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Allergic to Your Pet Bird? Here Are 7 Ways to Reduce the Effects of Bird Allergies

By Debbie Davis

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 25Apr2010 Word count: 575 Viewed: 313 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

If you've just adopted a beautiful bird only to find that your are allergies rev up when you come into close contact with the bird for prolonged periods of time, you may be allergic to your bird.

Don't despair because as scary as this discovery can be, here are 7 things you can do as well as changes you can make to enjoy your bird while keeping your allergies under control.

Keep the Bird's Room and Cage Clean-This cannot be stressed enough. Keep the cage clear of dropping and feathers, vacuum regularly, mop the floor daily, and change its drinking water as often as needed to keep it fresh. This is of course healthy for your bird, and it also prevents mold growth.

If you feed your bird fresh foods (and it will love you for this), be sure to throw them away after several hours to avoid mold growth.

Shower with Your Bird-This is convenient way to give your bird a bath, and spend time with it in an environment where the dander is low.

Bird perches are relatively inexpensive and are easily installed. Make sure they are placed away from direct spray, and turn the nozzle to a super gentle spray setting.

If your bird is one who likes the water, it will do the rest. Check with your avian vet for frequency and products to use.

Wear a Mask-If you are the one doing the daily cleaning, be sure to wear a mask when you are performing task that are likely stir up dander and feathers. Your local hardware store is sure to carry a variety.

Experiment until you find one that allows you to be most comfortable when cleaning up after your bird.

Wash Your Hands-If you choose not to wear gloves when cleaning, be sure to wash your hands when you're done cleaning and before you rub your eyes. This will help cut down on direct contact with a number of allergens.

Remove Fabrics and Upholstery-This process may have to be a gradual one, but it is well worth the time, money, and effort in terms of the significant improvement you will see in your allergies.

Draperies, carpet, upholstered furniture make great place for dander to hide, and sitting, dusting, and even vacuuming can send a ton of dander airborne. This makes it easy for it to invade your eyes, nose, and throat triggering the symptoms that can make you so miserable

Change Your House Filters Often-Get the smallest particulate size filter that they make for your central system. Start by changing them once a month. If this decreases the amount of dust that you notice on furniture, go to 2 months.

Gradually lengthen the frequency of filter changes until you have found the least number of changes that produce the desired result. Mark the dates on you calendar, and stay regular with replacing them.

Use a HEPA Air Purifier-Cleaning the air with a high efficiency particle arresting (abbreviated as HEPA) air purifier assures you that for every 10,000 particulates greater than .3 microns, it will remove 99,997 of them leaving only 3 out of 10,000.

Allowing your air to be filtered 24 hours a day is good for both you and your bird. Increase the rate of air exchange when cleaning the room and cage to keep the dander count low and the air quality high. And remember, clean air also cuts down on the spread of airborne disease and infections for both you and your bird.

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