How to Bird Proof Your Home

Birds are gregarious animals that can find entertainment in the simplest of things: climbing the wire on the blinds; running back and forth on door tops; and sitting on a window ledge, watching and talking with the birds outside. But, as adventurous as birds can be during their time out of the cage, being out of the safety of their cage can pose hazards if you don’t thoroughly bird proof your home.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic tubing

How to Bird Proof Your Home

1. Ensure that your bird's toenails are always trimmed. If your bird has long toenails, the chance of him getting entangled in the curtains or in the carpet dramatically increases, which also raises the risk of injury.

2. If you have windows, pull the blinds down or close the curtains when your bird is out of her cage. However, if your bird likes looking outside, simply warn her about the windows with a sticker, a piece of paper, or some marker.

3. While your bird is flying, turn off all ceiling and floor fans. Ceiling fans are particularly dangerous and can stun or kill your bird if he happens to fly into one.

4. Make it a habit to check all doors before you shut them just to make sure that your bird isn’t perched atop one.

5. Toilets can pose a lethal hazard to birds, regardless of their size. To ensure your bird's safety, always keep the toilet seat down or keep the bathroom door shut.

6. Even though birds like to bathe in water, they can easily drown so be careful to never leave water in the sink, in a bucket, or anywhere your bird could find it and accidentally fall in. Also ensure that, if you have an aquarium, you cover it when your bird is out of her cage.

7. Keep an eye out while you’re walking through your house. Some birds love to scurry about on the floor and explore. You don’t want to accidentally step on your bird.

8. Birds like to nibble, so be sure that all wires and cords are either out of reach or are covered with plastic tubing. You can generally find plastic tubing at your local home improvement store.

9. Regardless of whether your bird is out of or in his cage, keep him out of the kitchen. The kitchen poses serious hazards to birds. Teflon is toxic to birds when inhaled.

[diggitydogg]

on 7/30/2008 Very thorough...you've pretty much covered it. One other thing, avoid using aerosol sprays around your bird, and if you must spray his area, take him out of his cage and let the room air out before he goes back in. Great article!