A bird’s respiratory system works differently from a mammal’s: air sacs pass the air through the lungs twice. That makes oxygen uptake efficient, and it also means the bird takes in everything else in the air twice over. It is why miners took a caged bird underground. The same holds at home.

The kitchen is the most dangerous room

Non-stick coating. PTFE-coated pans, when overheated, release a gas with no colour and no smell. It causes bleeding in a bird’s lungs and usually kills within minutes. It happens at a temperature at which a person notices nothing. The same coating is found in some toasters, air fryers, ironing board covers, hair straighteners, heat lamps, and the cleaning cycle of self-cleaning ovens.

A bird should not live in the kitchen. Even with the door closed, a cage on the same floor carries risk; ventilation should stay open.

Smoke and sprays. Cigarette smoke, scented candles, incense, air freshener, hairspray, aerosol cleaners and the smell of fresh paint. For a bird there is no such thing as a mild smell.

What must not be eaten

Avocado. Skin, stone and flesh are all toxic to birds.
Chocolate and caffeine. They disturb heart rhythm.
Alcohol. Even a small amount is fatal.
Onion and garlic. They damage red blood cells.
Salt. Salted human foods such as crisps and crackers overload a bird’s kidneys.
Fruit stones. Apple, cherry and peach pips contain cyanide; the flesh of the fruit is not a problem.

Metals

Zinc and lead are the commonest sources of heavy metal poisoning in birds. A bird explores everything with its beak, and galvanised cage wire, cheap chains and rings, curtain weights, stained glass solder, old paint and some jewellery carry these metals. The signs are vague: vomiting, drinking excessively, loss of balance, seizures.

When buying a cage or a toy, choose stainless steel or products stated to be made for birds.

Physical dangers indoors

Ceiling fans. Never run one while the bird is out.
Open water. Pans, sinks, toilets, aquariums. A wet bird cannot get itself out.
Glass and mirrors. A bird does not see glass. Curtains should be closed in the room where it flies.
Hobs and ovens. Hot surfaces and open flame.
Door gaps. The door hinge is where birds are most often crushed.

Other pets

For birds living with a cat or a dog there is one rule: they are never left in the same room unsupervised. Even the calmest cat answers a sudden movement with a hunting reflex.

A cat bite or scratch counts as an emergency in a bird. Once the bacteria from a cat’s mouth reach the bloodstream they can be fatal within hours; even with no mark on the skin, the bird must be brought in the same day. Every emergency sign is on the emergency page. What respiratory distress looks like is in my bird is breathing fast.

Windows, for a bird that can fly

A window without a screen, an open door and a balcony are the commonest reasons birds are lost. Even a bird with clipped wings can be carried a long way by the wind. The window must be closed in the room where the bird flies.