big question of the day

[justalady721]

I need some responses from you all on birds making people sick. My daughters husband is freaking out because we have a bird and he is afraid their baby is going to get sick...uuurrrggghhh. Isnt a bird like any other animal as far as washing hands and there should be no worry about catching something from the bird. My grey will be 9 months old this month. We only have the one bird. Houdini has never been sick. So how can I stick up for my bird and have my ducks in a row when trying to give him the facts.?

 

Thanks,

Deborah

[JillyBeanz]

Gosh, how on earth my children have grown into healty young adults with having birds around them all their lives!

 

Some parents are over-protective and find complaint with everything. This is clearly his first! Don't worry - second time around they'll be picking up their sweets from the floor with bits of fluff attached, kissing the sweet, saying "ah, all better" and then giving it back to their kid!

 

If he'd like to come for a visit to mine to assess the very healthy children who live here - he's more than welcome!

[casper]

I cant say its anything Ive thought about before and Ive got two children! Never had any problems with their health since having the birds.

I am sure there is nothing to worry about, just follow normal procedures like you say, as long as everything is clean and washing hands etc as we do anyway:)

[danmcq]

There is absolutely nothing that anyone can catch from a healthy parrot. People can have an allergy to the dust and dander from some parrots but that is not a disease situation of course.

 

A majority of the things that humans may catch from birds are those things that are found in poulty, ducks, geese, turkeys and the like. Not in our exotic parrot, pet birds.

 

Now, there are diseases that you may see crop up over time.....

 

Here's a comical list:

 

Perot fever: Marked by up to a 40% loss of height; enlargement of the ears; a squeaky, grating voice; paranoia; a strong desire to repeatedly run and retreat; and occasionally a giant sucking sound.

 

Sonic shock syndrome: Primarily marked by a piercing scream with upper harmonics which only dogs and whales can hear. Can also include any or all of the following: insane cackling immediately after performance of a prank or "bad thing"; repeated vocalizations of noises which resemble human intestinal distress or reproductive activity; mumbling conversations which can almost be deciphered; repetition of one side of a phone conversation; and the utterance of X-rated phrases in the presence of house guests and children.

 

Macaw food-wasting disease: This affliction, while attributed to macaws, can be caught from all known members of the psittacine family. The disease primarily manifests itself in humans by the behavior of tossing food away from the table in apparent disdain, followed later by consumption of the food from the floor, wall, ceiling, clothing, windows, or whatever surface it adhered to. Other symptoms include stuffing food items into armpits or pockets for later eating; mixing pieces of food with drinking water to make a thick, vomitous mess; eating only one form of food to the exclusion of all others; eating only the food that is found on other people's plates; regurgitating food for loved ones; and eating feces just because its there.

 

Avianastics: Usually indicated by the ability to contort the body in the same way as parrots. Sufferers are frequently found clinging to the ceiling near a corner, with their torso twisted horizontally back between their legs. Other body movements and contortions include: hanging upside down from light fixtures while swinging in a rapid figure-eight motion; clinging to adjacent walls with legs at more than a 240-degree angle; and pressing the posterior against an open window frame to poop for distance.

 

Chirpees: Primarily indicated by an itch in the credit card or checkbook which then progresses to the collection of at least one of each species of psittacine. Secondary symptoms include repetitive purchases of bird toys; purchase of bird food in boxcar-sized loads; a wallet the size of Detroit to contain pictures of the birds; insane avian naming conventions ("This is my bird Squeeeeeee, and my other bird Foofie, and my other bird Bumpertribblebibbet of Bree, and my other bird Ookie Wookums Bappy Pie."); and active participation in every known Internet bird newsgroup and mailing list,

 

Avian iterative exponential exploit expansion (AIEEE): This affliction starts with the recitation of a cute bird story by Person "A", followed by a counter-story by Person "B" of their bird's exploit which is even cuter, more heartwarming, or more adventurous. The back-and-forth interplay continues until the birds being described have taken on qualities usually reserved for Greek and Roman deities. If the stories continue, the birds actually become deities and smash the entire universe, hoping to start all over with a better class of mammal.

[Dave007]

Basic washing/rinsing of hands should be part of contact with your bird. If a bird kisses a bird and accidently leaks nasal fluid ( especially when having a cold) or sneezes in the bird's face, it could possibly get sick, not visa versa.

 

The only common illness that's irritated are people who have asythema or other breathing problems and that comes from the dander that certain parrots throw off.

[she]

I dont think you have anything to worry about as long as the normal precautions are taken.

Dan thats so funny lol.

[jessdecutie18]

Wow Dan, lol... such terrible diseases!

[rbpittman]

Hmmmm....let me see. Nope, can't think of a thing that I've worried about my son catching from our birds and he has serious allergies and asthma. In fact, he's the owner of 2 of the 5 birds in our home, one of which is an Umbrella Cockatoo. Of course my son is only allergic to everything green or yellow, and dust. God forbid he be on the marching field without his rescue inhaler and a nebulizer at the ready. Birds, well they shower every day, usually with one of us, so dander is not a problem. If the baby has exhibited respiratory problems, then I might have a little concern, but carpet can create as many problems for little ones as bird dander does. I wash my hands before handling the birds to prevent them from getting something from me and then wash them again before doing anything else (like cooking).

 

Inform your son-in-law that unless he plans on placing his child in a bubble for their entire life they will get sick from something or another. Once upon a time they used to literally have "chicken-pox" parties to get the virus done and over with!

 

How has he reacted to H1N1 and is he running around with a mask on his face? Sorry, couldn't resist.<br><br>Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2010/01/05 19:54

[Luvparrots]

Some new parents are very over protective. My daughter-in-law and I had a long talk about my birds and how could she really think that I would let my birds go any where near my grandson that would hurt him wasn't speaking very highly of my intelligence. If she wanted to give up a free babysitter then have at it! Needless to say, I am babysitting whenever I want at my house.

[danmcq]

Speaking of kids at the house......

 

We had our son, daughter in law, and 5 grand kids over Friday night for dinner.

 

Dayo was in the kitchen hanging out up on "his" hanging wine rack and talking singing away.

 

The youngest being 5, decided to come from the family room, through the kitchen and in to the living room where us "Adults" were watching a movie.

 

As he walked through the kitchen, Dayo decided to fly to where we were, well the minute Austin heard those wings flapping overhead, he decided he was being attacked (Never has been, but he is afraid of Dayo), ran into the step-down living room as fast as he could with dayo over head. When he made it to the step down, he literally dove to the floor yelling "Dayo is after me...HELP".....

 

The only reaction Austin received was all of us laughing hysterically as Dayo had perched on the couch behind us and watched Austin "Dive for it".

 

Wish I would have had a video camera rolling at that moment. It would have gone "Viral" on You Tube over night.

[justalady721]

Thank You all so much for your responses to my crisis.I appreciate you all and your wisdom. Dan that was a hoot I am printing that one out. How funny.

I really didnt think there was anything to worry about but I knew if there was I would find out here.