Aflatoxin (See Mycotoxins below) - From AMS ↦ USDA Science and Technology Programs: Peanut Aflatoxin Program "Aflatoxin contamination is a serious food safety concern. Aflatoxins are toxic metabolites produced by the molds Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. If present in sufficient amounts, they may cause acute toxicity and are known to be carcinogens for some animals. Peanuts, tree nuts, corn, and other small grains are susceptible to aflatoxin contamination. Peanuts are particularly susceptible to contamination during growth and storage. The aflatoxin producing molds exist throughout the peanut growing areas and may produce aflatoxin in peanuts when conditions are favorable to fungal growth." More Info.
Alcoholic Beverages
Ammonia
Antifreeze
Ant syrup, paste or traps
Arsenic
Bathroom bowl cleaner
Bleach
Boric acid
Brass cages, keys or bells - Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Cages, keys or bells that are brass plated will tarnish over time and can be chewed off by your parrot. While the zinc content is lower, brass should be avoided.
Should you already own a brass cage, it would be advisable to cover it with several coats of clear water based acrylic (comes in spray cans - dry compeltely between coats). This will also help to prevent the cage from rusting.
Brazil nuts
Bolivia tells European nut-eaters to calm down
bungee ropes - medium to large parrots can remove the plastic coating and impale themselves through the beak on the metal hook.
Camphophenique
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon tetrachloride - Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), also known as tetrachloromethane, is a synthetic chemical compound formerly widely used in fire extinguishers and refrigeration, but now largely abandoned due to its toxicity. At room temperature and pressure, it is a clear, colorless liquid with a "sweet" smell that can be detected at low levels. More info.
Carpet (New Carpeting) -*Cindy Duehring. Carpet Toxicity Associated with MCS and Chronic Illness in Humans. EARN Profile. Vol 9, No 1. (Reported in Our Toxic Times, Feb 1999. From JA AndersonŐs Reactions to Carpet Emissions in Journal of Nutritional and Envir Med 7, 177-185, 1997.):
Synthetic carpets emit more than 200 chemicals. Anderson Lab researchers questioned 110 families with a carpet which showed positive test results for toxicity. Their symptoms were diverse and overlapped MCS. Fatigue 85%; pain in trunk or limbs 73%; CNS - concentration/memory 72%; skin rash/hair loss 45%; tremors 40%; irregular heartbeat 37%; swollen glands 21%; diarrhoea 29%; blurred vision 47%; paralysis 9%; convulsions 3%; respiratory 65%; headache 60%; weakness 51%; ENT 85%.... More Info
Carpet fresheners
Charcoal fluids
Chrome cages, keys, bells, toys, fasteners, etc. - Chrome plating can either be nickel or zinc. One can't tell by looking at the plating. Chrome plated items should be avoided.
Should you already own a brass cage, it would be advisable to cover it with several coats of clear water based acrylic (comes in spray cans - dry completely between coats). This will also help to prevent the cage from rusting.
Cigarette smoke - both second hand smoke and contact with nicotene residue in a smoking environment (including the hands of the smoker).
Clinitest tablets
Chlordane
Colloidal Silver
INDEX page with additonal information links on colloidal silver
Copper or brass cleaners or polishes
Corn in birdseed or animal feeds:
Tainted Corn can Harm Some Wildlife
Blending, Testing Key To Managing Corn Molds This Harvest Season - Oct. 2002
Corn or wart remover
Crayons
Deodorants
Detergents
Diazinon
Disinfectants
Drain cleaners
Epoxy glue
Essential oil based room fresheners, or popouri
Evaporative Cooler - See MasterCool Evaporative Cooler
Fasteners -
Quicklinks and other fasteners can be dangerous if your parrot is inclined to play with them.
Mad Max got caught on one. Find out about his experience here...
Fabric softeners
Flea and tick products
Floor and Furniture polish
Floor and Furniture wax
Formaldehyde
Garden sprays
Gasoline
Gum cleaner
Gunpowder
Hair dyes
Hair spray
Herbicides
Hexachlorophene (found in some brands of soap)
Indelible markers
Insect repellents
Insecticides
Iodine
Kerosene
Lead (Tiffany lamps, some paints, aquarium plant weights)
Leather protectant spray
Lighter fluid
Linoleum (contains lead salts)
Lye
MasterCool evaporative cooler (CELdeck, CELdeck with MI-T-Cool or Mi-T-edg)
From the owner of a Quaker parakeet who died of respiratory failure within 6 hours of exposure to this product:
"I hope this warning will alert others who love their birds as much as I loved my Quaker. He died last week after
I installed new evaporative cooler pads in my MasterCool evaporative cooler. The instruction sheet that comes with
the product said there would be an "odor" that would come off of the pads for about 24 hours. My "Greenbean" died
6 hours later of respiratory failure.
I contacted the company who makes these pads for the MaserCool cooler as well as pads that fit other machines to
obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). I wanted to find out exactly what the "odor" was that they warned me
about. These pads are preserved with formaldehyde, phenol, acrylics and elemental copper. I asked the Munters
company if they had done any testing on birds before they labeled their product safe for it's distributors.
The answer, "no". This prodcut is sold under the names of CELdek, CEDdek with Mi-T-Cool, and Mi-T-edg."
Matches
Mineral Spirits
Model glue
Mothballs
Muriatic Acid
Mushrooms
Mycotoxins:
University of Hawaii at Manoa
First Botany 135 Exam, October 11, 2001
"Simply put,mycotoxins are literally poisons that are produced by fungi. Fungi that produce mycotoxins do not have to be present to do harm. The poison that is realeased into
the substrate by the fungus will be present even if the fungus itself is not."
Mycotoxin Contamination and Methods to Ensure Food Safety and Quality
Nail Polish
Nail Polish remover
Nitrogen Dioxide
Non-stick products (see Teflon)
Oven cleaner
Paint
Paint remover
Paint thinner
Peanuts; Peanut Butter -Peanut Poisoning (The Pharmeaceutical Journal)
A Method for Determining Kernel Moisture Content and Aflatoxin Concentreations
Which Peanut Butters?
Skippy Faq
Jif (Both Skippy and Jif are Smuckers products)
Krema Faq
Perfume
Permanent wave solutions
Pesticides
PFC's - perfluorochemicals (Teflon, Scotchgard, Gore-Tex, Stainmaster)
Photographic solutions
Pine oil
Plastic Wrap Toxins - True or Urban Lengend?
Plug -ins
Booklet from U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
Action Levels For Poisonous Or Deleterious Substances In Human Food
And Animal Feed or obtain a copy from:
Industry Activities Staff (HFS-565)
CFSAN/FDA
200 C Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20204
Telephone (202) 205-5251
Prescription and non-prescription drugs that have not been prescribed for the bird.
Pressure-Treated Wood - Arsenic
Recreational drugs
Red squill
Rodenticides
Rubbing alcohol
Sarcosporidiosis - While Amazons and other "New World" birds are usually immune to the effects of the sarcocyst (a one-celled coccidian organism called Sarcocystis falcatula), "Old World" birds - those from Australia, Asia or Africa are quite suseptable. More Info.
Self-cleaning ovens - (Please remove your birds from your home before using a self-cleaning oven and bring them back only after you have thoroughly aired out your home.)
Shaving lotion
Shoe polish
Silver polish
Snail bait
Spot remover
Spray starch
StainSafe™ and/or Scotchgard™ fabric protectors. Death from exposure to new
furniture that was treated with a fabric protector has been reported after verification by necropsy.
It Happened to MRH Squigmund More info...
Strychnine
Sulphuric acid
Suntan lotion
Super glue
Teflon™ or any non-stick coatings applied to any product that is heated during use (also see PFC's):
Turpentine
Weed killers
Window cleaners
Wood preservatives
Zinc
Zinc and Parrots
Zinc is abundant in our homes and especially in bird related paraphernalia:
© 2001 -2004 by Talking Green Parrot Aviary
Non-toxic alternatives:
Dr. Grace Ziem's Environmental Control Plan for Chemically Sensitive Patients
Understanding Patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
American Academy of Family Physicians
|
Homemade Pesticide Spray: From Mosi - Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry Nontoxic spray is a hit with readers who say it keeps mosquitoes at bay |
Pet Owners Guide to Common Small Animal Poision
AVMA Network Professional Resources
The Toxicity of Plants explaination and listing
Avian Nutrition -
Are Peanuts and Grapes Healthy Bird Foods?
Meet Sally.....
(April,1994 - Jan. 31, 2003)
Shortly after coming to live with us, Sally's mother died and a necropsy disclosed the cause to be aflatoxin poisoning. At the time I didn't realize that Sally too, might have been suffering from mycotoxicosis from being fed by her mother. She was a domestic bred baby, raised by her parents until fully weaned and fledged.
Sally was diagnosed at the age of six years. A biopsy disclosed that she had both cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.
Loosing such a young bird to a preventable affliction was especially difficult. In Sally's memory you will find much information on Mycotoxicosis and Aflatoxin, as well as the high risk foods that are normally used to feed companion birds, peanuts, corn or maize and dried fruits and vegetables. Many seed mixes contain any or all of these high risk items and it is believed by Sally's breeder and us that this was the source of the Aflatoxin contamination that affected both Sally and her mother. You will also see in the data provided that animal feeds have higher acceptable levels of contamination than human grade products.
If you do choose to feed any of these high risk foods, please select human grade quality and buy from a source that uses proper storage methods to maintain the quality and prevent contamination of the food items. Once in your home, refrigerate or freeze the food items until used.