Ventless fireplace?? Is it safe?

[mdjmsmith2]

Hello parrot family! I need some advice… I am bringing home two Goffin Cockatoos and a Catablu Macaw! I’m going to be a mama again!

Meanwhile in the spirit of baby proofing my home, I remembered that I have a ventless fireplace that I enjoy snuggling up to in the winter.

So I need your advice, has anyone ever had their parrots around a ventless fireplace within their home? If so, how did your bird handle it? Is it safe?

All comments are appreciated.

I will be installing a CO2 monitor for safety.

 

[HeatherG]

Maybe you could get it checked to make sure it’s working properly? If all is correct, it should be safe. But if exhaust or gas was getting into your home, that would not be safe for you or your birds.

 

[SailBoat]

Excellent advice provided above!!
The only safe 'ventless' fireplaces are electric.

If your unit uses Propane or Natural Gas near all North America Building Codes require they are safely vented to the great outdoors. Some areas have allowed a limited burner size and not require the unit to be vented. Think Gas Stove (burner top and oven). Most of those Laws were based on Homes build three decades ago when homes where not built any where as tight as they are today.

Contact your local Gas Fireplace Supplier /Installer to have your unit inspected, cleaned and question them regarding your unit and current Building Code requirements. It is important to remember that if you have added installation, new exterior doors and/or windows that your home likely has become tighter and your air exchange rate much lower.

I believe that your unit has an open front, i.e. a unit that does not have a glass panel. If true, that could result in a Parrot flying into the unit! As we all know, feathers burn rapidly!

 

[mdjmsmith2]

Excellent advice provided above!!
The only safe 'ventless' fireplaces are electric.

If your unit uses Propane or Natural Gas near all North America Building Codes require they are safely vented to the great outdoors. Some areas have allowed a limited burner size and not require the unit to be vented. Think Gas Stove (burner top and oven). Most of those Laws were based on Homes build three decades ago when homes where not built any where as tight as they are today.

Contact your local Gas Fireplace Supplier /Installer to have your unit inspected, cleaned and question them regarding your unit and current Building Code requirements. It is important to remember that if you have added installation, new exterior doors and/or windows that your home likely has become tighter and your air exchange rate much lower.

I believe that your unit has an open front, i.e. a unit that does not have a glass panel. If true, that could result in a Parrot flying into the unit! As we all know, feathers burn rapidly!

Thank you! Yes, I have my fireplace checked every winter for any possible leaks. Thankfully it is a service that my local gas company provides for free.

Having said that, I will probably not have them down there until I have got readings that support a healthy environment. Even then I may have the window slightly open just for some fresh air.

As for flying in, little babies wings are going to be clipped! After bonding when they have their flight feathers they will be wearing a harness. It’s never a good idea to let little ones fly inside the home. Ceiling fans, fireplaces, stoves… too many unsafe ways to get hurt.

Thank you everyone who answers, sometimes experience from others is the best way to learn. I will also be asking my vet for advice.

 

[wrench13]

Don't want to be teaching Grandma to suck eggs here, but even clipped parrots can get a good flight if startled or they decide they want to be somewhere else in the home. My clipped Amazon Salty gets a 2X /yr clipping and an still manages to fly the length of our house, Just did so a few days ago. Getting a parrot clipped to the point where they drop like a rock is not safe for them, they need to be able to glide to the floor if they fall or decide to go all Orville and Wilbur Wright on you, which means that the birdy could land on the worst place possible in your home - the ledge of that fireplace. Sucks 'cuz fireplaces ARE nice to snuggle near, but me? I'd get the fake flames thingy and know the parrots are safe.

 

[HeatherG]

I have been ‘up North’ to visit my relatives and they all have wood-burning fireplaces which are often lit in the winter. So Lucy was around a fireplace, but this was the old fashioned kind that you load up with logs. I was very aware of when the fireplace mesh was open so more logs could be put on.

There is always either wire mesh or doors in front of a traditional fireplace. They’re not m open so that a bird could fly into the fireplace. That being said, the mesh is hot and if your bird grabbed it with their feet they’d be very sorry and possibly lose their toes.

I have also been around the gas fireplaces. Some of these advertise that they are cool to the touch on the outside of the fireplace and those would be the most safe. But I was always very well in control of my bird when the gas was burning. Feathers are flammable and a fireplace accident with a bird would be HORRIBLE and possibly fatal.

 

[mdjmsmith2]

Thank you all for your advice.. I read them with great interest and appreciation.
The solution is simple, we just won’t have them around if or when it is on. It’s just not worth the risk!

Again thank you to all!