Parrot Allergy?

[Qckslvr]

This might be a silly question, but can someone be allergic to a single bird?



When I was little my mom took me to the doc for an allergy test. The doc pretty much said I was allergic to everything. And thus for 10 years I got shots for it. Now that I am much older I don't get shots, and really it seems pollen and dust is what murders me. Animals not so much any more.


My wife claims to be allergic to one thing. And that is super hairy dogs. Like collies. But claims nothing else bothers her. She does have asthma as well. So we are always a little cautious.



We have had Perci our sun conure for a full week now. he gets a bath every other day, and I clean his cage once a week(that's the plan). So this weekend he got all new fresh paper, and a cage scrubbing.



Later in the eve Perci likes to chill on either myself or my wife and watch TV with us. Last night he was wife's bird, and spent most of the evening under her face.



Later after we put Perci in his sleeper cage my wife broke out into fits of sneezing, and watery eyes. This has been going all night



So I did some googling, and see that parrots can cause allergies, but this was like 4 or more birds.



So my question, can a single little conure cause all this misery for my wife? This is the first time she has ever experienced a big allergic outbreak.

 

[noodles123]

Yes, people cam be allergic to a single bird. A scratch test of something could likely isolate the source. Allergy shots can work wonders if she is (once they know the cause).
A non-ionizing, non sterilizing, non ozone producing hepa air purifier could potentially help, but they are not cheap (Rabitair and Alenair are some brands to consider but they are like 700 to 1000+ dollars, depending on the type). If a purifier has an ozone/sanitize, ion or sterilize setting it CAN be safe IF YOU CAN TURN THAT SPECIFIC FUNCTION OFF (many have that option). Birds shouldn't be around ionizers, ozone etc.

It depends on the root of the allergy, and how severe it is, but it's definitely a possibility.

Birds produce dander, and while powder down birds are most notorious, even birds like conures can cause allergies.

Does she take a daily allergy pill? If not, that is something to also try, and they do take some time to build up in your system...so don't just take them when you notice symptoms. I am talking claritin or fexofenadine etc.

 

[fiddlejen]

Yes she can be allergic. I myself am highly allergic to many things. (This is why I have birds instead of a cat...) I know from experience that an allergic person can become allergic to something they were not previously allergic to. Even small amounts of exposure can cause this to happen, especially if prolonged.

In order to minimize an allergy, reduction of other allergies is always helpful as well. As Noodles mentioned above, get a HEPA filter posthaste and use it always.

Please always do your part of cleaning the cage. Keep an eye, and if needed more often than weekly, please do so. Please make sure your wife is Not in the room until the cleaning is finished, roll up the papers so they are contained, WIPE things down with water afterward to minimize dust, and mop the floor after sweeping. (Possibly mist-spray with water before sweeping as well. This Might make it more difficult to sweep, but it will help control airborne fluffies & dander.)

She should NOT let the conure under her face for any length of time. Shoulder can be fine. Sometimes I let my Sunny get right under my face or my nose near her little feathers. This can be really pleasant and sometimes her little birdie-smell is just so cute too. INvariably when I indulge in this I will get some mild allergy symptoms. This reminds me to NOT do it - because I do NOT want to become allergic to my birdies!!!!!! !!!!

Hopefully you can control the allergens in your home in general. If she is not using antihistamines a short course might be useful IF IF her symptoms continue. However my own personal experience is that living life on antihistamines is Not Worth it. (Again, this is why I do Not own a Cat instead of birdies. Well, now that I have them I would Never trade them -- but, originally, a cat would've been my choice, if I could live with one withOut antihistamines.)

SO you want to avoid causing this Bout of allergies to become a full-blown Allergy. Again - big big thing - she needs to keep her face away from the conure. Yeah, sometimes it will not be avoidable - but birdie can nap on shoulder, or lap, etc. If birdie-face is in her-face, then birdie needs to be moved elsewhere reasonably quickly.

Also. I have found I personally am allergic to an ingredient in at least two different pellets. I still don't know which ingredient -- but two different brands of Really Good pellets, if I put them in my birdies cages, I have allergic reactions to them. Just being in the same room. Also I am allergic to Timothy Grass. (Not usually used in birdie-cages; however when I first got my budgies, that store had Timothy Grass in the budgie-cages so I copied them; that's how I found out about that allergy.)

This is all to say -- pay attention, there could be something additional making her more susceptible to allergies in general.

As a random aside, I personally follow Low-Carb most of the time, and find that doing so makes me SLIghtly less susceptible to allergies in general. (For example, I can Touch a dog now, and still keep breathing.) I have heard this is sometimes true for some people--that is to say, I am Not the Only one--so it could be something helpful to explore IF allergies continue to cause severe problems for you or her.

 

[fiddlejen]

Oh, regarding those air filters. They do not HAVE to be incredibly expensive.

These are the ones I use:
https://www.target.com/p/holmes-mini-tower-air-purifier-with-maximum-dust-removal-filter-for-small-rooms/-/A-79283220?preselect=14897335#lnk=sametab

There IS a little button on top to turn on an ionizer or somesuch type function. NEVER use that option.

With that caveat, these work well and they are fairly economical. Also they are a good size, and moderately unobtrusive. They have a washable pre-filter and also a main filter that needs replaced regularly. There is a replacement schedule; check the filter sooner to see if you need to replace more often. I actually have three of them. Two for home, and one that used to live on my desk at work. (And will again if they make us go back.) I suggest getting more than one, keep one running near the birdies, and one in or near the bedroom or other important living space. IF your rooms are quite large you might want a larger version, or additional ones, but I have found this size is fully sufficient for myself.

 

[noodles123]

Oh, regarding those air filters. They do not HAVE to be incredibly expensive.

These are the ones I use:
https://www.target.com/p/holmes-mini-tower-air-purifier-with-maximum-dust-removal-filter-for-small-rooms/-/A-79283220?preselect=14897335#lnk=sametab

There IS a little button on top to turn on an ionizer or somesuch type function. NEVER use that option.

With that caveat, these work well and they are fairly economical. Also they are a good size, and moderately unobtrusive. They have a washable pre-filter and also a main filter that needs replaced regularly. There is a replacement schedule; check the filter sooner to see if you need to replace more often. I actually have three of them. Two for home, and one that used to live on my desk at work. (And will again if they make us go back.) I suggest getting more than one, keep one running near the birdies, and one in or near the bedroom or other important living space. IF your rooms are quite large you might want a larger version, or additional ones, but I have found this size is fully sufficient for myself.

You can try the cheap versions, but, having lived it, I would suggest something better. My house is not huge
(at all), but I do have am umbrella cockatoo (u2) so that does make a difference, but I am also not allergic....and it's major in terms of what gets sucked up vs not (having tried cheap vs not). I found that the cheap ones did not do enough, even for me. But you can always start off with something else and try it.