How To Remove Dust From Parrots

If you have spent any time around parrots you will know they are dusty. While some parrots produce more dust than others (cockatiels, african greys, and cockatoos being some of the worst) it is a pain for you to clean up as well as not being good for you or your birds health. A dusty living environment can lead to health problems not only for your bird but also for you. Lucky for you, I have some ways you can reduce the amount of bird dander in your home!

Health Problems Dust Can Cause – Parrot

A parrot who constantly breathes in dusty air can be exposed to health complications due to the dust building up in their airways;

• This can lead to Upper Respiratory infections which are VERY serious and will kill your bird if left untreated by a vet.
• And other Respiratory Diseases, if the respiratory patterns change in your parrot you should absolutely consult your avian vet as this is very urgent matters.

Health Problems Dust Can Cause – Humans

The amount of health problems you can get from living in a bird dander filled environment is plenty. This is why it is so important we do out best to keep the dust/dander to a minimum.

• Bird Keepers Lung – This disease goes by many names; bird breeders lung, bird fancier’s lung etc. Breathing in the dust/dander from a parrot over a long period of time can subject you to contracting this condition, just like with birds the dust builds up in your respiratory system and makes it difficult to breathe and making you feel quiet unwell at times. This disease in the simpliest terms is just your lungs being inflamed from the dust
• Asthma – people who have asthma will find the dander parrots produce to be a trigger for their asthma, if you have asthma and want a bird I suggest you visit someone who implements some of what I list below in their home to see if you even could live comfortably around a parrot, although it may be best just to admire parrots from google where you would not be putting your health at risk. That being said if you have never has asthma before living with parrots could cause you to develop asthma.
• Allergies – So many people have allergies to birds and the dust/dander they produce it is one of the most common reasons I see why people rehome their parrots. That being said I know of a couple people who are allergic to parrots but are able to keep a couple oil gland species of parrots, ones like cockatiels and african greys who do not have a oil gland are going to produce way more powder dust.

How To Reduce The Amount of Dust!

Okay now you know how bad dust and dander can be for you and your feathered friends how can you reduce it?

• Air Purifier – Air Purifiers are fantastic! They filter the air and will remove some dust/dander from the air. When purchasing an air purifier it is important to get a true HEPA air purifier if not it is actually toxic to your birds. The one I have is small and affordable and works great in my apartment with 2 budgies. If you have allergies or asthma I would highly reccommend the Levoit brand, they will connect to your phone and notify you about the air quality some automatically kick on. The one i have is the JINPUS Air Purifier (JINPUS Air Purifier Air Cleaner for Home with True HEPA Air Filter Upgraded Design Low Noise Portable Air Purifiers (with 1.5M USB Power Cable, Energy Saving Design No Adapter) : Amazon.ca: Home)
• Cleaning Surfaces – Everyday dust builds up on the surfaces in our home and so does bird dust/dander. Taking a damp cloth and wiping down surfaces as often as you can will help reduce the amount of dust/dander that builds up in your home. I try to wipe down the surfaces in my place weekly but everyone is human and gets busy. DO NOT USE AND CLEANERS just a cloth damp with water will do the trick.
• Baths – Allowing your parrot the opportunity to bathe daily will reduce the amount of dust/dander build up on the bird causing less dander to leave the bird! If you need help encouraging your parrot to bathe read more here – How To Teach A Parrot To Bathe – Step by Step . Humidity also helps! reduce the amount of dander on your bird so even if you can’t get your bird to bathe you can take them into the bathroom and run a hot shower and just let them enjoy the humidity. Learn more about humidity and its benefits here – Humidity and Parrots – Essential part of keeping parrots
• Vacuum – if you have carpets or rugs its super important to vacuum them regularly dust will build up in their and you never know!

Parrot dust and dander can cause health problems not only in us but also for them. There are many ways we can reduce the amount of dust and dander that collects in our homes.