Posts Tagged ‘Bird Dander’

by Debbie

Bird Dust can be a huge problem if you share your home with a powder down bird. Left unchecked this dust can be a health hazard for both birds and humans. Here are 5 answers that will help you deal with this dust more effectively.

What is bird dust? It is a powder (generally white) that certain birds produce to keep their feather soft and their skin properly moisturized. Producing this dust is something your bird will do for as long as it is alive. While sometimes you may thing it would be nice to be able to turn a bird dust switch to off, this would lead to numerous health problems for your bird. So all you can do is to find ways to reduce the amount in the air and on surfaces in the bird room and around your home.

How is dander different? Dander is microscopic in size and cannot be seen with the human eye. Dander is a natural way of replenishing old skin with new skin that is better able to protect the bird and ward off disease and infection. Dander production is also a lifetime process. So a powder down bird produces this dust in addition to dander.

Do all birds produce bird dust? While all birds produce dander, the short answer is no, only some produce dust. There are 3 types of parrots that are the most well known for the powder they produce, and they are the African Grey, Cockatoo, and Cockatiel.

Which birds produce it? The birds that produce it are generally known as powder down birds and include the African Grey (both the Congo and Timneh), Cockatoos, and Cockatiels-all members of the parrot family.

How can you reduce the amount of dust the bird spreads? Gently misting your bird with water using a spray bottle that you would use to soften wrinkles before ironing clothes is a very effective way to reduce the amount of dust that will go airborne. Always mist early enough in the day so that your bird is able to go through the night with dry feathers. They are less likely to become chilled as the temperature drops during the night.

How can you effectively reduce airborne dust? Since your bird’s normal activities of flying from one place to another both inside and out of the cage, preening it feathers, and playing with its toys are sure to put dust in the air constantly, the best way to reduce the number of airborne particulates is to filter the air.

Even though most household heating and air conditioning systems have filters, they are often no match for the incredible amount of powder these birds can generate. Using a portable air filter with a HEPA (or high efficiency particle arresting) filter is the best plan of action.

In addition to the HEPA filter, an air cleaner that contains multiple pre-filters and a filter of military carbon cloth will give you and your bird daily relief from particle-filled air. Keeping the air clean makes you and your bird less susceptible to respiratory diseases.

About the Author
An excellent HEPA air purifier that comes standard with pre-filters and military carbon cloth is provided by PurerAir.com–the Bird Dust Air Purifier See it now at http://purerair.com/bird_dust_air_purifier.html
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com

By: Debbie

Pet birds that live in our homes create bird dander and dust that can become trapped in our well insulated homes. Here are 5 reasons what using an air purifier is the best way to keep you and your bird healthy.

Small Air Passages–One of the reasons they have small air passages is because their bodies are small. But their airways are also designed differently and as such are far more efficient at supplying oxygen to their little bodies than humans.

Small air passages are a prime target for dust and/or mites if your bird’s air is unfiltered. Clogged air passages can lead to grave health problems for your bird very quickly. Filtering the air of particulates such as their own dander, and powder (from powder down birds such as African Greys, Cockatoos, and Cockatiels) will very quickly determine whether your bird is able to breathe or not.

Efficient Delivery of Oxygen–Though small, the tubes that transport the air from outside to the air sacs at the back of the bird’s body do so with great speed. So once the bird’s breast bone forces air in through the air passages, the air sacs then push that air into the blood stream pushing carbon dioxide out.

Using a cleaner that can constantly insure that your bird is breathing clean air gives you feathered friend a huge advantage towards good health and a long life. If the air contains harmful airborne gases, chemicals, or smoke, this same marvelous system that makes oxygenation so swift and efficient is then used against them.

The harmful gases are delivered just as swiftly and often cause death immediately. Constant filtration by an air purifier with a filter that can absorb these invisible pollutants will improve your bird’s chances of a long and healthy life.

Clogged Air Passages Lead to Infection–The tubes (respiratory tract) that carry the air to your bird’s air sacs should remain clear all the time. Air that is clogged with pollutants puts your bird at a higher risk for respiratory infection and disease. Aspergillosis is one such fungal infection that can start in air passages and if not caught in time can spread to other parts of the body and cause death.

Infection and Diseases are Hard to Detect–Birds are programmed to disguise weakness caused by illness. This is to prevent them from becoming prey to stronger birds. In captivity, this makes it extremely difficult to detect problems early. Many times once you see symptoms your friend is gravely ill.

Taking proactive steps daily, such as air filtration, cleaning the cage, clearing away feces promptly, providing fresh water and food and removing them before they become moldy and can be ingested by your bird are just a few of the offensive measures you can take that will keep your bird healthy.

Bird Dander Affects People–How it affects you differs from one person to another. If you have allergies, asthma, respiratory problems or a compromised immune system you stand a greater chance of having adverse reactions to the bird dander, feathers, and dust that come with owning a bird.

If you are healthy, and you maintain a space that is clean and well filtrated, and you have one or 2 birds in reasonably sized space, you will probably be just fine.

However, there are some diseases that are able to be transferred from birds to humans by attaching to, among other particles, bird dander. The most well known of these diseases is called Psittacosis, or Chlamydiosis, and is sometimes more commonly referred to as Parrots Fever.

The name Parrots Fever probably stuck because parrots are generally more susceptible to the disease than other birds. One of the ways that this disease travels is by attaching to minute particulates such as dander, feathers, bird dust or dried feces and being inhaled or ingested by other birds and humans.

Many believe that the chances are slim for developing Chlamydiosis from your bird. But it is of little consolation if you are one of the few. Filtering your air does nothing but increase the chances of good health for you and your bird.

And besides, a caretaker who is healthy and feels good around their bird is able to provide the best care possible, which is the care that every pet bird deserves.

About the Author
The Bird Dander Air Purifier can help insure a long and healthy life of clean fresh air for your bird. See it now at http://purerair.com/bird_dander_air_purifier.html
Source: http://www.articlealley.com