Should i completely stop wearing perfume?

[xzkiskazx]

I'm just curious should someone stop wearing perfume(even if it's in a different room where they spray) or taking showers with nice smelling shower gels?
Because if your parrot sits on your shoulder and touches your neck or ear with its tongue that would be toxic.
What do you guys do?

[mmr]

honestly I just don't wear any! Unless it is a special occasion and I am going out (which I NEVER do)!

[NotEnoughTime]

The only reliable information that I can find with respect to scents is when essential oils are burned. These seem to be toxic - but then I don't know that burning anything and breathing it is good for anyone.

Some people seem to think that strong scents in general are bad for birds... but I tend to disagree. Most species of parrot are rainforest animals and strong scents are the norm in the rainforest - try hiking there...

That being said... If you can do without it - why not? It is an expense you don't need and it *may* be better for a bird...

[Eliza]

I occasionally wear sandalwood oil but that's about it.

[donnakris]

I quit wearing perfume when I quit wearing jewelry.

[KimM]

Originally Posted by mmr

honestly I just don't wear any! Unless it is a special occasion and I am going out (which I NEVER do)!

LOL! I can totally relate to that statement!!

[nestbox]

That sound exactly like me!!!!! It just wasn't worth taking a chance on.

[KimM]

I no longer wear perfume, wear jewelry, clean with toxic chemicals.. and the list goes on and on... (sigh) Oh, what we do for our feathered children.

[loyallyroyal]

I still wear perfume, just not while handling the birdy man.

[FoxersArtist]

Perfume causes me to have mild anaphylaxis. I want to cry when people come over to see the parrots and they have perfume on. They don't realize it but from someone who is not able to be around it without a consequence, I know that it lingers in the air FOREVER and if they touch me - then I'm really sick for the rest of the day and the smell NEVER goes away. I can even taste it in my mouth. I'll never forget the bagger at the grocery store whose perfume rubbed all over my grocery bags and got on me when I went to unload them at home. I had to throw a bunch of stuff out. I end up struggling to breathe, having horrible headaches, and struggling with my blood backing up into my limbs with low blood pressure. All of that to say - it makes me wonder how our parrots must feel being 70 times more sensitive to that stuff than we are but they can't tell us. When I used to be able to wear perfume (when I was a teen), I never really noticed when others wore it. Since I developed such a strong allergy, I sometimes feel sorry for myself like perfume is just like smoking and no one realizes it. If only they did. I can't go to church anymore, or to a crowded movie, funerals and weddings come at high cost, and I find myself sitting by the door at dinner parties. I could choose just not to go out, but people still come into my home wearing it all the time.

Sorry for the rant. I have been dying to share that rant with someone. Me out of the picture - I would not suggest that anyone wear perfume around any of their parrots. Just because they can't smell it doesn't mean the parrots can't. Some body washes and shampoos are more mild and do not have lasting scents. If it smells very perfumy it is likely to last long after your shower.
-Anna