Small petstore

[CKD]

I was at a friends house last night and we ran down to a petstore that is in her neighborhood. It was a small store that she said had been there for years. It was called the fish bowl. To my surprise they had a small birdroom totally encased with glass. What caught my eye first was a large cage that had a GW Macaw in it and next to it a large cockatoo. Not sure what type it was , I really dont know much about Toos. They also had lots of other smaller birds that were in cages that looked as if they were built into the walls. The GW feathers were frayed but other then that looked good. The Too was beautiful. What I didnt notice was any kind of air purifier. With having the macaw and the Too that close in an enclosed room do you think they had a built in one that I wouldnt be able to see ? I had asked a boy that was working there and he said he didnt know he never went into the bird room someone else took care of it.
Also how do other larger stores that have Macaws & Toos for sale keep their Macaws safe from Too dander ?

[danforth3]

With the exception of one bird store that I go to, they do not have any filtration system for the birds at all. Too dust, dust from greys and tiels are in the air and the macaws are located in the same room as the toos and greys. The other store I frequent keeps the toos, greys and macaws in separate enclosures. They are generally not intermingled. He also has air filtration systems for each of the bird enclosures.

Most stores do not have any filtration systems for the birds. Also a lot of people are unaware that dust from birds is not only harmful to other animals and birds but also to the workers and store patrons. It is amazing the amount of ignorance and just complete disregard in the trade.

I've seen breeders/store workers tell owners of dusty birds that macaws can handle the dust and that they do not need air purifiers. I usually chime in and tell them differently. I have been uninvited to a couple of places because of that, but you should not sell a macaw to someone who has dusty birds without knowing whether or not they have proper filtration in their homes.

[Skyebirdsmom]

Originally Posted by danforth3

With the exception of one bird store that I go to, they do not have any filtration system for the birds at all. Too dust, dust from greys and tiels are in the air and the macaws are located in the same room as the toos and greys. The other store I frequent keeps the toos, greys and macaws in separate enclosures. They are generally not intermingled. He also has air filtration systems for each of the bird enclosures.

Most stores do not have any filtration systems for the birds. Also a lot of people are unaware that dust from birds is not only harmful to other animals and birds but also to the workers and store patrons. It is amazing the amount of ignorance and just complete disregard in the trade.

I've seen breeders/store workers tell owners of dusty birds that macaws can handle the dust and that they do not need air purifiers. I usually chime in and tell them differently. I have been uninvited to a couple of places because of that, but you should not sell a macaw to someone who has dusty birds without knowing whether or not they have proper filtration in their homes.

I agree with you on all of that. I can vouch for the telling of patrons and possible new purchasers about the dust. I am one who learned the hard way and had to rehome my Cockatiel and African Grey for that very reason. I developed lung disease as a result. And as a result of that, I also had to rehome my 2 Quakers. So please folks, take this seriously, it's too late when you have to bid farewell to pieces of your heart!
Linda & Skye~

[CKD]

Linda you said you have had to rehome 2 quakers. I need to ask this then. I have 2 tiels . One is in quarentine for another 30 days but will then be put in a seperate cage with my other tiel and my GC conure. I do keep a Honeywell air cleaner running at all times in this room. My husband takes his air compressor & blows the filter out once a week for me. Piper my quaker is kept in our Living room. Do you think my GC conure is ok being in the same room as the tiels ?

[LivingFiction]

Comments must be prefaced with the admission that all comments on this subject are a matter of conjecture:

Were the GW and the too for sale or store pets? If they have a decent turnaround, they might not have thought it necessary to worry about the dust.

I've been around U2's and M2's that made me feel like I'd been cleaning a chalkboard, but tiel dust seems much less signifigant. If the room is kept clean and the air purifier is running shouldn't the GCC be okay?

[carriesb]

CKD I don't know about the honewell but I really like the oreck air cleaner it works wonders!! When I first got my cockatiel I couldn't believe that one bird could be so dusty!! I hate to admit this but she was kinda of an impulse buy I knew alot about birds because of the budgie and I knew tiels got down but didn't know so much about the dandruff and that is why Dandy got her name it's short for dandruff But I keep the air cleaner on all the time and it really helps. Also I would at least spray mist the tiels everyday that helps alot and when I change the papers I even spray that with water first to keep the dust down. My budgie so far hasn't had any problems and I have asthma and i've been ok. So you can most likely try it with your conure and see.
As far as pet stores the one I frequent the macaws are mixed in with the dusty birds but I don't know if they a filtration system but by the time I'm leaving the store I can feel it in the air.

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

Sometimes I think 'teils kick up as much dust as my Kiwi!! But having said that, I've had a Honeywell going in my birdroom 24/7 between Kiwi and Koko for as long as I've had Kiwi. I was always afraid that with my asthma, that her dust would create a problem, but thankfully, it just hasn't been so. I also was unaware of the compatibility issue of macaw lungs prior to Koko coming to live with us, but so far, so good. I would never own a bird without a good air purifier...it's just one of those 'gotta have' type things...

[dino24]

I have to chime in and say that I know people who have had there Macaws and greys with there other birds and no air filtration systems and they have all been fine and there birds are all in the age ranges of 25+ years of age. I have a tiel and before I got our other birds I never knew about dander problems and I have no filtration in my home and yes I have a 'too in my home also. All of my birds are fine though so I don't see it as a problem I think it depends on the people and the birds. If you bathe/shower the birds regularly that helps with dander and since I have so many animals whats a little dander. LOL.

[danforth3]

It may just come down to like us humans, some birds are more prone to lung problems than others. I have a honeywell air purifier as well and moved the tiels to a different room because my caique is allergic to their dust. Since we installed the purifier and moved the tiels, the dust level is substantially less and my caique is doing better. My sennie is not bothered by the tiels dust, but my caique was--I guess it is just a bird by bird situation on whether or not it will be bothered by the dust. Christy, see how it goes. The GCC may not be bothered by the dust, if he is you'll have to move him to a different location.

[CKD]

I have had the GC and the tiel in the same room now with the heneywell going 24/7 for about 3 months now. She doesnt seem to be affected. I also mist the tiels every other day. I will pay closer attention once I add the tiel that is in quarentine to the room as well.