Smoke from Wildfires... How to protect birds and their health...?

[oONightFireOo]

Good Morning Everyone...

This may end up being a stupid question - but I just wanted to make sure that I have done everything that I can and have taken the proper precautions to prevent any health issues with my feathered babies...

But I live in Raleigh, North Carolina... and recently - as you may have heard on the news - we are having some pretty bad problems with wildfires at the coast. So bad, in fact, that today - I woke up - and it looked like it was about to storm very badly... while in fact - it was the smoke...

The coast is about 3-4 hours away from me... but now the smoke has been rolling in and is completely covering Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill - and several other areas.

It has been smoggy for the past several days - but when I opened the door this morning to let the dogs out, all I could smell was smoke... which freaked me out a little... soooo... at this point - I was wondering what I should do.

The inside of the house doesn't smell smoky... at least not yet. I am making sure to go into the house through the garage so that the smell of smoke coming in through the doors is minimized. I also have Air Filters running at full force, and will change the AC Filters tonight... but is this all I should do?

Is there anything else that I can do to make sure my babies don't sit in a smoke filled house all day? I know that there respiratory system is MUCH more sensitive then ours - so while I can't smell it - I am not sure they can't...

So if you all could lend your advice on how to work with this situation, I would really apprecaite it! I've been in wildfires before when I was doing volunteer work all over the west coast... but I've never had birds and my house involved... so I just want to make sure that I do everything possible to help ensure the safety and health of the babies...

Thanks in advance for your help!!
Best Regards,
~Kevin

[Lisa B]

when we had fires here, I did all you mentioned and tried to seal off the doorways as much as possible with wet towels. I also ran the air conditioner non stop in conjuntion with the air purifiers.
We ended up getting evacuated because the fires were a half mile from my house. I was nervous about having to pack the car and then carrying the birds out into the smoke more than anything. Lukily, they all did fine.

good luck. keep us posted

[nvranemptynest]

I'm in the Dismal Swamp area. The last fire that came through was about a mile from the house. We have fires that cloak the house in smoke every couple years, at least. It is still quite surprising to hear someone so far away talk about being affected by the smoke from these fires. It's amazing how far the wind can carry it.

The only other thing I can suggest is keep your exhaust fans running to draw any fumes up & out. You might also get a carbon monoxide sensor, if you don't already have one, for the safety of the entire household. You are doing all the right things for them. Take care.

[kellywess]

I live in Virginia Beach, VA and we were having problems Tuesday night from the smoke of the North Carolina fires. Like there it looked very hazy like it was going to storm outside. I too kicked up the air purifiers and entered through the garage...etc. So far so good. The smell has dissapated but you can still smell it outside in the a.m.

[catschair]

I think you are doing the right things. Do remember that you will grow accustomed to the smell, so it probably is still a bit smoky. With bad/sooty fires, I have also put damp towels over part or all of the bird cages too. Stay safe!

[oONightFireOo]

I am glad to hear from everyone else's experiences. The birds seem to be doing fine. Rosie is being her obnoxious self (the afternoons are the times for her tantrums...lol) and Hera is continuing to scream like a women getting murdered... which is also just as normal...

Everyone is eating... not apparent breathing problems... no one acts stressed... aside from their irritations of molting.

The smoke has gotten a little better, but according to the news, tonights winds are supposed to go completely away - so the smoke is supposed to blow in again, and then just sit until tomorrow afternoon... so that'll be fun... but everyone's under a very watchful eye and I've done everything I can think of doing...

Thank you all for your experiences! It has really help to calm down a bit.

Hope everyone has a great night!
~Kevin

[kellywess]

Oh no... not again.