by:ASPCA Ani-Med

As a responsible owner, it's up to you to ensure that your pet lives in a home, safe home. This is especially important for avians, who are more sensitive to their environments than dogs and cats. Special considerations must be taken to keep them in the "sing" of things.

The greatest threats in your home are ones you unfortunately cannot always see. Birds are highly sensitive to inhalant fumes, which are rapidly absorbed by their bodies. The fumes from self-cleaning ovens and Teflon- or Silverstone-coated pans, if overheated, can be deadly to your pet. To be on
the safe side, it's smart to stick to non-Teflon pots and pans. It's also "good scents" to nix pine room sprays, potpourri, essential oil diffusers and spray-type room deodorizers. And please try at all costs to avoid exposing your feathered friend to automobile exhaust, tobacco smoke, glues and paints, insecticidal fumigants, perfume and hair spray.

While it's important that many species of birds get exercise time out of the cage every day, you'll need to bird-proof your home, paying special attention to the room in which your pet is free to fly. Make sure all electrical wires are out of beak's reach, as well as prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Pain killers, cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, vitamins and diet pills are all examples of human medications that can be lethal to birds, even in small doses. And keep in mind that most pesticide baits contain ingredients, such as grains and sugars, that can attract your pet. Should you need to use rat and mouse bait or ant traps, place them in areas that are inaccessible to your pet. Same goes for cleaning agents. Should your pet ingest them, he could suffer from a range of symptoms, depending on the substance, from mild stomach upset to severe burns of the tongue, mouth and crop.

You probably know how important it is to supplement your little guy's diet with fruits and veggies, but there are some foods that should not be given to him. Check out our "Nutrition" topic for more information on acceptable fresh foods, and make a note of the following list of foods that are potentially harmful to pet birds of all species: avocado, chocolate, coffee, onions, potato leaves and stems, rhubarb leaves, salt, tea, and yeast dough.

No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen--and time is of the essence in an emergency. If you think your bird has gotten into a potentially poisonous substance, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's emergency hotline at 1-888-4-ANI-HELP for round-the-clock
telephone assistance. There will be a charge for this service.