Kiwibird
Well-known member
- Jul 12, 2012
- 9,539
- 113
- Parrots
- 1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
I had a terrible scare today. I'm not a big fan of dishwashers. They ruin glasses and seem like a farce since you have to pre rinse everything anyway (why not just wash it fully?). But I digress, I never used one in all my life before we bought this place and still don't use it for dishes because it's easier/faster to just wash them by hand for me. I have, however, been using it for Kiwi's perches and plastic toys after hearing everyone sing praises of how well they do for sanitizing etc... I had put in a load of perches and toys earlier today as I was cleaning his cage/area. I was taking a break, sharing some peanut butter but Kiwi was acting funny, not interested in the treat, making "alert" noises and just kind of edgy. A parrot not interested in peanut butter is pretty serious so I began to investigate. I was looking all around, couldn't figure out why he was acting strangely until I went back into the kitchen and it hit my nose- something acrid smelling, faint though. Sniffed around, seemed to be coming from the dishwasher door. It was done with the wash cycle and running the "sanitize" cycle, so I opened the door to investigate further. Then the steam/STRONG burnt plastic fumes come pouring out of the dishwasher in a thick cloud of acrid smelling pure horror for a parrot owner.
I grabbed Kiwi (who was in the living room) so fast there were practically feathers flying and threw him in the office to get him away from the smell, opened all the doors and windows to air it out. He seems ok now. My lungs actually hurt though from getting a face full of it. I think he smelled it before I did though and knew it wasn't "right" (hence alert noises and strange behavior). The source of the smell, much to my horror, was a plastic toy that had somehow worked it's way out of the basket on the top rack and fallen/melted onto the heating element at the bottom of the dishwasher, probably during the sanitizing cycle. I knew I inherently distrusted dishwashers for a reason and I will NEVER use one again after this. Just a word of warning to everyone else before you wash small toys in a dishwasher- even if in the baskets on the top rack, it could still make it's way down to the heating element and will produce a terrifying mass of steam and fumes. Also, remember to always pay attention to your parrots cues/behaviors/body language. They are intelligent animals capable of communicating, we just have to figure out what it is they're trying to communicate! Kiwi could have died had I not recognized him acting abnormally, investigated and removed him from a dangerous situation before it became deadly (which with the strength of those fumes, it no doubt could have been had the toy melted more before I discovered it).
I grabbed Kiwi (who was in the living room) so fast there were practically feathers flying and threw him in the office to get him away from the smell, opened all the doors and windows to air it out. He seems ok now. My lungs actually hurt though from getting a face full of it. I think he smelled it before I did though and knew it wasn't "right" (hence alert noises and strange behavior). The source of the smell, much to my horror, was a plastic toy that had somehow worked it's way out of the basket on the top rack and fallen/melted onto the heating element at the bottom of the dishwasher, probably during the sanitizing cycle. I knew I inherently distrusted dishwashers for a reason and I will NEVER use one again after this. Just a word of warning to everyone else before you wash small toys in a dishwasher- even if in the baskets on the top rack, it could still make it's way down to the heating element and will produce a terrifying mass of steam and fumes. Also, remember to always pay attention to your parrots cues/behaviors/body language. They are intelligent animals capable of communicating, we just have to figure out what it is they're trying to communicate! Kiwi could have died had I not recognized him acting abnormally, investigated and removed him from a dangerous situation before it became deadly (which with the strength of those fumes, it no doubt could have been had the toy melted more before I discovered it).
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