Cockatiel In The Kitchen?

[Stormiii]

Hey fellow bird parents! I have made a few posts on this forum, and everyone here is so helpful and knowledgeable!! I have returned with another question, one about my new bird (I know, so many new birds), Einstein! He's a 5yo male pied tiel with a whole lot of attitude. He's extremely smart (smart enough to know how to manipulate me) and vocal! We keep him in the basement (I know it's bad for him, but Mom's orders, since we have a cathedral roof and whatever sound upstairs carries through the whole house) and take him upstairs periodically, however he is well adjusted to his home and gets a bit stressed and anxious when moving to new locations. My family and I will be out of town for the next couple of days, and I was thinking of taking him upstairs to see the light of day for a few days where he can screech his little birdy heart out without bothering anyone. However, the only good place to keep him would be in the kitchen. Now, I know this is strictly forbidden as a permanent location, as teflon fumes are toxic to birds and it's not exactly sanitary, however, no one would be actively cooking or using chemicals while he was there. The kitchen has been aired out (we opened the windows and door), however my family are active users of teflon. Would it be okay? And if it is, any tips on how to get him properly acclimated to the kitchen before we leave him?

 

[noodles123]

Without active fumes/cooking, I am sure it is fine. However, I would really really encourage you and your family to use things like stainless steel "Revere Ware" (you can find it at thrift stores for next to nothing). I have heard too many horror stories of birds being killed by overheated Teflon (even though they were on a different floor). Plus, Teflon has been found in human breast-milk and it really isn't good (this is coming from an avid ex-Teflon user).

Behaviorally, acclimatizing the bird is advisable, but not if you are using Teflon etc...Don't know about the second part of the question.

 

[EllenD]

I feel for you, as I know that this isn't your fault, nor are any of these things your decisions, since you live with your parents and it's their house (I'm assuming you're under 18?)...But I have to say that you've not got a great set-up or situation for a bird to be living in, for a few different reasons, but the one that is the really urgent is the continued cooking inside of the house with Teflon pots, pans, bakeware, etc.

***It's extremely important for anyone and everyone who owns any type of bird to understand that cooking with ANY pots, pans, bakeware, etc. that have a black colored non-stick coating (most-all with black colored coatings contain PTOA's and PTFE's) or any coating that is made of Teflon should not be allowed ANYWHERE inside of a house/apartment/condo etc. It makes absolutely no difference that your bird is kept in the basement and the cooking with the Teflon cookware is happening upstairs in the kitchen, as the immediately toxic/lethal fumes are well-known to travel to all locations throughout even a very large house and kill birds instantly.

There are many documented cases of bird dying instantly from breathing-in Teflon fumes who were kept in a room on the entire opposite end of the house, on a different floor of the house, and with the door to the room their were in shut and latched. Teflon fumes, much like any and all "fumes", are able to travel anywhere inside of your house, and as I'm sure you know, once your bird breathes-in even one breath of the toxic Teflon fumes he will most-likely die and die instantly, and there isn't anything you can do about it once it happens. So if I were you, I would try to talk to your mother about no-longer using any pot, pan, or bakeware that has any type of Teflon non-stick coating, selling them, and buying a new set of ceramic non-stick pots and pans. They work just as well as the Teflon non-stick pots and pans do, they just don't have the block coating, usually they have a white coating on the inside of them. And she can not only sell her current pots and pans on Craigslist, eBay, Let Go, etc., but she can buy a really large, expensive set of luxury ceramic non-stick pots and pans at either Ross or TJMaxx for a fraction of what even the cheaper Teflon non-stick pots and pans cost...I got a brand-new, 18-piece, ceramic non-stick set of pots and pans at Ross that sold at Bed, Bath, and Beyond brand-new for $299 for only $69! So your mom can actually get a much nicer set of pots and pans probably with the money she gets from selling her old Teflon ones...

And if your mom doubts that the bird will be effected by the Teflon fumes while he's in the basement, all you need to do is do a Google-search for "Teflon kills family's parrots" and many links to the most horrific story of what can happen will pop right up. It's the story of a husband and wife who had owned and bred parrots for their entire lives, and had been very reputable and respected breeders and hand-raisers of Macaws. They kept the baby Macaws in Brooder's in their kitchen, but they also had I believe around 40 other parrots in their large home, some pets/family members, and the rest were their breeder-birds. They had a finished basement where their most beloved pet birds lived, one of which was a 60 year-old Cockatoo, and the other a 30 year old Macaw...One Sunday their baby Macaws in their Brooders just started dropping over dead right in front of them, as did a pet Cockatiel that was flying across the kitchen and literally dropped out of the air onto the floor, dead. They assumed it was due to fumes from something (they weren't cooking at the time, nor was the oven/stove turned on), but they had no idea what was causing the fumes, so they opened every window in the house, opened the doors, turned on all the fans, and started rushing the birds that were in the kitchen and nearest to the kitchen outside, since that's where the birds that first started dying were located. Unfortunately, as the wife was rushing any live birds outside as quickly as she could, her husband was going back to the other rooms of the house where their birds were kept behind closed-door, different bedrooms, an office, a den, etc., and finding dead bird after dead bird all over the house, regardless of how far away they were from the kitchen, or whether they were on a different floor of the house, or whether the door to the room they were in was shut or not...

In the end this couple lose like 45 birds or more, including the 60 year old Cockatoo and the 30 year old Macaw, both of which were downstairs in the basement behind a closed/latched door. The description of the husband carrying the dead 60 year old Cockatoo up from the basement and having to show his wife that he was dead was absolutely heart-wrenching...They soon discovered that the source of the instantly-deadly fumes was due to a new, tiny, ceramic space-heater that they had purchased new a while before this happened, but hadn't yet used because it hadn't been cold enough. They were using it for the very first time that morning, and had plugged it in and set in on the floor of the dining room, which was connected to the kitchen...Turns out that this space-heater contained a Teflon coating inside of it, as many space-heaters do, and that was made of exactly the same type of coating that is used on non-stick Teflon pots and pans...And when this coating hits a high-enough temperature the fumes are released, and obviously seep to every corner of the inside of the home. So a tiny little space heater running in the kitchen on the top floor of this couple's house killed 45 birds that were scattered all throughout their home, on all 3 floors, behind closed doors, including the basement...

The answer to your question about putting your cockatiel in the kitchen while you're gone is yes, it will be fine as far as the Teflon fumes go. These aren't the type of fumes that linger in the air or stick to objects, the Teflon coating must be actively under heat to release the toxic, lethal fumes, and once it's not being actively heated to that temperature anymore, the Teflon stops releasing the fumes. So if no one is going to be in your home at all during this period of time, then it will be fine to keep your Cockatiel in the kitchen...And good for him to get out of the basement...

I hope this basement you are made to keep him in is a nice, finished-basement? As opposed to a dark, damp, cold, dirt-floor basement? There are many potential risks to keeping a bird in a basement that isn't finished, like dampness, mold, fungi, bacteria, insects and other parasites, etc. Not to mention that keeping them in a cage in a dark basement all day long, every day is not at all psychologically healthy or at all stimulating for them either. They need as much interaction and enrichment in their daily lives as possible, as they do have the intelligence of a 3-4 year old human toddler. So please do your best to give him as much direct attention and out-of-cage-time as you possibly can every single day, try to get him upstairs as much as possible, as they do need to get some natural light every day as well. If you have a small cage that you can easily carry him around in, then that's the best way of bringing him upstairs for some sunlight, as well as so he can just see people, hear people talking, etc.

 

[itzjbean]

I was around 10-11 when I got my first cockatiels. They eventually had to get moved to the basement because no one could stand the noise. It was unfinished, cold and empty. They died within a year of being down there ( i took poor care of them, i regret it very badly ) and after one died, i bawled my eyes out as the other died in my hands.

Not saying this will happen to your bird (I really hope your basement is finished) but it really could. This is how they end up neglected and forgotten, until one day someone remembers they're there.

Can you put him in your bedroom?

 

[GaleriaGila]

What wonderful, caring, loving advice from our great members. I agree and thank them profusely. I know you have a lot to think about. Hang in there and good luck!

 

[Stormiii]

Aaah, thank you all so much! And, to answer your question, yes, the basement is finished. I have talked to my mother about the teflon fumes, she said that she had been cooking with the pans for over 10 years and most of the teflon coating had worn off completely. I checked the pans, and most of the black, non-stick bottoms had flaked and chipped off, so I think we should be ok. I've been keeping birds for a couple years now and there's never been any problems.

 

[ChristaNL]

OMG...you mother realises that teflon flakes cause cancer in humans too right?

Okay, since the layers are almost gone now- let sleeping dogs lie, but really... I am shocked!

 

[noodles123]

The flaky/scratched teflon surfaces are the worst and it leaches into the air and food more easily once the coating is disrupted--it also gets into YOUR food. Your mom is wrong (lovingly)....Sounds like something my mom would say (lovingly, again).
A quick Google search will show the dangers for humans and especially, birds. If it is totally gone, IDK...but that doesn't bode well for past judgement---you shouldn't have been eating off of the stuff while it was deteriorating (where do you think all of the Teflon went?)

You can get teflon-free pans at thrift-stores and just use oil to make them non-stick that way instead. People did it for centuries. Final though- just because something has been done for ages, doesn't make it a healthy practice (a smoker might live to be 80 on a pack a day, but that is hardly sound logic for promoting the benefits of smoking)...


I mean no disrespect---I used to use scratched pans too (before I had a bird)...It isn't good though and with a sensitive animal in the house it is important to take precautions.

 

[Amadeo]

All the mention of the dangers of teflon just goes to show how dangerous it is, I don't think there's a way to overstate just how deadly teflon is to birds. (And humans, you shouldn't really used flaked/scratched pans that have a coating.)
I wasn't able to find the exact story EllenD mentioned though a search but I was inundated with numerous stories mentioning how oven linings, heaters, pans, skillits, grills and so on have caused countless deaths. Even a toaster which contained teflon lining used at regular cooking temperatures caused one familys' bird to suffer with respiratory issues.
And it seems avian veterinarians have known for decades that teflon used at regular cooking temperatures produces lethal fumes.

I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a warning on packaging for teflon lined products/tools. If it regularly causes deaths (bird deaths) then why isn't a warning mentioning the risk on the product?

 

[moxxiethecockatoo]

I feel for you, as I know that this isn't your fault, nor are any of these things your decisions, since you live with your parents and it's their house (I'm assuming you're under 18?)...But I have to say that you've not got a great set-up or situation for a bird to be living in, for a few different reasons, but the one that is the really urgent is the continued cooking inside of the house with Teflon pots, pans, bakeware, etc.

***It's extremely important for anyone and everyone who owns any type of bird to understand that cooking with ANY pots, pans, bakeware, etc. that have a black colored non-stick coating (most-all with black colored coatings contain PTOA's and PTFE's) or any coating that is made of Teflon should not be allowed ANYWHERE inside of a house/apartment/condo etc. It makes absolutely no difference that your bird is kept in the basement and the cooking with the Teflon cookware is happening upstairs in the kitchen, as the immediately toxic/lethal fumes are well-known to travel to all locations throughout even a very large house and kill birds instantly.

There are many documented cases of bird dying instantly from breathing-in Teflon fumes who were kept in a room on the entire opposite end of the house, on a different floor of the house, and with the door to the room their were in shut and latched. Teflon fumes, much like any and all "fumes", are able to travel anywhere inside of your house, and as I'm sure you know, once your bird breathes-in even one breath of the toxic Teflon fumes he will most-likely die and die instantly, and there isn't anything you can do about it once it happens. So if I were you, I would try to talk to your mother about no-longer using any pot, pan, or bakeware that has any type of Teflon non-stick coating, selling them, and buying a new set of ceramic non-stick pots and pans. They work just as well as the Teflon non-stick pots and pans do, they just don't have the block coating, usually they have a white coating on the inside of them. And she can not only sell her current pots and pans on Craigslist, eBay, Let Go, etc., but she can buy a really large, expensive set of luxury ceramic non-stick pots and pans at either Ross or TJMaxx for a fraction of what even the cheaper Teflon non-stick pots and pans cost...I got a brand-new, 18-piece, ceramic non-stick set of pots and pans at Ross that sold at Bed, Bath, and Beyond brand-new for $299 for only $69! So your mom can actually get a much nicer set of pots and pans probably with the money she gets from selling her old Teflon ones...

And if your mom doubts that the bird will be effected by the Teflon fumes while he's in the basement, all you need to do is do a Google-search for "Teflon kills family's parrots" and many links to the most horrific story of what can happen will pop right up. It's the story of a husband and wife who had owned and bred parrots for their entire lives, and had been very reputable and respected breeders and hand-raisers of Macaws. They kept the baby Macaws in Brooder's in their kitchen, but they also had I believe around 40 other parrots in their large home, some pets/family members, and the rest were their breeder-birds. They had a finished basement where their most beloved pet birds lived, one of which was a 60 year-old Cockatoo, and the other a 30 year old Macaw...One Sunday their baby Macaws in their Brooders just started dropping over dead right in front of them, as did a pet Cockatiel that was flying across the kitchen and literally dropped out of the air onto the floor, dead. They assumed it was due to fumes from something (they weren't cooking at the time, nor was the oven/stove turned on), but they had no idea what was causing the fumes, so they opened every window in the house, opened the doors, turned on all the fans, and started rushing the birds that were in the kitchen and nearest to the kitchen outside, since that's where the birds that first started dying were located. Unfortunately, as the wife was rushing any live birds outside as quickly as she could, her husband was going back to the other rooms of the house where their birds were kept behind closed-door, different bedrooms, an office, a den, etc., and finding dead bird after dead bird all over the house, regardless of how far away they were from the kitchen, or whether they were on a different floor of the house, or whether the door to the room they were in was shut or not...

In the end this couple lose like 45 birds or more, including the 60 year old Cockatoo and the 30 year old Macaw, both of which were downstairs in the basement behind a closed/latched door. The description of the husband carrying the dead 60 year old Cockatoo up from the basement and having to show his wife that he was dead was absolutely heart-wrenching...They soon discovered that the source of the instantly-deadly fumes was due to a new, tiny, ceramic space-heater that they had purchased new a while before this happened, but hadn't yet used because it hadn't been cold enough. They were using it for the very first time that morning, and had plugged it in and set in on the floor of the dining room, which was connected to the kitchen...Turns out that this space-heater contained a Teflon coating inside of it, as many space-heaters do, and that was made of exactly the same type of coating that is used on non-stick Teflon pots and pans...And when this coating hits a high-enough temperature the fumes are released, and obviously seep to every corner of the inside of the home. So a tiny little space heater running in the kitchen on the top floor of this couple's house killed 45 birds that were scattered all throughout their home, on all 3 floors, behind closed doors, including the basement...

The answer to your question about putting your cockatiel in the kitchen while you're gone is yes, it will be fine as far as the Teflon fumes go. These aren't the type of fumes that linger in the air or stick to objects, the Teflon coating must be actively under heat to release the toxic, lethal fumes, and once it's not being actively heated to that temperature anymore, the Teflon stops releasing the fumes. So if no one is going to be in your home at all during this period of time, then it will be fine to keep your Cockatiel in the kitchen...And good for him to get out of the basement...

I hope this basement you are made to keep him in is a nice, finished-basement? As opposed to a dark, damp, cold, dirt-floor basement? There are many potential risks to keeping a bird in a basement that isn't finished, like dampness, mold, fungi, bacteria, insects and other parasites, etc. Not to mention that keeping them in a cage in a dark basement all day long, every day is not at all psychologically healthy or at all stimulating for them either. They need as much interaction and enrichment in their daily lives as possible, as they do have the intelligence of a 3-4 year old human toddler. So please do your best to give him as much direct attention and out-of-cage-time as you possibly can every single day, try to get him upstairs as much as possible, as they do need to get some natural light every day as well. If you have a small cage that you can easily carry him around in, then that's the best way of bringing him upstairs for some sunlight, as well as so he can just see people, hear people talking, etc.

That is really scary. They don't make Teflon furnaces do they?
Because I know we need a new furnace put on our house because the old one keeps acting up. I would be so heartbroken if I lost my Moxxie one morning too early. I'm not supposed to lose him until I'm like 80-90 years old.