Poisoning

Birds are small creatures with a very sensitive respiratory system, so even small amounts of poison can harm them. Poisoning often happens in an ordinary household, caused by things that don’t bother people at all. If you suspect poisoning, every minute counts.

• Teflon fumes (PTFE) – released when non-stick cookware overheats, most often when an empty pan is left on the hob. The fumes are odourless to humans, but they can kill a bird in the same or a neighbouring room within minutes. Similar coatings are also found on some self-cleaning ovens, heaters, irons and popcorn makers.
• Heavy metals – lead (shot, lead fishing and curtain weights, old paint, solder, stained glass) and zinc (galvanised wire and cage mesh, padlocks, coins). Parrots chew on them and swallow them.
• Food – avocado (all parts), chocolate, caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks), alcohol, very salty food, mouldy food.
• Poisonous plants – e.g. oleander, dieffenbachia, rhododendron and azalea, yew. If you are not sure about a plant, move it out of the bird’s reach.
• Rodenticides and pesticides – mouse and rat baits, products against insects, slugs and weeds. Wild birds of prey and owls can be poisoned by eating poisoned rodents.
• Aerosols and fragrances – sprays, air fresheners, scented candles, smoke, hairspray, cleaning products, especially those containing chlorine and ammonia.
• Human medicines and drugs – even a single tablet can be fatal.

The signs depend on the poison and can appear suddenly or gradually, over days and weeks.

Breathing (fumes, aerosols, smoke):

• sudden laboured or rapid breathing, open-beak breathing, wheezing
• staggering, falling off the perch, sudden death

Digestive system:

• vomiting or regurgitation
• diarrhoea, change in the colour of the droppings (e.g. green or dark green)
• black or bloody droppings, especially with rodenticides
• loss of appetite, increased thirst

Nervous system (especially heavy metals):

• weakness, loss of balance, unsteady gait
• trembling, seizures, paralysis of the legs or wings

General condition: lethargy, apathy, fluffed-up feathers, weight loss. With long-term zinc poisoning, some parrots pluck or chew their feathers.

Poisoning is almost always an emergency. Call a vet immediately if:

• you know or suspect that the bird has eaten, chewed or inhaled something poisonous
• the bird suddenly struggles to breathe or breathes with its beak open
• it has seizures, falls over or cannot stand
• it is vomiting, or has bloody or black droppings
• it is bleeding with no visible injury
• several birds in the same room have suddenly fallen ill or died

• With fumes and smoke: immediately take the bird out into fresh air or into another well-ventilated room, then open the windows. Switch off the source.
• Remove the source of the poison from the cage and from the bird’s reach.
• Do not induce vomiting and do not give milk, oil or other “home remedies”.
• Do not pour water or food into its beak.
• Place the bird in a warm, quiet and dimly lit transport box.
• Take the suspected source to the vet: the packaging, what’s left of the plant, a piece of wire or paint, a sample of droppings. This makes treatment much easier.

The vet relies most of all on information about what the bird was exposed to. An X-ray can show metal fragments in the stomach, and blood tests confirm lead or zinc poisoning. With rodenticides, blood clotting is checked.

• For heavy metals, the vet prescribes medicines that bind the metal in the body (chelators) and, if necessary, removes metal fragments from the digestive tract.
• For rodenticides that stop the blood from clotting, the vet gives vitamin K as an antidote, usually over a longer period.
• After inhaling fumes and smoke, oxygen, warmth and rest are key.
• Supportive care: fluids, warmth, anti-seizure medication, tube feeding if the bird isn’t eating.

For many poisons, including Teflon fumes, there is no specific antidote, so prevention is what matters most.

• Don’t keep birds in the kitchen. Never leave cookware on the hob unattended, and consider using cookware without a non-stick coating.
• Buy cages and toys designed for birds, free of lead and zinc. Old galvanised mesh is not safe for parrots.
• Don’t give your bird food from your own plate: no avocado, chocolate, coffee, alcohol or salty food.
• Check houseplants and flowers before the bird can get to them.
• Supervise the bird while it is flying free.
• Don’t use sprays, scented candles or strong cleaning products in a room with a bird.
• Put rodenticides and pesticides where birds, both pet and wild, cannot reach them.

If you find a wild bird you suspect has been poisoned, take it to a vet or a rescue centre. Deliberately poisoning protected animals is a criminal offence and can be reported to the police.

Poisoning in birds often ends tragically because it develops quickly and many poisons are found in every home. If you suspect it, get the bird away from the source immediately, do not induce vomiting and seek veterinary help urgently, taking a sample of the suspected source with you.