There are many things in your home’s environment that you will need to consider carefully before you bring a pet parrot home. In fact, there are many things that may not be as dangerous to humans but can actually be toxic to birds.

Parrot Lungs:

One question that constantly arises has to do with smoke and parrots. Should your home be smoke free if you plan on owning a parrot? Is it alright to smoke in the home of a bird? These are very good questions.

To start with, you will need to understand the respiratory system of parrots. They do not have expanding lungs like we do. Instead, they have sacs that take in the air and these sacs do not have the same capabilities to filter out toxins. Instead, because birds have a high metabolism, their respiratory system must work very quickly and efficiently to extract every bit of oxygen from the air as possible in a very quick manner. Birds take about three times the number of breaths that a human does. When all of this is considered together, it brings out some important points.

Birds are much more susceptible to chemicals in the environment around them. Their lungs will detect the chemicals much more quickly than we humans can, and their lungs will be affected much more quickly. Prolonged exposure to these chemicals can cause any number of respiratory problems from infections, to chronic cough, to pneumonia to death.

Smoking Around Your Parrot?

Does this mean you cannot smoke in your home if you own a parrot? You will want to make sure your bird is not exposed to the smoke at all, but you can take steps to make this happen. Never smoke in the same room as the bird. Any small amount of smoke could damage the parrot’s lungs. Additionally, you will need to take a look at your home’s air duct system and the placement of your bird’s cage. It is quite easy for smoke to get carried from one room to another through the air conditioning system. You will need to choose to smoke away from the air intake and you will need to place your bird’s cage away from the air vents.

Finally, consider the option to smoke outside. If you have no way of completely keeping smoke from your parrot’s room, smoking outside can be a good option to keep your parrot safe, happy and healthy.

Should your home be no smoking if you own a parrot? Of course, keeping all smoke out would be ideal, but you can smoke in the same home as your parrot if you make careful, responsible decisions. You will not want to make your parrot sick and you will definitely not want to cause its death. Constant contact with direct second hand smoke could be fatal to your parrot. If you make sure to keep your parrot’s room smoke free, you should not have any problems with the bird’s health. However, if you do smoke in the home, even if you take the time to keep the smoke away from your bird, keep an eye on your parrot’s breathing to look for any signs of distress.