bird keepers lung,health problems..?

[devonmusic]

Hi,
Hope I am not going to sound paranoid I had a sennie for years and miss having a bird.. I really had my heart set on another sennie or a linoleated parakeet.. I have kids so everyone has discouraged me from the sennie since they tend to like one person ..even thought technically the bird is because mommy wants one ,it has to be friendly for the two kids,,,

anyhow ,I took my daughter to a nice parrot store and somehow we ended up over at the cockatiel cage.. I already knew they had dust and was not too keen on getting one but they are so sweet and generally good and tolerant with kids so I caved ...well we ended up taking home a 3 month old .. the bird is very nice and tolerant of the kids plus I am teaching them to be respectful and everyone seems pretty happy ... except mama..I did a lot of reading and it all says they are so dusty you can develop lung problems.. I already have allergies althought not necessarily to birds ( I had the sennie) but wondering if the dust will only make things worse.. plus will it affect the kids long term.. I am not sneezing from the bird.. I am assuming I would start to see some reaction but the articles all said its a cumulative thing over years ...

am I just being overly worried? I plan to wear a mask to clean the cage and spray the bird down daily ,would do that would any bird anyway ..but I really wanted to cuddle it and I am afraid ..

sorry for the long post but how comman is this bird keepers lung and is it totally stupid for me to be worrying about this? my husband thinks I am being crazy since the cockatiel is the most comman pet bird other than a budgie..so how dangerous could it be? and he keeps saying the average person just buys one ,doesnt even keep it clean ,doenst even think of this stuff

totally embarassed and feel foolish ...would love to hear from some cockatiel owners.. several other bird people told me they buy a cockatiel for this reason ..

[usamma]

Well, I have a tiel and I have asthma. So far I'm not seeing symptoms, but it depends on each person I guess. I make sure Nibbles gets a daily shower. I also got him a medium Vision cage because it has a very large seed catcher built into it, and I figured a lot of the grooming dust would fall down into it. I would love to get a CAG someday but am worried about the dust. I think a tiel is not too bad if you just give a daily bath and clean regularly, and dont keep the bird in the bedroom. Maybe keep it in a tiled area or an area that gets cleaned frequently.

I have 12 birds and even with that many have not had any asthma/allergy problems from the birds at all. Neither has my asthmatic little daughter. I have horrible allergies from touching our cat, if I forget and then touch my eyes or face, or she naps on my pillow. Same with some breeds of dogs. But not the birds thank goodness.

Maybe you can get allergy tested for bird feathers/dander. It might not be necessary to wear a mask for cleaning if you can take the cage outside to clean it. That would be better anyway, to prevent stirring up dust in the house.

[christie99]

Bird keepers lung seems to happen in individuals with poor health. In addition to that , it seems to happen when the bird is cooped up in a small room with the person for extended periods of time, like sleeping with the bird in your bedroom for years. It also happens in small homes with LOTS of dusty birds and little filtration.

I've had my oldest tiel since 1988, and I have health problems, but no birdkeepers lung. I have an immune system issue, and athsma, but I own several tiels. My first tiel (still with me) slept in my bedroom with me from age 11 - 20, when I moved to go to college and he lived in the apartment (660 sq ft).

As long as you keep your house clean, the cage clean, don't keep the house completely sealed up with little to no fresh air coming in, and don't sleep with the bird in a small closed bedroom for a long time you should be fine. If you don't have a lot of fresh air coming in, an allergin filter on your central AC will filter the dust. If you find that your family is having a harder time breathing, get a hepa filter.

[christie99]

USAMMA - How did you find a vision cage that is large enough for a tiel? The ones I've seen have only been fit for finches.

[devonmusic]

wow thanks for the great responses so far! I actually starting using a mask when I vacumn up the house ( we have had a dog for 11 years and she sheds something awful ) plus it helps with the dust scattering around.. I have heard its safer to clean any birds cage with one. doesnt hurt ,its just the paper kind you can get at home depot.. just means it doesnt kick up in your face..

startign to feel better aobut this..

[christie99]

I have a pet vacuum, the purple dyson one. It filters all allergins out. It was given to us for a wedding present, not because of the birds, but because the normal one was out of stock!!

Personally, it is the best thing around. We also have a wood burning fire place and I can suck up the cold ashes that scatter and I know that they won't blow back into the house.

[prettypenguin]

I have the purple Dyson as well. I have really bad allergies & my BF has asthma, this vac really helps. I got it refurbished with a 6 month warranty for cheap! We also have two air filters, one in the bedroom and one in the bird area. I think it's a great idea to wear the mask when cleaning. We have 4 birds, and we are actually more sensitive to the budgies when they molt then we are to the tiels.

[chapala]

The mask when cage cleaning is a good idea. Also, if you mist the cage papers before cleaning, it helps to keep the dust from becoming airborne when you pick them up.

My experience after bird-sitting a 'Tiel for a month is that 'Tiels are dustier than Greys. Of course, Cockatoos are the dustiest of all!

[Tom Lawless]

I would also consider a good air filter. You don't have to spend a lot of money. Make sure you don't get the ionizer kind (you might want to do a search on bird friendly air cleaners/filters on this website...I know there is one at Sears that LisaB recommends). With that, good cleaning practices and regular baths and/or showers, I would think you would be fine. This is my own thing so take it for what it is worth; I wouldn't keep the bird in someone's bedroom at night if this is a concern of yours. If there is a dust problem or an allergy that's an awful long time for uninterupted exposure. I think placing them in other rooms in the house with good ventilation and a good air clearner would prevent any problem. I had tiels years ago and I will admit they were dusty but even with allergies, they were never a problem.

It's good to research but sometimes potential issues are worded in a way that can really scare you. I mentioned this to a long-term bird owner and she said, read everything you can and throw out half of it. It's good to know what's out there but if you follow every warning you will never leave your house and never bring a pet into it.

[usamma]

Originally Posted by christie99

USAMMA - How did you find a vision cage that is large enough for a tiel? The ones I've seen have only been fit for finches.

At PetSmart. They had several sizes, and the one my tiel is in is perfect for a single tiel who gets a lot of out-of-cage time. They had one that was really big and tall and some tiny ones, too.