Important: Do not use a hair dryer on plastic for your windows

[Valyndris]

Now that winter is coming and I've seen quite a few new bird owners on here lately I figured this is an important thing to bring up. So if you live where it gets cold you probably put plastic on your windows. Putting plastics up is fine but when putting a hair dryer or any heat to shrink the plastic this causes fumes that are lethal to birds.

My mother told me about this today and she has heard of a few cases where parrots have died soon after putting plastics on the windows and using a hair dryer. She used to own a pet store that specialized in parrots and she had many people call her for information, I consider her to be an expert when it comes to parrots. She passes along the important stuff to me and I pass it along here.

I of course found this information important enough to make a thread on here about it. I wouldn't want to see our members parrots or any parrot for that matter die over something like this. It is easily overlooked or just unknown to people. I didn't know about this till today and I've lived with parrots most of my life, though I've only owned one since late April.

So if you are putting plastics on your windows just make sure you don't heat it as it causes lethal fumes for birds, a few wrinkles in the plastic is much better than a fallen companion.

 

[noodles123]

It's the fumes from the plastic and possibly from the dryer. If you use the shrink-wrap a few days before your bird is in the house then it is okay (but if your bird being gone is not a possibility, I would NOT use the shrink-style seals).

 

[wrench13]

We put plastic up on our living room and dinning room windows, but not the shrink wrap kind, just sheets of poly 3mil thick, held on with Gorilla tape . Keeps the cold wind out just fine.

 

[fiddlejen]

Being slightly claustrophobic I prefer to not use the plastic. Although my apt is drafty - maybe I should for the birds! For years my Dad always wanted plastic up. One year I used shrink-type and found it too much work. After that I got window plastic sets that were Not for heat-shrink. So, if someone is looking, they do have non-heat-shrink window sets also. ☺

 

[fiddlejen]

(Ridiculous birdies. So much work & trouble for these little creatures!).

 

[noodles123]

Being slightly claustrophobic I prefer to not use the plastic. Although my apt is drafty - maybe I should for the birds! For years my Dad always wanted plastic up. One year I used shrink-type and found it too much work. After that I got window plastic sets that were Not for heat-shrink. So, if someone is looking, they do have non-heat-shrink window sets also. ☺

what brand?