Is febreeze bad for my conure?

[kellie]

Okay, obviously I'm not about to spray my bird with febreeze, I know that wouldn't be good, but if I use febreeze within 50 feet or so of my bird, or in the bathroom, is that okay for my bird?

 

[antoinette]

Febreeze contains zinc chloride I would never ever use it in our apartment, knowing the dangers it could cause.

Below is a link which I am sure will be of interest to you

Febreze Warning - Urban Legends

 

[MikeyTN]

When Febreeze came out in the late 90's there's been talk about them being harmful to birds where some people have said that it killed their birds.

 

[crimson]

Nope,not safe

excellent that you asked prior to doing so!!!

....and your bird will be safe

 

[weco]

Sorry guys.....oh, and gals, but I'm going to go against the grain here & say go ahead & use Febreeze.....and.....I offer the following in support of my position:



The National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) at the University of Illinois 1-800-345-4735.

A statement by the American Veterinary Medical Association quotes Dr. Carl Hornfeldt, clinical director for the Hennepin Regional Poison Center in Minneapolis: "There's no truth in the concerns of this product being harmful." In addition, Dr. Steve Hansen of the NAPCC notes in the statement that the contents of Febreze are "much safer than some other household products, such as certain pesticides, disinfectants, antifreeze, and drain cleaners."

In 2010, ABC’s Good Morning America did a piece on some old wives tales:
Myth-Busting: Pet Dangers - ABC News

ASPCA | Febreze

snopes.com: Febreze Pet Danger

FEBREZE IS SAFE AROUND PETS | National Animal Interest Alliance

Febreze - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Antoinette, while zinc chloride was an ingredient of an earlier formulation, it's not in their current product.....

 

[MikeyTN]

Weco,

Haven't kept up with recent Febreeze news as mine was from back when they first came out and I stopped using it completely ever since. Not even now...

 

[LoryLover]

On a container of Poop Off, it says it's totally safe to use on bird cages, even while birds are in the cage. However, my lory reacted to it and by the end of a week after being exposed to Poop Off, both of her nostrils completely closed up, she was wheezing and I had to take her to the vet and he cleared her plugged nostrils and gave me some antibacterial nose drops to administer for 7 days.

So I figure that not all animals (or people for that matter) react the same.

 

[SandyBee]

I wouldn't spray fabreeze in the same room as my bird as there still is chemicals involved for the scents. After the febreeze dried it is safe enough, but with birdies sensitive air sacs it shouldn't be done I gag when I walk into a freshly sprayed room with Febreeze.

 

[SandyBee]

ok I just did a search, it looks like febreze still has 87 different chemicals in its formula.
Chemicalsensitivities.org have a great article on it. I would not use this product around birds. The above links to safety refer to household pets, but they do not state birds specifically.

Even Febreze says that birds should not be exposed until the product is fully ventilated due to their unique respiratory system.

 

[weco]

OK, first, I don't use Febreze, nor own any shares in the manufacturer.....and maybe I was over enthusiastic in my & say go ahead & use Febreze, but there is too much anecdotal, invalid and skewed information that is out on the net...and...newbies to companion birds often see this wrong information & believe it, simply because it has been been used by anybody that has a website, blog, posting to a bird forum of any kind.....without doing any verifying when they run across any contravening information & that was the impetus for my posting.....wasn't trying to start any controversy.....

But

While I will agree that our feathered friends do have a much more sensitive respiratory system, common sense is the opperant phrase, because if we use PAM or similar pan spray coatings, have any of our clothing dry-cleaned, use spray deodorants, use hair sprays, use creams/body lotions and/or anti-cling sprays, we are jeopardizing the health of our birds, so how we post our aversion to using/doing something may well cause someone else to make erroneous assumptions.......

Oh, Sandy, I was going to read through your Chemicalsensitivities.org, but had a bit of a problem.....


OOps.....forgot to add perfumes & parfumes......

 

[coral3]

Better to be safe than sorry though, don't you think?

 

[SandyBee]

Hi Weco,

I'm on my phone, so I can't copy links.
Try chemicalsensitization.com

I will post the exact link when I get on my laptop.
I know they changed the formula, and once dried it does not seem to pose any problems. Spraying in the same room is a different issue and Febreze does state this as well. I also want to deal with facts and not fear mongering rumours

 

[MikeyTN]

This link is from Febreze website from what the company states! It does say use with caution and if you have not used any scented products around your birds, they suggest not to use Febreze around your birds!!!

Safe for birds?

 

[SandyBee]

Here's the article:

Chemical Sensitivity in Mainstream Medical Documentation: The 80+ Chemicals Detected in Febreze Air Effects ...

 

[BoomBoom]

With regards to exposing our birds to household toxins, I think it's unavoidable at some point. The way I see it is I will try to reduce the exposure as much as possible. So from an exposure of say 50%, I will try to reduce that to say half. This means using products that are safer and giving up on things I can live without, while still using things that I just can't get away with not having.

For example:

1. Deodorant, soap, shaving cream, shampoo, toothpaste. Gotta have these or I'd feel weird at work. I use a stick and never change the brand because Boomer has no reaction to the ones I've been using.

2. Colognes and lotions. Gave it up, though if I have to I'd spray some in the car, and strategically spray it where I could wash it off later.

3. Air fresheners. Gave it up. It's one of the things I don't have to have.

4. Chemical cleaners. Gave it up because there safer alternatives like vinegar or plain dish soap.

5. Laundry detergent. Can't give that one up so I switched to non scented.

6. Anything aerosol. Gave it up because there are safer spray alternatives.

7. Electronics (computer, tv, ps3, etc). I have to have these things at home for entertainment, so gotta have. I am sure these emit harmful stuff in his living space too.

8. I compensate by leaving windows open all day and all night even when I'm not home (if weather permits). I am able to because of how my unit is situated in my apartment complex. I do this to ventilate his space and counter having all the electronics I run at home.



Obviously there's so much more. But I guess my point is, while there's no way around exposing our birds to harmful substances, I try to lower the amount of exposure in things that I can live without, even to the point of going overboard, in order to compensate for the things that just have to have. I understand too that every household is different and has different needs. It is easy for me because I'm single so I have more control.

I think that it's never black and white.

 

[weco]

Here's the article:

Chemical Sensitivity in Mainstream Medical Documentation: The 80+ Chemicals Detected in Febreze Air Effects ...

Thanks Sandy...I read through that guy's article & virtually everything we humans use/need/require for our day-to-day living, would fall under the banner he's painted. He appears to be a decent blogger & a good spin doctor, he would do well for one of our political parties.....if he could be kept focused on kindred topics.....kicking Procter & Gamble, to attacking a Prince of the Catholic Church, to delving into the evils of man, to a timeline pictorial like history of some members of his lineage, to the hypocrisy of America.....

I read through his various blogs, and, again, thank you for the read. From what I read, I might be inclined to liken him to an aspiring Ayn Rand wanna-be, but that's a subjective interpretation.....

I would offer that you do some background on where the credentials for chemicalsensitization.com lie.....I saw none, save possibly the piecing together of bits & pieces of others work to meet the writer's agenda.....

I could be wrong on my take of this guy, so look deeper into it.....

 

[SandyBee]

Thanks Weco,

I know

All I'm saying is people need to be careful
I'm no chemistry expert nor do I believe everything I read.
I wouldn't classify Febreze as safe around birds, nor does Proctor and Gamble.
I'm not saying it will cause death, I really don't know. I would rather people look at this thread and make their decisions based on common sense and whatever information we can provide.

The eye opener for me here is that the information is not readily available one way or another.