11/23/2025
⚠️⚠️ ☣️☣️ ⛔️⛔️ ‼️‼️☢️☢️ ⚠️⚠️
Holiday Cooking & Parrot Safety: The Big Reminder
The holidays are supposed to be warm, joyful, and full of good food… but they’re also one of the most dangerous times of year for parrots.
Before the chaos starts, please—read this, share it, and communicate it with your guests.
🚫 1. Teflon / PTFE / PFOA – The Silent Killer
Right off the bat—the biggest danger: Teflon and all its chemical cousins (PTFE, PFOA, PFAS).
Here’s the reality most people don’t know:
⭐ Even a single pan heated once can kill a bird within minutes.
⭐ You don’t have to burn anything. Just heating it releases invisible toxic fumes.
And here’s the one that gets people every year:
👉 Guests bringing a dish in a non-stick pan that “needs warmed up.”
If YOU are hosting and YOU have parrots, you must tell your guests:
“Nothing that needs heated in a Teflon/non-stick pan can come inside my home.”
Warm their sweet potato casserole somewhere else.
It’s not worth a life.
☠️ 2. Crockpot Liners (YES—They Kill Birds)
Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, rescues get the heartbreaking messages:
“My bird died suddenly… we used a crockpot liner for the turkey.”
Crockpot liners release fumes that are just as deadly as overheated Teflon.
If toxins can kill a bird in minutes…
💬 Imagine what they’re quietly doing to YOU too.
If you must slow-cook—skip the liners entirely.
☠️ 3. Many oven-cooking bags (like turkey/ roasting bags) are made with heat-resistant nylon or contain coatings that can release toxic fumes when heated.
Even if they are labeled "food safe" for humans, the fumes can be deadly to birds.
Here's what makes them risky:
Potential PTFE/PFOA-type coatings
Some oven bags contain Teflon-like chemicals or other fluoropolymers to prevent sticking or to withstand high heat.
These chemicals can release fumes when heated that are odorless, invisible, and extremely toxic to birds, causing:
• Instant respiratory distress
🔥 4. Scented Products & Holiday Fragrances
This is the time of year when everyone shows up smelling like:
✨ Christmas cookies
✨ Vanilla bean
✨ Peppermint swirl
✨ The entire Bath & Body Works store
But to birds?
These chemicals are respiratory irritants and can be dangerous.
That includes:
• Perfume
• Scented lotions
• Body sprays
• Air fresheners
• Wax warmers
• Scented candles
Ask guests to skip the heavy scents, or keep your birds safely away.
🚪 5. Doors Opening & Closing — Escape Risk
Holiday traffic means your door is basically a revolving one.
People bring things in, take things out, forget to shut doors, get distracted… and it only takes 1 second for a bird to slip out.
Many holiday escapes happen this exact way.
Play it safe:
• Put birds in a secure room
• Cage doors locked
• Door to the bird room closed
• Guests reminded NOT to open that door
Your visitors aren’t used to “bird rules.”
You must communicate it clearly.
🧠 6. Stress & Overstimulation
Some birds LOVE activity.
Others shut down or panic with lots of people coming in and out.
Loud noise, different voices, changes in routine, and new faces can be overwhelming.
Give them a quiet space to decompress with their:
• Cage covered / partially covered
• Favorite toys
• A little music
• Full food bowls and water
• Peace and quiet
Their world depends on you keeping things predictable and safe.
🗣️ 7. Communicate. Communicate. COMMUNICATE.
Most accidents happen because people didn’t know.
Holiday guests aren’t thinking about PTFE, liners, perfumes, or open doors—they just want turkey and pie.
So speak up EARLY and CLEARLY:
“Before anyone brings food here, uses my oven, or comes inside, please message me first. I have parrots and safety rules that must be followed.”
Protecting your flock isn’t being rude.
It’s being responsible. ‼️⚠️‼️
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