Do parrotlets carry diseases that could harm my 12 month old?????

Question

Hi, we've just received a Parrotlet from a realitive that passed. I have a 1 year old child. My concern is that I've heard some people say that they carry very bad diseases and others have said they don't. could someone please tell me if I have anything to be concerned about....should I get rid of the bird, or are there safety measures I should take. We always sanitize our hands after we hold it, and I try to keep my child away from the cage as much as possibe. PLEASE HELP ME! LOL....thank you!!

Answer 1

You will be fine. Keep the cage clean and wash your hands as you have been doing and enjoy the bird. The disease potential of pet birds is highly exaggerated. Please read this article written by an avian vet:

http://www.realmacaw.com/pages/birdsic.html

Many medical doctors even exaggerate the disease potential of pet birds because they are extrapolating wild bird diseases to all birds. WIld birds and pigeons/poultry kept outdoors can be a problem but an indoor parrotlet is no worse than a dog or cat (and probably better since the parrotlet is not drinking out of the toilet or eating its own poop and then coming over and licking your child's face!).

Answer 2

If you're concerned that your bird has a transmittable disease, take it to the vet and check. There are only two diseases that I know of that a bird would carry, and which would also be hurtful to a human: one is influenza. DON'T WORRY about avian influenza in a domestically-bred pet bird.

The other concerns are Psittacosis and pink-eye. Both are caused by strains of chlamydia, and if your bird has either of them, it needs to be treated, and then there won't be any risk anymore. The only reason a bird would have these diseases is that it lived in unhealthy conditions with other birds.

You have nothing to worry about as long as you clean the bird's cage -- if you don't, what happens won't be the bird's fault. The food and water that fall on the cage floor heap up in some people's homes, and if they don't change the paper at least every other day, the paper grows fungus, and the result is often the growth of aspergillis in the lungs known as aspergillosis. With a baby, yes, I would be concerned about an unclean cage -- but it wouldn't be the bird's fault.

Don't buy into that "carrying diseases" hype. Birds are very different from mammals and their diseases are, too. If we compare the two, cats are far more dangerous, because they carry fleas. Fleas carry plague (which still lives with them under the streets of Boston).

Check out my avian nursery's photosite: http://www.bloodfeathers.photosite.com -- and shower your little parrotlet in lots of attention.

Answer 3

Most animals can have zoonotic diseases ( those that can be transmitted between pets and humans.) So I wouldn't freak out over it. Just have a health check for your bird and take the normal precautions.

Answer 4

There is parrot fevor(its just like the flu) you can ask the vet and your childs doctor if its safe.I would say as long as the bird acts healthy you have no worries.