now my consultant has said my lungs have been compromised by the feather dust (I have air filters on, but spend most of my day with the birds). Medical advice is to get rid of at least one of the birds immediately - and I'm heart broken.

So I need advice -
Bird 1 is not tame, came from an aviary and could very easily settle in another environment, in fact would probably love a bigger flock.
Bird 2 is tame, bonded with me for 10 years, and she is very much mine. But she's used to having another bird around (they just tolerate each other).

If I rehome bird 1, that could be successful for her, but then bird 2 will be left without a feathered friend. I don't want her struggling with loneliness and anxiety.
I have no family that can take them, so only option is a rescue. I worry about the impact on bird 2 if I let her go too, I can't bear the thought of her being unhappy.

Do you have any advice please, I need to make a decision but am struggling with what to do for the best, for all of us. Thank you.

 

[Jcas59]

So sorry to hear you are dealing with this. And your tiel is lovely! Ultimately, of course, it is your health and you must make the decision, but I would like to share some things that worked in my family with a somewhat similar situation.

My mom has asthma and several years ago, it was getting worse. I was at home with two budgies at the time who free-ranged the whole house. She went to a specialist who said the birds were a problem and to get rid of them ( like that’s just so easy, right?). Instead, we decided to try a compromise.

Budgies moved to only my bedroom. Their cage was there so it was ‘home base’ anyhow and they made the transition to less freedom with little issue. We ran air purifiers in my room and the main area of the house. Mom spent as little time as possible in my room where the birds lived. I religiously vacuumed and wiped down surfaces daily. All of this made a huge difference for my mom and when she went back to the doctor six months later, he was very happy with how things looked. Happy ending all around!

So, if you want to keep your birds, it may be possible. Doing things like limiting them to one room ( not your bedroom!) cleaning and dusting that room ( wearing a dust mask) daily, wearing the dust mask when cleaning their cage ( bird poop is also an allergen) and continuing to use the air purifiers. Keep your bedroom door closed to help keep any escaping bird dust out. Consider using some sort of over shirt when interacting with your birds and then toss it right in the wash when you’re done.
Your birds are important but so is your health so take care of yourself, however that may look for you. I hope you find something that works for you and your birds

 

[KathyB]

Thank you Jcas, that is really helpful and gave me some thoughts. Unfortunately there is only me at home, so if I distance myself from them then they will get lonely. They do have their own room, but of course it's where I spend most of my time, with them! They also get to listen to the radio and watch TV, but call for me as soon as they hear me in the house.
I have started to spend less time, and I do run air purifiers both in their room and my bedroom. I like the idea of the over-shirt.

I've not made a decision yet as to what to do, I'm recovering from major surgery and can only cope with one thing at a time. If I could be happy in my mind that they would be looked after, I could move them on with les guilt. The joys of being a parront

 

[osklvste64]

What kind of filters do you have? The best are HEPA. They're used for all kinds of severe respiratory issues and skin as in major burns. There are HEPA that can be put on central furnace or A/C as well as portable ones. Don't be fooled. They must say HEPA the best on the market that hospitals use. They are not cheap. They get the very fine dust that birds like my CAG make. Believe it or not it can affect the birds too. Others imply this fact. HEPA are designed to 99+% of airborne particles. Once rare now more common. Check them out if you can.