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I bought an african grey parrot 4 years ago and i didnt realise it would affect my asthma,i get wheezy when i spend a lot of time with him.i have bought an air purifyer which has helped loads,i have coped ok for 4 years because i love my parrot but i keep thinking,will i be really ill in a few years?would it be better for me and the parrot if i took him to the sanctuary where he could meet other birds,but then i think of how much i love him and think i may miss him too much?please help!

2007-09-27 08:45:07 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets Birds

thanks that helps loads,also i work so will he be lonely without me?and now he's getting older does he not need a female friend.Can he really spend all his life without another bird?

2007-09-27 09:16:57 · update #1

I didnt say i was getting another bird! i said can he go his whole life without having a mate!x

2007-09-27 11:09:50 · update #2

8 answers

Oh no! I am so sorry! I think it would break my heart if I had to give up my Greys!
There are some things you can do to remedy the situation until you decide what to do:
1. Your decision to get an air purifier was brilliant. I have one as well.
2. If you have carpeting, get it out and put in tile or wood. Get the carpeting out of the house.
3. Make sure your little buddy's cage is clean.
4. Clean and dust as much as you can.
5. Get air circulating in your house. If you have central air conditioning, buy the best HEPA filters you can get and change them frequently.
6. Open the windows and use that to circulate air.
7. Shower your little Grey often. Mine get a good dousing in the bottom of a tub under a gentle shower so they can't fall anywhere at least 3 times a week, more if they are molting. They are in there 10 minutes and I have trained them to allow me to hold out their wings and lightly tousle their feathers and lift feathers to get all of the dust and dander off of them.
8. Keep his cage as clean as you can.
9. Wash down the house: all of the walls, the floors, bathrooms...everything. You need to get all of the dander out of there. Put a mattress cover over your mattress to retard dust settling into it and air out your pillows. Wash all of your linens in hot water often.
Keep this routine up. If you do this, you might see a marked improvement in your condition. If you don't you'll probably feel it.
Here are some websites:
http://www.seefido.com/allergy/html/bird_allergies.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww59e.htm

If you must give up your Grey, consider this. You are his family. He knows people and if he is a "People Bird", that is what his flock is to him. He might have a difficult time coping with learning to adjust to a Flock at a sanctuary when all he knows is the "People Flock".
If you feel you must give him up due to your health...then there is no question. You come first in a way, but so does your little guy. Consider putting him up for adoption. There are many Parrot Adoption Organizations in place for just this kind of situation. He will adjust and he will learn to live with another home situation. He will probably eventually learn to love again. But Parrots are surviviors and they move on just as you will. One of my Greys is a relinquishment due to a death in a family and she has adjusted beautifully. I think she truly loves me and she is so precious to me. If you feel you must give him up due to your own health, well...that's the way it is. He'll go on and so will you. But you will never forget him and he will never forget you.
I wish you luck with your situation and I hope my suggestions might allow you to keep your Grey.

2007-09-27 09:20:16 · answer #1 · answered by Phoenix 4 · 2 0

This is very common. 'Toos are the worst, but greys are a close second. Give him a bath every day or every other day and make sure he gets SOAKED all the way to the down feathers. Dander-down is a good product, too, but an air filter is the best idea. What kind of filter do you have? The Ionic Breeze filters don't really help, nor do most other filters. The only one I've ever found to ACTUALLY work and have an effect (the others work, but they don't filter out the tiny particles that are the cause of the asthma symptoms) is the Honeywell True HEPA permanent filter made for the 14'x14' room. It really does filter everything out, and you don't have to replace the filter every few weeks (yes, it does fill up that fast). Place the filter within 5 or so feet of the cage and it REALLY cuts out the dander.
NO!! they can live without a mate, don't just mate him because you think he needs to. This is how the overpopulation of birds keeps going (this and random people deciding to breed because "it looks fun") and more diseases are passed. Only give him a mate if you REALLY want to breed him, and he's healthy enough and has good genetics, and the female has the same.

Here's a website with ideas for getting rid of the dander:
http://www.cockatootrainer.com/allergies/

2007-09-28 10:23:12 · answer #2 · answered by Cliffieduckie 5 · 1 0

The bird is fine without a mate and why would you consider getting another bird to add to the madness if you can't deal with one, what makes you think another will be any better?

If you educate yourself on one bird you will do just fine. Spend the money on a very good purifying system and you'll be better off in the long run. Clean clean clean and that should keep the dander down. Misting the bird and bathing him will also help. First and formost, Husbandry is the best policy when it comes to allergies. I personally use a Rainbow vacumn cleaner and it works wonders for filtering out the air. Dusting you must use a vacumn cleaner not a dust cloth. Polishing the furniture don't happen when you have birds, any wet surface will always attrack dander and dust bunnies, so use a vacumn cleaner to dust.

Hope these hints helped you!!

2007-09-27 10:40:40 · answer #3 · answered by humor4fms 5 · 1 2

Keep you parrot. I am allergic to animals, but I would never think of getting rid of my dog or cat as I love them too much. If your coping at the moment and you have coped for four years, chances are you will cope in the future. He probably wouldn't be better in a sanctuary anyway, because he is so familiar with being in human contact. Keep up with the air purifier if that is helping. I'm not a vet or a doctor, so I hope this advice helps, but I think the decision is really up to you.
Good luck.
--M--

2007-09-27 08:57:28 · answer #4 · answered by мσℓℓу 5 · 1 0

Don't get rid of your lovely parrot. It will be devastating for BOTH you and him. My suggestion is ask your doctor where you can buy good mouth and nose masks and wear them whenever you are near your parrot. At other times keep your house well ventilated.
Let me tell you the saddest thing I saw once in an animal shelter. A parrot with the saddest face in the world. The label read something like "HI, MY NAME IS... MY OWNER EMIGRATED TO AUSTRALIA AND DID NOT WANT TO TAKE ME WITH HIM SO I NEED A NEW HOME !" Honest, that parrot looked so sad... Your parrot knows nothing else but you. Keep it !!

2007-09-30 09:43:03 · answer #5 · answered by RED-CHROME 6 · 0 0

it's really up to you but there are plenty of methods to help. The air purifier, give the grey daily baths, keep cage and area clean. open windows when possible. There is also a "Dander Down" spray you can pick up that will help keep the grey dander down a bit.

2007-09-27 08:56:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

you love your bird sounds like he loves you try some piriton or something similar i live in England, tabs for allergies and keep the area around the bird extra clean vacuum regularly and stick with a puffer from the doctors if need be good luck hope this helps.

2007-09-27 11:26:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

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2016-09-05 09:52:39 · answer #8 · answered by Erika 4 · 0 0

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