- Jul 19, 2012
- 633
- 2
- Parrots
- Scooter -- male Green Cheek Conure "Normal" but that's a matter of opinion! Hatched in March 2010
Scotty -- Male Cape Parrot hatched somewhere between 2007-2009 we think
Caballo Blanco -- male C
OK, I've done a small amount of digging. My conclusion is that it is probably not a bad idea to avoid using dryer sheets and fabric softeners on things your bird comes into direct contact with. Although the amounts are very small, some of the products contain components that are known respiratory irritants (the active components, not the fragrance) and some of them have MSDS data sheets than indicate a possibility of irritation from inhalation. All are not a good a idea to ingest. So perches, toys, beds, cage covers, towels used for toweling your bird... I'll be avoiding use in these cases.
The levels are so small and these things are so ubiquitous that I personally wouldn't worry about casual contact, if it was dangerous, half the birds in the country would be affected. YMMV.
90% or more of what you find when you Google the subject is from highly biased sites that don't cite solid references, but there is enough in the remaining 10% that even I would use caution with softening agents.
The fragrance in the detergent is probably less of a concern, but some of the major brands may also contain a softener, so you may want to examine the product you are using and decide if you want to stock something else for your bird's personal stuff.
The levels are so small and these things are so ubiquitous that I personally wouldn't worry about casual contact, if it was dangerous, half the birds in the country would be affected. YMMV.
90% or more of what you find when you Google the subject is from highly biased sites that don't cite solid references, but there is enough in the remaining 10% that even I would use caution with softening agents.
The fragrance in the detergent is probably less of a concern, but some of the major brands may also contain a softener, so you may want to examine the product you are using and decide if you want to stock something else for your bird's personal stuff.
