New Oven... what do I need to do to protect Raz?

[AnnBrown]

We had to go out and purchase a new gas stove oven today. I know that I need to be super cautious the first day that I run the oven with Raz in the house but should I go as far as to board her at our local vets office over night? If I board her I will drop her off earlier in the day on Tuesday, run the oven at a very hot temp (500F) for an extended time on Tuesday to hopefully burn off what ever needs to be burned off. I plan on ventilating the house from the very beginning of this process, and all day Wednesday until I get home from work (I will be bringing Raz home with me.) Am I going overboard or not doing enough??? Raz is doing sooo good. She is so sweet and loving, is willing to step up for ANYONE from her stand (cage is still only me and her bird sitter but I'm ok with that.) She really has become part of the family over the last few months we would all be devastated if something happened to her!

 

[Mallory]

I don't want to be responsible for anything happening to your bird so please be careful no matter what you choose to do. I haven't heard of running the oven like that to burn off everything but it doesn't sound like a bad idea. There definitely could be some residual nastiness from production that might cause toxins the first time used. I still wouldn't trust your oven at extremely high temperatures around your birds even if you do this "burn off" period. I personally am also cautious about smoke in the kitchen and food/cookware getting too hot even if it is made of supposedly safe materials.

I do think it's a good idea to keep your bird away from the kitchen, even out of the house, but make sure if you board with your vet's it won't be too traumatic for your bird and that your bird will not be exposed to anything dangerous while at your vet's. I know not everyone uses avian vets specifically and I have seen bleach, other strong cleaners, insecticide sprays, scented "fragrance" plug ins and other hazards used at mixed animal practices. Please make sure your bird won't be exposed to anything dangerous at the vet's before you decide to board! Just some food for thought.

 

[MonicaMc]

First and foremost, make sure you have a PTFE-free oven! If the oven has a self-cleaning feature, chances are, it contains PTFE. (from my understanding) Even if self-cleaning ovens do not have PTFE, that feature is still dangerous to birds.


The last time my family got a new oven, we did the "burn off" period with birds indoors, but all windows open *except* the windows in the bird room. That way, it would reduce air flow into the bird room and the house would get fresh air. My birds did fine.



It honestly wouldn't hurt to call up an avian vet and get their opinion!

 

[AnnBrown]

Thank you both very much. I do use an avian and exotic only vet that is very cautious with the birds. (I LOVE THEM) and had planned on calling to get an opinion/make an apt. They gave me a list of approved cleaners to use in the house when I went for my first visit so I'm sure they are not using anything harm full in the clinic. The bird boarding room is a reverse ventilation system so I know the "sick bird" room will not contaminate the"boarding" room.

The oven does have a self clean feature but i do not use it (I have not used it in the past on other ovens) My sons and I are very sensative to smells and tend to have a hard time with things like this. If it is nessesary to use I usually try to do it before we leave on vacation, I run it with all windows and doors open, then leave with the ac on fan and the attic fan on the ventilate the house for several days before pets or kids return.

Iam a pastry chef and I work from home so there are times that I have to run my oven at extreme temps to bake certain breads and things that need to fast set. Raz in NEVER in the kitchen when this is going on but she is usually on her stand in the living room. I will make sure the first few weeks when I run the oven at hight temps I will move her to her "bedroom cage" while the oven is on and cools.

 

[OOwl]

I wanted to wish you well on this. I moved into a brand new house a few years ago, and we had that concern. I called the oven manufacturer and, believe it or not, they really were not much help at all, not even acting like they understood their ovens presented a danger to birds. We also have an elderly family member with severe lung issues, so it was a concern for him, as well. I wanted to get this right.

We ended up removing ALL the birds from the house during the process, treated it like an a "fire drill," loading them up in their carriers and taking them out on the porch. I will tell you that the odor that oven emitted as it burned off that film was VILE and very caustic. I don't have lung issues and it burned my eyes and nose. I can't imagine having my family in there and doing that. The oven manufacturer told us to use the cleaning cycle, which is a REALLY high heat, to completely burn off that protective film. With no birds in the house, we took the opportunity to do that. I even opened all the windows to air out the house, but you could still smell that for hours and hours afterward. It was so scary to consider how many people get a new oven and don't even think about its first use and how bad that could be for their pets (and human family members with lung issues).

Several hours afterward, I moved everyone back in. I've never used the cleaning cycle since but it was effective to burn off that film (otherwise it will take a long time of burning off a bit at a time every time you use your oven, potentially being low-level harmful).

Alternatively, you could TRY cleaning it off with a steam cleaner (I wouldn't because you'd likely miss too much or not get it all).

Good luck. Done right, your birds should be just fine. All mine were (even a very small parrotlet).

 

[MonicaMc]

I heard of a family member who wanted to be helpful and used the self cleaning feature in the oven of a home with birds. Sadly, many of the birds died because this member was unaware of the dangers of self cleaning ovens. I think they may have been over for the holidays?

I've also heard of people hiding their PTFE cookware in a place that they wouldn't use the pans, then a family member finding said pans and using them with asking, once again killing birds.


I would highly recommend to be cautious if you ever have family or friends over who want to cook!

 

[SailBoat]

Does your kitchen have a fan that removes air from above the oven and than removes that air from the home to the great outdoors? Some do not! If not get one professionally installed ASAP, this to assure that as part of first use and future use (since you state you will be actively using the oven) you will not create a problem for your parrots now and in the future. Never use the "self-cleaning" feature! Rarely are ovens installed with correct spacing between it and the cabinets to ensure proper clearance from over-heating the cabinets, which sit next to them.

I am not a pastry chef, so I am running across unknown ground here. Having said that, I was thinking that 425 would be as hot as one would normal need to go, maybe 450 tops. Point being, what would 'burn-off' on a new oven, occurs at or under 350 degrees.

The safest way is for your parrots to not be in the home during the first heating of your oven. Commonly, within one hour anything that is going to 'burn-off' (even at 350 degrees) is now gone. Within twenty minutes or less, a well vented home should be empty of any airborne contaminates. With a properly installed exterior vented fan, no airborne contaminates should occur in and around your oven, let let alone other rooms.

As a pastry chef, you should have such a fan already in place to keep your kitchen temperature from overheating your work spaces.