Bathing A Silkie Tutorial (Pic HEAVY!)

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
The difference between bathing birds and having them out in the rain, that I have found, is that when you bathe them they are soaked down to the skin. When they are just out in the rain, only the outter layers of feathers get wet....

 

[JennsPeeps]

SNORK! Poor bird!!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

She actually likes it... LOL I actually have to hold her up because she just melts in the warm water and almost sinks underwater! LOL

I had to snap this pic quick!

 

[JennsPeeps]

Oooooh, a melting silkie... I want one!!

 

[dlhunicorn]

One little known danger of using hairdryers is that some of them use teflon around the heating element and when this overheats it can cause a toxic gas (all the indoor cage bird forums are constantly posting about the danger of using teflon pans 9overheating) with birds close)
So be aware of this and if you can check with the manufacturer to see if this is the case with the blow dryer you use.

For hard feather birds (with oil glands):
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-3113.html
"...There are bathing products that you can buy in your local pet shop that contain ingredients such as aloe that are good for the skin. The simplest approach to bathing your bird to use plain, tepid, clean water. Many of the store-bought products can irritate the eyes and contain unnecessary fragrances...."

If you want your birdies smelling nice use the (natural anise "scented" bird sand found in petstores underneath their bedding.

 

[Jessika]

That was an awesome bird grooming lesson! Thank you!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
I can't believe that this would actually be a problem unless I was blow drying them in a box.... Sounds like another hype thing to me.

I have no doubt that teflon may give off fumes when overheated, but I can't see how it can kill a bird unless you are drying them in an unventilated, very small area.

I've used my hair dryer countless times now, without incident.

 

[dlhunicorn]

I sadly killed my dds cockatiel when butter in a teflon coated pan burned ...

http://www.busybeaks.com/QA teflon.pdf
Paul M. Gibbons, DVMNiles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center
Answers to Questions about Teflon Toxicity
(excerpt)
".....It is saddening to hear of continued avian deaths due to the noxious fumes emitted from cookware coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the polymer that makes up most nonstick cookware such as Teflon7, Silverstone7, and Supra7. All of us are now aware of the potential for these toxic fumes to be produced, but few of us have a true understanding of the precise circumstances under which the fumes are emitted. As early as 1968, a group of scientists working for du Pont, the maker of Teflon7, began asking this very question. They studied the effects on rats of two specific chemicals emitted at certain temperatures.They discovered that the "fumes" contained very small particles of a variety of toxins, some of which were toxic to the rats in their study.

The overheating of PTFE has been found to cause lung problems not only in birds and rats, but also in humans.....In people, the disease is known as "polymer fume fever," and is rarely fatal. The respiratory tract of birds is uniquely sensitive to the products emitted by overheating PTFE because of a bird's unique respiratory system. Evolution has produced a system that is extremely efficient in exchanging gasses in order to provide very high levels of oxygen to the muscles of flight. Birds have traditionally been utilized as sentinels for toxic gasses in coal mines because of this trait. Certainly, then, very small amounts of a variety of air borne toxins can have serious effects on a bird's respiratory system. Examples of such toxins include not only overheated PTFE, but also aerosol sprays, tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide, natural gas, ammonia, and burned foods and cooking oils. The symptoms associated with exposure to these toxins varies in each case from mild chronic pneumonia to acute death
....The effects of the particles released by overheated PTFE are mainly on the lungs, and are typical of any pulmonary (lung) irritant......The reports show very definitely that birds exposed to the fumes from pans heated above 280oC (536oF) will become sick and may die a few minutes to several hours after exposure......The research also specifically proves that Quail and parakeets show no signs of illness whatsoever when exposed to pans heated to 270oC (518oF). Keep in mind, these are very high temperatures, and are rarely achieved during normal cooking. PTFE coated drip pans, however, will reach over 750oF during normal use because of their close proximity to the heating element of the oven.9Some normal cooking temperatures are as follows: fried fish fillet, 265oF; fried noodles with fat, 375oF; fried doughnuts, 340oF; fried veal cutlet, 380oF; French fried potatoes, 385oF; and fried eggs, 375oF. As you can easily see, normal cooking with PTFE coated fry pans will not produce fumes that are toxic to birds, but normal cooking with PTFE coated drip pans will. What this means to us is that we must either throw away our PTFE coated pans, or make a promise to ourselves that we will not allow our pans to overheat.
My recommendations include:
1) If you have a PTFE coated drip pan, throw it away,
2) Never boil water in a PTFE coated pan, 3) Never leave the kitchen when a PTFE coated pan is in use,
4) Cook at low or medium heat when using PTFE coated pans,
5) Use a culinary thermometer to determine the temperature at which your PTFE coated appliances (deep fryers, waffle makers) operate,
6)Never allow anyone to use PTFE coated cookware in your home unless instructed of its potential danger,
7) Ensure that your kitchen is properly ventilated, preferably by a hood that vents outdoors, and
8) If you are an absent-minded person: give your PTFE coated cookware away
***other sources heaters, blow dryers, irons "

Silicone coated cookware such as Baker's Secret7, and EKCO7, will not produce toxic fumes, and are considered safe..... "
(the author includes the studies and reports at the end of the article)

I went the whole hog and made sure my hair dryer does not have this... there are so many reports on the net and yes, many are unsubstantiated but where there is smoke there is usually something smoldering:
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/teflon.htm

...better safe than sorry.

 

[debilorrah]

If all else fails, visit www.truthorfiction.com and go to the search function. I hav eut countless rumors and wives tales to rest with this wonderful website.

 

[gumpsgirl]

What a great thread Chris! Thank you so much for the tutorial!