Hello everyone! I very much want a couple of parakeets;however, I heard no air freshener, no candles, no this, no that. As much as I would love to have one, I fear I'll kill it. I use scented candles regularly and can't imagine never lighting them again. I don't want to get a bird and then think it's okay to shut the door to the room it's in and find it dead or sick. I was thinking about shutting the door where they will stay and avoid completely using the candles or air freshener in there. Any help is appreciated!
There are natural candles (right down to metal free wicks!) that are bird safe. I don't know if you can get them in natural scents, but worth googling. As for the rest, it's very important to avoid them in the whole house. I cook on pyrex and stainless steel, and use my bread machine outdoors (and lend it to my mom in the winter!). I love my budgie and my lovebirds and don't mind avoiding unsafe stuff for their health. Perhaps you can switch to buying natural lavender and keeping it in key locations around your house. I have some dry basil and I love running my hand through it to release the scent. Regardless, do your research and make changes to your house before bringing any little ones home. I highly suggest buying from a reputable breeder. Pet store birds too often have chronic diseases like megabacteria and respiratory issues, but since they look healthy in the store, companies keep breeding them en mass.
I've never had a problems with birds and candles or air fresheners. We've just always avoided putting them near the bird's cage. We also only ever used soap and water to clean anything the bird used. I think you should be ok as long as you don't anything right near the cage, or use any very strong scents or detergents around them.
I've never had any trouble with candles/ air fresheners either. I do also advise that you make sure your birds room is draft free. Drafts can kill your birds.
Thanks for the replies. What about non-stick cookware? I heard it has odorless fumes. I was going to keep them in my office down the hall from the kitchen. I also was concerned about not being able to use the self cleaning for my oven. I just want to make sure of these things before I buy birds. Thanks!
