Oil paint danger

[Louzparrot]

Hi Bird People, I just started oil painting...the art kind on canvas. I am leeping my Conure out of the room. She goes within 6 feet of it. The door is closed & I keep the paint thinner cloths outside. I have a few odorless turpenoid soaked paper towels right by my work. As they get saturated, dirty I take them ouside. The wer oil painting I am working on is in the room I like to use to let her fly around in & play on her jungle gym, etc. Do I need to keep her separate from drying oil paintings? Thank you. -Lou

 

[clark_conure]

I don't know anything about anything.....except electronics..... but I think you're fine oil based paints don't really outgas they just dry. Someone may come on and correct me but I'm more worried about which cookware to buy than paint.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'd worry about her somehow getting wet oil paint on herself. My birds would fly over and land on the edge of the painting and maybe chew on the canvas and poop on the painting.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Depends on the paints involved. If they're the more expensive type, there's a risk with some colors being poisonous, and the binder in some colors might cause havoc with their lungs. There's less risk of it if they're student grade oils, as the binders and pigments aren't as intense. There's also the risk of chewing and eating the drying paint. or dancing across the canvas like my little terrors sometimes do.

Glad to see another artist on the forum! I'm an artist, too. Gouache, watercolor and pencil crayon are my specialties.

 

[Louzparrot]

Hi Vampiric_Conure. Thank you so much for your kind, prompt response. Turning this room into an oil paint studio and banishing Rocket from all her aerial trapezes, swings, perches & toys is very sad. So I'm just going to put any wet palettes & canvases elsewhere then let her back in her Playroom/Jungle-gym.
So appreciate all the replies.

 

[Louzparrot]

I'd worry about her somehow getting wet oil paint on herself. My birds would fly over and land on the edge of the painting and maybe chew on the canvas and poop on the painting.

Well you got that right, Donna. At least she'll poop on it. But I decided to move out all wet paint & let her back in her playroom!

 

[rheashard2]

Curious here. Do your birds take an interest in your activity? After all you're home but not paying attention to them.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Aren't they like "Whatcha doin' whatcha doin?" and trying to get involved?

 

[wrench13]

Sorry, but my advice is as it aways is. If you can smell it (with our less sophisticated, less sensitive sense of smell, if you can smell something, especially toxic stull like thinners and the base of these products, they should not be in proximity to your parrot. Exposure to these, in this case, is not a quick one and done exposure.

Trust me, from experience, if something does happen to your parrot because of it, no pretty picture or the memory of it will compensate for the loss.