Parrots and Air Purifiers: What’s the Link?

Most parrot lovers will already know that the answer to this question is unfortunately, allergies. Pet birds are actually the number one allergy causing pet. Parrots, Cockatoos, Parakeets, Parrotlets... they can all make us sneeze. There are about 1 million pet birds in the UK and roughly 10% of us suffer allergic reactions to our pets.

Why do pet birds cause allergies? All birds produce dander when they preen their feathers. Dander is an extremely fine powder which becomes airborne very easily, it’s made up of tiny pieces of feather and feather sheath that break off during preening. Some species produce large amounts of this powder, including Cockatoos, Cockatiels, and African Grey Parrots. This powder can get into our air ways and eyes, causing the sneezing, itchy eyes that many parrot owners are all too familiar with. For those with asthma, these symptoms can be exacerbated. But you love your parrot, so what do you do?

Here are 6 tips to help you relieve your parrot allergy symptoms:

1. Get an air purifier. You need to remove the dander from the air and the most effective and efficient way of doing this is with a purifier. Not only will an air purifier remove the allergy causing particles it will also get rid of any odours. You may want to consider a model with a lifetime HEPA filter that you can clean out regularly yourself rather than buying new filters again and again. View our range of air purifiers for pet dander here.
2. Bath your bird! Regular shampooing will wash off dander that otherwise would become airborne when your parrot next ruffles their feathers. Shower perches and parrot shampoo are available from most pet shops which sell bird supplies.
3.  Reduce the amount of fabric in your home. Dust is much easier to clean from hard surfaces. Curtains, carpets, rugs and table cloths can attract pet dander so keep these to a minimum in the rooms where your pet bird/birds spend their time.
4.  Keep some areas of your house bird free. Keep some spaces allergen free by closing doors - especially your bedroom where you spend probably at least 6-8 hours of your day.
5. Change the cage paper every day. You can get special anti-microbial cage paper, even so it’s best to change your pet’s paper daily and make sure that you’re wearing a face mask.
6.  Hoover and dust daily. I’m sure your house is spotless, but parrot dust can settle in a fine layer around your house after just a day, making a daily vacuum necessary for those who sneeze a lot. We’ve also written an article on the topic of ‘What makes me allergy prone’ which looks at some different allergy triggers. Photo taken by Duncan Rawlinson.