Allergic to Birds..help...what to do about bird dander?

[BarkleyLoves]

Not sure if this is the right place. But I had allergy testing done and it turns out I'm off the charts for an allergy to birds. I have two babies, Barkley and Pepper. One is a male ecclectus and the other is a white-capped pionus.

I've tried allergy a/c filters, and we just got a few air purifier units.

Is there anyway to minimize the bird dander?

I WILL NEVER get rid of my babies even if it makes me sick a lot. There must be some tips to help reduce the bird dander. And I don't think these birds produce as much as say a cacatoo. Am I wrong on this front?

I could really use some helpful advice if anyone has any, or if anyone has bird allergies and still keeps them in their family.

 

[Conuregirl]

i know bathing and misting helps reduce the dander. i clean my dove's cage everyday. i change the paper because there's a lot of dander on it. my dove has a lot of dusty bird dander. also, dusting and sweeping the floor and around the home. i have wood floors and no curtains and that seems to help me. i used to have a severe allergic reaction to dust but it has gotten better over the year. also, no pets on the beds. i dont use any scents like perfume and use sensitive skin detergent and fragrance free everything. that's all i got, sorry.

 

[BillsBirds]

Bathing & misting will help. Also, vaccuum often. Keep cages clean, especially during molts. An air filter would be a good investment. And try to keep them from getting too close to your face. Bless you for putting their welfare above your own.

 

[BarkleyLoves]

Thank you. I definitely don't think my we vaccuum enough. How do I get a reluctant bird to bathe? Pepper loves to be misted, and Barkley hates the whole affair. Sometimes Barkley will try and squeeze himself in the water dish, but I'm at a loss on how to get him clean! I know that sounds like a terrible bird owner, but he just absolutely despises it.

 

[lizardsmells]

All of those things everyone above said (bathing, etc) Also get one really GOOD air scrubber. Don't fool with the 60.00 units from Walmart, get a really GOOD one. I use an Austin Home Health scrubber. It was not cheap, but we had to buy it because we have an asthmatic cat and I have severe allergies (not to birds, just in general) and neither of us needs more breathing problems! That things takes care of the entire house. We keep it on low 24/7 unless I'm cooking, cleaning or working (I'm a dyer) then it's on full blast. Since getting it my allergy symptoms have been MUCH less severe and I've barely had to medicate myself at all, which is amazing.

This may seem like a dumb question, but have you tried offering Barkley other ways to bathe? He may hate the mister, but might like a dish of water or the sprayer on the kitchen sink or something. Sally Blanchard suggests putting a dish of leafy greens in the cage for non bathers because sometimes that will entice them to bathe and splash around.

I will say Kazi did not care for baths one bit when I brought him home. I forced the issue and maybe I wasn't supposed to do that, but once he realized that showers aren't torture sessions and are actually kind of nice he took right to it. Now that little feather duster will use up all the hot water if I let him

 

[antoinette]

I too would never give up my bird OMG imagine how boring life would be
Found a great link pertaining to bird allergies etc
Hope this helps you

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Feather Dust And The Powder Down Birds

 

[evesta]

I'm allergic to everything I love.... dogs, cats, flowers and birds. Also dust so we have gotten rid of most of are carpet and that is an amazing help. I just clean a lot and take allergy medication almost daily, which is better for me than living with my pets and gardening.

 

[BarkleyLoves]

Thank you all. I will be buying a better air scrubber as soon as I get my check. I figured in the mean time anything would do. Hardwood floors, which my family thinks is ideal, are not an option at the moment.

I will try some of the bathing suggestions. He seems curious as to what goes on in the bathroom that he can see. So maybe just taking him in there to get used to it and then trying the sink.

I did actually find an allergy doctor who said if I'm going to live with birds, I have to get shots every week. So we're working on that. I really do need to find a way to get him to bathe.

And thank you for the link. It has been a big help!

 

[BarkleyLoves]

This may seem like a dumb question, but have you tried offering Barkley other ways to bathe? He may hate the mister, but might like a dish of water or the sprayer on the kitchen sink or something. Sally Blanchard suggests putting a dish of leafy greens in the cage for non bathers because sometimes that will entice them to bathe and splash around.

I will say Kazi did not care for baths one bit when I brought him home. I forced the issue and maybe I wasn't supposed to do that, but once he realized that showers aren't torture sessions and are actually kind of nice he took right to it. Now that little feather duster will use up all the hot water if I let him

Do I put the leafy greens in his food dish, on the bottom of the cage, or in the water bowl? I know that sounds stupid, but I'm new to this whole thing. Thanks

 

[dishgal1]

I encourage my Sun Conure to bathe by puttiing him on the cabinet by the sink. He has a bowl there and I turn on the faucet in the sink for some reason it makes him start bathing. So try running water.

 

[DebsFlock]

Make sure you get an air cleaner that is safe for the birds. You don't want one with an ozone generator, I believe. But I'm not an expert on air purifiers.

Also, a lot of people go whole hog with air cleaners and then forget about the filter in their A/C system. Make sure to change that regularly.

We have a Roomba, it was a gift from my husband. It took a bit for the birds to get used to it, but it is great because it goes right under the cages and furniture and you can even program it to run automatically, That's one way to keep up with the vacuuming fairly painlessly and while minimizing your exposure to the kicked up dust.

Don't get a cockatiel or other bird that has powder down! I've heard eclectus are relatively hypoallergenic, but I'm not sure about pionus.

This might also be a good excuse to get someone else in the household to take on cage cleaning chores.

 

[lizardsmells]

This may seem like a dumb question, but have you tried offering Barkley other ways to bathe? He may hate the mister, but might like a dish of water or the sprayer on the kitchen sink or something. Sally Blanchard suggests putting a dish of leafy greens in the cage for non bathers because sometimes that will entice them to bathe and splash around.

I will say Kazi did not care for baths one bit when I brought him home. I forced the issue and maybe I wasn't supposed to do that, but once he realized that showers aren't torture sessions and are actually kind of nice he took right to it. Now that little feather duster will use up all the hot water if I let him

Do I put the leafy greens in his food dish, on the bottom of the cage, or in the water bowl? I know that sounds stupid, but I'm new to this whole thing. Thanks

Put them in the dish he'll be bathing in with a little water. Anything shallow and flat, like a baking dish, is perfect. It apparently will entice some birds to bathe. You can also try clipping sopping wet greens to the cage over a perch and some birds will get wet that way which can be a good way to transition them to a full blown bath later. Kazi wasn't interested, but I did give a shot. With Kazi I basically have to try every version of something before I find one he likes. We went through the gamut, fine mist, sink sprayer, wet greens, dish, harder mist and shower. The shower was the least offensive one of the bunch so I just had to try all the shower head spray settings to find out which one he liked best. He's picky about most things!

 

[Alisana]

I too am allergic to animal dander, so here's what we'll have to do:
Air filter(costs $800), a Roomba (can vacuum for you), regular cage cleans, misting birds daily, if they're up for a shower, even better, and allergy tablets

I've heard of injections that people can get for severe dust mite allergies (I'm going to a special=ist to look into this), I'm not sure if one exists for animal dander though. Worth asking?

[Edit] Another option is an outdoor cage for the morning/afternoons.

 

[evesta]

I get steroid injections for allergies but they only give those a few times a year. Allegra d plus a steroid nasal spray keeps things usually ok. Sinus rinses with saline also work wonders but if I don't take Allegra or Claritin after a few days I itch all over when I touch my animals or garden. Since I have 3 dogs, two cats and 2 birds I would itch a lot but I will say I am SO much better since ditching our carpet. We were lucky to have lovely wood floors under our dirty old carpet also just keeping animals out of your bedroom really helps.

 

[BarkleyLoves]

^^ Well that's one problem. Barkley loves to play "catch" with his ball in the bed.

Also, the allergy shots are given to build up an immunity to it. You get them once a week. I'll still have to stay on allergy medicine because it takes a while for them to work. Supposedly, they have them custom made to your allergies after an allergy skin test.

 

[Pookamama]

Keep in mind that anything that is fabric or 'breathable' will trap allergens in it.
My husband is sensitive to a ton of allergens.
So over the past few years:
We switched to non-upholstered furniture.
We bought a good affordable carpet cleaner. The carpet in our home was fairly new when we moved in. If it was old we would have replaced it. Carpet is impossible to clean completely. Steam cleaning it helps, but any other surface will not harbor allergens like carpet will. So if you can afford to replace your carpet it's worth it.
I vacuum, because the dust doesn't bother my system like it does his.
we got an air filter for our forced air system that is cleanable and rated wonderfully for allergens. We clean it once a month.
Anything fabric gets washed on a regular basis-pilows, pillowcases, blankets, throw rugs, etc
Our curtains are the lightblocker ones-they do not absorb dust that easily.
Allergen mattress covers and pillowcase covers, these are different than covers that protect from liquid. It must say allergen covers. It must encase the mattress and pillowcase completely.

 

[BarkleyLoves]

Thank you. I will definitely get some of those allergen covers. We just have matress protectors but they don't cover the matresses or pillows completely.

 

[artemis]

Also consider wearing an N95 respirator mask when you're cleaning cages or vacuuming - it will greatly cut down on the amount of dander you breathe in.

 

[Alisana]

Also consider wearing an N95 respirator mask when you're cleaning cages or vacuuming - it will greatly cut down on the amount of dander you breathe in.

Might look a bit weird to the neighbours - but that's OK! Just tell them you don't want to breathe in bird dust! Or make up a crazy story, haha

 

[Spiritbird]

Suggest when your are cleaning the home or cage you wear a mask. I would put one on just to let your birds get used to it first a few times. Good luck and thanks for keeping the birds.