Human saliva toxic to birds?

[Chief]

I sometimes give my lovie wet kisses and he pecks a little in my mouth.
Is this dangerous?
I heard it is not by some, and I heard it is to others. I don't know? My bird is fine and the last time wet kisses endured was a week ago.
I'm weary now though

Your opinions? or facts

[hsmoscout]

Well it is not "poisonous" like cat and dog saliva is (I've heard) but it IS a carier of bacteria. It just means you shouldn't give kisses, not that if you do it will kill them. Don't Kiss Your Bird and Other Common Mistakes Bird Owners Make

by Roxanne Hawn
Article borrowed from PetSmart.com

People remain mystified by the magic of our feathered friends. Be it their ability to fly or their fantastic plumage, we just can't seem to get enough of them. So it's no surprise that birds are being kept as pets in increasing numbers. However, because birds are so very different from the dogs and cats who most often live in our homes, their proper care remains a mystery. So much so, that people commonly make mistakes when caring for their pet birds -- even with the best of intentions.

To help set the record straight of these confusing issues, we consulted with Brian Speer, DVM, a board certified avian veterinarian, 2000 president of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, and co-author of Birds for Dummies.

Why Mammal Saliva and Birds Don't Mix
Birds mouths are much cleaner than ours. And, ours are much cleaner than say a cat's. When it comes to birds, the most dangerous organism in any mammal's mouth is something called Pasteurella multocida. Once introduced onto or into a bird, Pasteurella multocida can become a "very infectious organism," says Speer, crossing membranes, entering the blood stream, and taking a bird from perfect health to death in as little as one hour.

That means a bird that is attacked by a cat, even if the injuries look minor, can be in serious trouble. The bird's instinct will be to clean the wounds by licking them. Doing so, the bird ingests this dangerous organism and may be starting a chain of events that leads to serious illness and even death.

According to Speer, this same organism can be found to a lesser extent in dog and human saliva. "Unless it's a really wet kiss," chuckles Speer, "It's not a real danger to kiss them." However, he warns that safety precautions should be taken to prevent any cats or dogs (no matter how well-behaved) from "kissing" your pet bird -- even if it does look cute. Sharing food with your bird can also be a bad idea. For example, if you bite off a piece of apple before feeding it to your bird, your saliva is on that piece of food and can be introduced into your bird's system.

"In general, the rule of thumb is that you don't want saliva and pet birds to mix," says Speer. "From an academic sense, there is some risk [to kissing your bird], but I've never seen a sick bird from human saliva. I have seen it with dogs and cats."

To be safe, Speer recommends showing your pet birds affection by talking to them, handling them, and scratching them in a favorite spot.

[birde]

Yeah I heard it was only like dog saliva that is dangerous..I don't kiss Bebe much anyway ^_^

[Tom Lawless]

That is great information on this issue. I've often heard that it is a bad thing but this gave a good explanation as to why.

[Lisa B]

Mouth Bacteria Poses Danger To Pet Birds

Other pets and human mouths can have bacteria potentially dangerous to pet birds.

By Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, DABVP, Avian Practice
Posted: June 22, 2008, 5 a.m. EDT




Q: I always hear a lot about the bacteria inside of a cat’s mouth and how it can be a danger to pet birds. To what degree is this true, and how does the bacteria affect a pet bird? What about my dog’s mouth?

A: Good question. Some of our other pets carry some potentially nasty and dangerous bacteria: Gram-negative rods, including Pasteurella, Pseudomonas, E. coli and Enterobacter; and Gram-positive cocci, including Staphylococcus and Streptococcus.


Courtesy of Mike Allison, Pennsylvania


Dogs and cats can cause serious injury to pet birds through bite wounds. Animal mouths are filled with potentially dangerous bacteria that transfers to a bird's blood stream through a scratch or bite. Most healthy animals and humans have millions of microorganisms in the mouth, many of which are harmless. Pets with dental disease – such as periodontal disease, tooth decay, tooth root abscesses, dental tartar or plaque and gingivitis (which are increasingly more common as pets age, especially if they do not undergo routine dental cleanings) – are more likely to harbor dangerous bacteria and fungi, which can be introduced to birds through a bite wound.

The millions of bacteria and fungi in a healthy human mouth are, for the most part, harmless to us. The majority of these organisms, however can potentially cause disease in pet birds under certain circumstances.

I have seen too many home videos of a pet bird eating from its owner’s mouth or picking its owner’s teeth. This is a dangerous and unfunny practice. It is a bad idea to expose a pet bird to unnecessary organisms that can cause illness. If you want to scare yourself, have a look on the Internet at some papers discussing the bacteria involved with dental disease in humans!

Claws & Paws
It’s not only the mouths of other pets that can be dangerous to birds but also their paws and claws. Even small parrots have formidable beaks that can deter a predator with a good chomp, but it isn’t a foolproof defense. We still see cases of birds that were injured by claws and teeth. Claws can cause serious puncture wounds and often contain bacteria from the soil, the litter box or even the animal’s skin.

Birds do possess a nifty defense mechanism to help defend it from predators. When a real or perceived predator grabs and holds the tail, a bird will release its tail feathers. (Some readers may have experienced this after trying to catch an escaping pet bird by grasping the tail feathers and ended up with nothing but a handful of feathers!) This is similar to some lizard species’ autotomy defense mechanism, which allows a lizard to drop the end section of its tail. The tail continues to wiggle, distracting the predator and hopefully allowing the lizard to escape.

The birds’ defense mechanism doesn’t always prevent wounds. Any bite or claw wound through the skin is potentially dangerous for several reasons. The skin of birds is very thin and delicate compared to that of humans. Bird skin doesn’t have a lot of blood vessels, which can be a good thing, because a bird usually won’t lose a lot of blood through a skin tear or puncture. On the other hand, this means that the normal flushing of a wound by bleeding won’t occur. The more a wound bleeds, the more the body can flush out potentially harmful bacteria and fungi.

Wounds that puncture the muscle layer or injure follicles or internal structures of a pet bird are much more serious. Bacteria or fungi can be deposited into the deeper tissues, and if the skin closes up over the puncture, the organisms can multiply and cause a serious infection to a bird.

Once the bacteria enter the bird’s body, they can set up a local abscess or spread through the bloodstream to other organ systems. This is called septicemia, and it usually proves fatal, even if medical therapy is provided.

Be First-Aid Ready
Owners never should wait if they suspect that their pet bird has been bitten or clawed by another animal. If an injury occurs, then it is imperative that you immediately perform first aid.
__________________

[Ashling]

A dry kiss on the upper mandible (beak) should be fine. The wet ones should be reserved for dogs! ;)

[Jess89]

LOL hsmoscout, I was reading your post and Jasper crept up to the screen and started trying to eat the picture of your tiel in your signature ^_^ *chuckles*

[Ashling]

Originally Posted by Jess89

LOL hsmoscout, I was reading your post and Jasper crept up to the screen and started trying to eat the picture of your tiel in your signature ^_^ *chuckles*

all eclectus' know that tiels are delicious!

[DeguMom]

Nice articles posted. Yes, it isn't just 1 mammals saliva that is dangerous to birds - all mammal saliva is dangerous for birds for the reasons posted.

That being said, Ashling is right - a dry kiss (with dry lips) on the top of the beak should be fine. Just make sure your lips are dry, and don't share food you've eaten off of. Enjoy your kisses! =)

[LovelySydney]

I never knew that! Good to know, definitely won't let any bird eat out of my mouth ever again (not that I ever did!)