With Christmas coming up, be aware that tinsel can be toxic to the bird causing zinc poisoning. Also the flocking of Christmas trees can be a problem if ingested. It is unlikely that your bird will ingest these items, but it is a possibilty. You will also have many pieces of just about anything on the floor while wrapping presents, decorating the tree and baking all sorts of goodies. Be careful since your bird is curious and will put anything in his mouth.

While we are on baking and cooking, be very careful when using Teflon cookware in your home. If it burns, it will release a toxin that could kill your bird instantly, even before you ever see it smoking. Your bird can even be in another room and it could affect him. A perfect example is if you are boiling water and the phone rings. You are in the other room and forget that the water is boiling. Once the water is gone, the Teflon will begin to burn. There is not much time after this for it to fatally injure your bird. Normal cooking and not burning on Teflon is not a problem, but many would rather not take that chance.

Be extra careful when you are cooking in kitchen and your bird is fully flighted. Many birds have fallen victim to falling in pots or grills when excited and decide to try to be with you while you’re at the stove. Microwaving your bird's food may cause hot spots, so if you are cooking for your bird, make sure that you stir well and let it cool.

Scented candles around your bird could also cause problems. Birds have tiny lungs with many air sacs. They are much more vulnerable than we are when it comes to inhaling chemicals. Make sure that the smoke stays away from your bird.

When you have cookies around the house, make sure that they are not chocolate. Birds can become ill from eating chocolate. When serving guacamole, remember that birds also have toxicity to avocado. Be sure your guests keep these items and alcohol away from your bird. Because of the danger of secondary smoke inhalation, please make sure that everyone smokes outside and away from your bird.

Lead poisoning can come from your bird chewing the paint on the walls of an old house. Most of the newer paints used in homes today are lead-free. If you have curtains with weights on the bottom, make sure that they are not made of lead. Your bird might just find them while cruising around your house and decide to chew on them. Zinc toxicity can occur when a bird chews a metal cage that is flaking with a bad zinc plated finish. Most of the powder coated cages today are zinc and lead-free. Just be careful with buying a cage directly from Mexico that is painted and not powder coated.

There was recently an occasion where a Severe Macaw got caught in the feeder rings of a cage. This has happened many times before, but unfortunately this baby did not survive. Make sure if you do not use the feeder cups for feed or water, that you leave the empty cups inside the holder rings. Birds are curious and playful and they will experiment getting into everything they can. Knowing how your bird is, take a look around your house and try to use common sense to correct anything you believe could be a potential problem.

Broken blood feathers are not a problem unless they continue to bleed. If the bird has some dry blood on it, then don’t worry. Sometimes the stress of catching the bird causes it to bleed more. If it continues to bleed, apply pressure while someone else holds the bird for you and if it does not stop, take it to an Avian Veterinarian or a Bird Specialty shop to stop the bleeding.

If the tip of the beak cracks or breaks from a fall, you will need to stop the bleeding. This is more common in Macaws. Sometimes you will notice that your bird is not eating after a fall and that he is not preening or even picking up food or moving around the cage. But shortly before the fall he was perfectly fine. Usually you may see some dry blood on the tip. This hurts him like a cavity hurts you when you put cold water on it. To make sure this is the problem, touch the tip of the beak with your finger and if he screeches, then that is it. Usually it takes a couple days of him not using it to get better. It is best though to take him in to an Avian Veterinarian or a Bird Specialty shop (if they can) to cauterize it. Soon afterwards, the bird will be ok and not sore any longer.

Being caught in a toy or cage can be very dangerous for you and the bird. He usually panics and will wrestle around fighting and biting himself and you. At this time you need to act quickly and get a bath towel and with assistance, grab the bird around the neck and body to keep him still. Have someone else dislodge whatever part of his body is stuck in the toy or cage and bring him out of the cage to calm him. Attend to any bleeding or bruising that may have happened and if necessary, take him to an Avian Vet.

Earthquakes are traumatic for us and for them, except they don’t understand them. Once one happens and your bird is thrashing around, take him out of the cage and hold him. Tell him it is ok and walk around with him. Do not leave him in the cage. I would panic too if I was locked in a room and I thought the room was going to fall on me. Take him back to the cage later and offer him a treat. If you panic, he will to. Try to stay calm.

Hopefully these tips help you deal with any emergencies that come up or possibly prevent some. We need to keep our precious pets healthy, happy and safe.