My best friend Brenda recently lost two of her pet Parakeets and just found out that their deaths were due to a houseplant (!!), please read:
Monday, April 13, 2009
Important info for animal/birds lovers!!~ Please READ!!
Current mood: sad
Category: Pets and Animals
As some of you know my 2 sweet Parakeets: Faith and Hope died suddenly March 29, 2009. I am still so very sad about their sudden death. I had 5 Parakeets,, I didn't understand why 2 died and the other 3 are ok. A few friends ask me if their food may have been poisonous. I feed them all the same food and they shared the same cage. If the food was poisonous then all 5 would had died. I had no clue why they died. I have been so worried that my other 3 will die. I am an animal lover and I pride myself on taking excellent care of all my beloved Pets. My animals are a part of our family. I get them treats for their Birthdays and Holidays. They all bring us so much joy. I change their cage everyday, if they had dropping on toys or perches thru out the day I clean them. I don't like small closed in areas.. so we bought them a huge flight cage so they had plenty of room to fly around. They have fresh food and water everyday. I talk to them, hold them, play music, let them out for exercise. I thought I took every precaution there was. I never let them out of their cage if the ceiling fans were on, I made sure the toilet seat was closed, I put the drain cover on the garbage disposal, I made sure no one would open the doors so they could not escape outside, I put my kitten Faylinn in a separate room, I never had the stove or oven on, Never had lit candles, I use only nature cleaning products, I kepted them away from drafts, I had heard that Non-Stick pans are dangerous if you use them on high heat, so we never did that. I felt I covered every area.Today I went on the Internet and began reading some information about Pet birds. I found a list of Poisonous Plants that are toxic to Pet Birds. I only have one house plant. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that the one plant I have is poisonous to my birds. The plant I have is : Philodendron. Faith and Hope loved to be out of the cage the most.. they would often times land in the plant and I always thought .. “ Oh look how cute they are perched in the plant”. Little did I know that this plant would kill my sweet birds. I am so upset at myself for not researching more information about parakeets. I would never do anything to cause harm to my animals and to think that they clearly suffered to death from my poisonous house plant just makes me feel horrible. Why didn't I look on the Internet before? WHY??? I had a complete melt down after reading this information. I don't want their death to be in vain. I then realized that I had to get this information out to other Pet Bird Owners. Some of you on My Space have pet birds.. Please look over this list to keep your birds safe. I loved you Faith and Hope: I am sorry! http://animaladventurepets.com/Safe%20Plants.htm#Poisons%20and%20Toxic%20Chemicals Protect Your Bird from Poisons and Toxic Chemicals :Print this Chart as a Reminder of What Poisonous Plants and Chemicals Can Harm Your Pet Bird:Poisonous Plants that are Harmful to Birds:Amaryllis, Avocado, Azalea, Balsam ,Pear, Baneberry Beans, Castor, Horse, Peas, Navy, Glory Bird Of Paradise, Black Locust, Blue-Green Algae, Boxwood, Calla Lily, Cherry Tree, Christmas Candle, Coral Plant, Daffodil ,Dieffenbachia, Eggplant, Elephant's Ear, Foxglove, Hemlock, Holly, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Indian Turnip, Iris Ivy ** All Types Java Bean, Jerusulem Cherry, Jimsonweed, Juniper, Larkspur, Lily of the Valley, Lobelia ,Locoweed, Marijuana, Mayapple, Mistletoe, Mock Orange, Morning Glory, Narcissus, Oak, Oleander, Philodendron, Poison Ivy & Oak, Poinsettia, Pikeweed, Potato, Privet, Rhododendron, Rhubarb, Rosary, Peas, Sandbox Tree, Skunk Cabbage, Snowdrop, Sweet Pea, Tobacco, Virginia Creeper, Wisteria, Yam Bean, Yew. Sources of Fumes that are Toxic to Birds:Asbestos Bleach, Chlorine, Carbon Monoxide, Cigarette Smoke, Diazanon, Flea Bombs and Collars, Floor Polishes, Formaldehyde, Hair Dye and Spray House, Paint, Kerosene, Matches, Moth Balls, Nail Polish & Remover Oil Paint, Oven Cleaner, Overheated Nonstick Cookware **Teflons** Paint Remover, Perfume, Permanent Wave Solution, Pesticides, Shoe Polish and Cleaners, Spot Removers, Spray Starch, Suntan Lotions, Surgical Acrylics ,Toilet Cleaners, Wax. ***This is by no means a complete list. If you are unsure, read the label, seek more information from maker. When in doubt, don't use!!*** Rest in Peace Faith and Hope.
I will get this information out.
Hope & Faith
