Questions:
1) What do you feed your birds? |
| Harmful Plants (first source) Amaryllis - bulbs American Yew Avocado Azalea - leaves Balsam Pear - seeds, outer rind of fruit Baneberry - berries, root Bird of Paradise - seeds Black Locust - bark, sprouts, foliage Blue-green Algae - some forms toxic Boxwood - leaves, stems Buckthorn - fruit, bark Buttercup - sap, bulbs Caladium - leaves Calla Lily - leaves Castor Bean - also castor oil, leaves Chalice Vine/Trumpet vine Christmas Candle - sap Clematis/Virginia Bower Coral Plant - seeds Cowslip/Marsh Marigold Daffodil - bulbs Daphne - berries Datura - berries Deadly Amanita Death Camas Delphinium Deffenbachia/Dumb Cane - leaves Eggplant - fruit okay Elephants Ear/Taro - leaves, stem English Ivy berries, leaves English Yew False Henbane Fly Agaric Mushroom - Deadly Amanita Foxglove - leaves, seeds Golden Chain/Laburnum Hemlock - also water the plant is in Henbane - seeds Holly - berries Horse Chestnut/Buckeye - nuts, twigs Hyacinth - bulbs Hydrangea - flower bud Indian Turnip/Jack-in-Pulpit Iris/Blue Flag - bulbs Jack-in-the-Pulpit Japanese Yew - needles, seeds Java Bean - Lima bean - uncooked Juniper - needles, stems, berries Lantana - immature berries Larkspur Laurel Lily of the Valley - also water the plant is in Lobelia Locoweed Lords and Ladies/Cuckoopint Marijuana/Hemp - leaves Mayapple - fruit is safe Mescal Beans - seeds Mistletoe - berries Mock Orange - fruit Monkshood/Aconite - leaves, root Morning Glory Narcissus - bulbs Nightshade - all varieties Oleander - leaves, branches, nectar Philodendron - leaves and stem Poinsettia - leaves, roots, immature Poison Ivy - sap Poison Oak - sap Pokeweed/Inkberry - leaf, root, young berries Potato - eyes, new shoots Privet Rhododendron Rhubarb - leaves Rosary Peas/Indian Licorice - seeds Skunk Cabbage Snowdrop Snow on the Mountain/Ghostweed Sweet Pea - seeds, fruit Tobacco - leaves Virginia Creeper - sap Water Hemlock Western Yew Wisteria Yam bean - roots, immature roots | Harmful Plants (other sources) Alacia Apricot Autumn Crocus/Meadow Saffron Beans - all types if uncooked Birch Bittersweet Nightshade Bleeding Heart/Dutchman's Breeches Bloodroot Bracken Fern Broomcorn Grass Candelabra Tree Cardinal Flower Cherry Tree - bark, twigs, leaves, pits Chinaberry Tree Crown of Thorns Croton Elderberry Euonymus/Spindle Tree False Hellebore Ficus (weeping) Firethorn/Pyracantha Four O'Clock Glory Bean Ground Cherry Honey Locust Honeysuckle Horsetail Indian Licorice Bean Ivy Jasmine Jimsonweed/Thornapple Jerusalem Cherry - berries Johnson Grass Kentucky Coffee Tree Lupines/Bluebonnet Mandrake Mango Tree - wood, leaves, rind-fruit safe Moonseed Mountain Laurel Mushrooms - several varieties Nectarine Nettles Nutmeg Oak - acorns, foliage Peach Peanuts - raw Pencil Tree Periwinkle Pigweed Pikeweed Pine needles - berries Plum Pothos Prune Rain Tree Ranunculus/Buttercup Red Maple Sandbox Tree Scarlet Runner Beans Snowflake Sorghum Grass Sorrel Sudan Grass Tansy Ragwort Vetch Yellow Jasmine Yew (Amer, Engl, Japan) - needles, thistles |
| House and Outdoor Plants Acacia Aloe African Violet Baby's Tears Bamboo Begonia Bougainvillea Chickweed Christmas Cactus Cissus/Kangaroo Vine Coffee Coleus Corn Plant Crabapple Dandelion Dogwood Donkey Tail Dracena Varieties Ferns (asparagus, birdnest, boston, maidenhair) Figs (creeping, rubber, fiddle leaf) Figs (laurel leaf) Gardenia Grape Ivy Hen's and Chickens Herbs (e.g. oregano, rosemary, thyme) Jade Plant Kalanchoe Marigold Monkey Plant Mother-in-Law's Tongue Nasturtium Natal plum Pepperomia Petunia Pittosporum Prayer Plant Purple Passion/Velvet Nettle Schefflera (Umbrella) Sensitive Plant Spider Plant Swedish Ivy Thistle Wandering Jew White Clover Zebra Plant |
Trees and Bushes Source: Gillian Willis Apple Arbutus Ash Aspen Beech Birch Citrus (any) Cottonwood Crabapple Dogwood Elm Eucalyptus Fir Guava Hawthorn Larch Madrona Magnolia Manzanita Norfolk Island Pine Nuts (except chestnut and oak) Palms (areca, date, fan, lady, parlour) Palms (howeia, kentia, phoenix, sago) Pear Pine Poplar Sequoia (Redwood) Willow |
Teflon poisoning, or more correctly polytetrafluoroethlyene (PTFE) intoxication, is a rapid and lethal gaseous intoxication and can affect all species of birds.
The only clinical signs of illness are birds starting to drop off their perches or displaying severe respiratory distress such as open-mouthed breathing, tail-bobbing, or even audible respiratory rales (raspy breathing sounds) followed quickly by death.
The cause of PTFE toxicity is gaseous emission of the material from nonstick cookware. The brand of cookware does not have to be Teflon. Any brand of Teflon-type non-stick cookware, such as Silverstone™, can result in intoxication. Also, cookware is not an exclusive culprit; this toxicosis has been caused by heat lamps coated with Teflon backing as well as range-burner or eye backings that are coated with the substance.
PTFE toxicity occurs because the coating is overheated. This usually is a result of forgetting that the cookware is on the stove and leaving it empty or letting the contents overheat and dry. The excessive heat causes Teflon coating to enter a gaseous state. For humans and other mammals, the PTFE gas is innocuous in the concentrations reached. However, birds are exquisitely sensitive to the gas and are quickly overcome by the vapor.
All types of birds are affected, from finches and canaries to macaws and Amazons. The smaller the bird, the less gas required to manifest the effect, so small birds are at greatest risk. The best course is prevention. To avoid this catastrophe, be careful of your Teflon coated surfaces. Some vets and aviculturists advocate eliminating the cookware from the home. I think this is a bit extreme, but I advise using some common sense and taking precautions.
First, I recommend not keeping birds in the kitchen for several reasons. Not only are they subject to PTFE toxicity, but I have seen some severely burned birds who were much too curious around mealtime and investigated the fried chicken too closely while it was still in the pan. Secondly, watch your Teflon; don't leave the cookware unattended. As long as the material is not overheated, it is generally safe to use. When the cookware begins to age or is damaged, dispose of it. We all have those pans in which the non-stick surface now sticks. Just get rid of it (Besides, it's a pain to have to scrub those pans, which just damages the surface more.) Do not use Teflon-coated heat lamps for any reason; it just isn't worth the risk. These lamps generally will state that they are coated with Teflon on the label. They cannot be relied upon to maintain a nongaseous state.
Finally, if you suspect a pan has overheated, but your birds show no immediate signs, remove them from the area and monitor them over the next 4 hours. If no signs appear, then you can feel relatively comfortable about averting disaster, and a vet may not be necessary.
5) How long do the birds take to wean?
This depends on each bird and also different species vary. For most cockatoos, expect 4 months - this also applies to the large macaws. We wean our greys, mini macaws and eclectus around 100 days. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is weaning a baby too early, so we take our time and allow the babies tell us know when they are ready.
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