[taylor143made]

Are There Any Health Dangers With Birds As Pets?

[Uber_wise_James]

Asian bird flu.

[jbrint04]

for the bird or for you?

[after dark]

you could get your eyes pecked out or have a smelly house or both.But real dangers, no

[Horatio Alger]

Hmmm. I heard that Humpty (famous from THE HUMPTY DANCE) got his nose bit off by a parrot in the Philippines. This is why he wears a big plastic fake nose. So beware parrots. But small birds like a finch or a snipe, no problem.

[whistler'smother]

I have had a pet bird (Whistler) for more than 20 years and have never been sick from him nor have I ever heard or read about anyone being sick from a bird (and I have read many books on birds). I understand that if you don't clean a bird's cage regularly, you can breath in dust from a bird's feathers and dried droppings and that can be bad for your lungs but if you keep its cage clean, you should have no problem. Birds can catch and die from human colds, however, and also can be killed by many household products that are harmless to people such as insecticide. If this is a new bird for you, you might want to check out some good websites, Birdtalk magazine or good books for a list of harmful substances. My vet says bad nutrition is the #1 killer of cage birds, the same sources would have information on providing a balanced diet.

[mabigaildavis]

Actually only certain strains of the avian bird flu can infect humans. Also, as long as the bird is kept in clean conditions, chances are the bird will not get infected.