FINCHforum

I understand that this may be a silly question, but to get some clarity let me ask.

I have a 2 year old son at home. I have also had birds for over a year now. Is it safe to have birds at home for children?

I keep them separately in the balcony, outside the house, clean the area everyday. There's usually no smell, except the rare times when egg food gets spilt on floor with water. There is no chance for outside birds or animals to come in contact with my pets because we are in the third floor of the building.

My son touches the cage often to watch the zebras. Though I wash his hands after that, my wife is a bit worried. Especially with a few chicks dying recently!

I thought this forum would be a good place to ask this. Any advice is very much apreaciated.

I was raised around birds, as were my girls. The birds were never housed in the bedrooms but were are kept in the main room, a over sized great room.

The cages are kept clean and if they handled a baby bird hands were washed afterwards and especially before eating.

I raised parrotlets, the children loved playing with them and having them sit in their arms and hands.

My youngest help spoon feed keets at age 3. She loved helping carrying water cups and food to the cages. It is a good learning experience for older children I always supervised the girls when very young when thy were handling young chcks.

As long as you practice good hand washing and if you birds are kept outside it should not be a problem.

If you are still unsure check with your family doctor in regards to allergies and other concerns.

as Cindy mentioned, just check about allergies etc, but other than that i have a 2 and half year old madam, and a 4 month old son, when my son cries we take him over to our zebbies sit him on our lap and he could sit there for hours just laughing his head off, as for madam she spends a lot of time watching them and seems completely bemused by the "Little Birdies" ...

I was brought up with cockatiels and budgies and it was a great education, i personally feel that birds are safer than hamsters etc, as they bite (not much but to young kids that little nip is like a sharkbite lol)

I clean the cage every 2 days as they live in the mainroom with us and when they throw the eggfood around the cage i dont think my GF would appreciate the smell

I have a 15mos old baby and I don't let her out in the bird room too often. I'm not worried about her catching anything, she just tries to grab stuff out there. She gets out there sometimes but she doesn't pay too much attention to them at this point. She might start to as she gets older and more curious but I think she's used to them, and they don't seem to peak her curiousity at this point. I would never let her bang or touch the cages though, I would imagine that would really freak the birds out. It's funny, I know most kids can be annoying with animals. I was, lol! Chasing after them, pulling tails, etc. So far, my daughter has been around my family's dogs and cats and doesn't pay too much attention. Like I said she's still a baby but I will teach her very early
Renee

I thnk the key is having them watch you and how you interact with them. They will learn your gentle caring ways from you as I did from my mother when she tended to her finches. My youngest now almost 18 started helping me at 3 and watching me care for all kinds of animals and birds way before that.

I used to talk to my baby birds as I spoon fed them, one day she wanted to try, she did a wonderful job. Surprisingly she talked really sweet and soft to the babies like I did, it almost made me tear up. She befriended a little baby Scarlet Chested Parakeet that got so excited when he saw her. He would run to her and she gently fed him telling him how pretty he was.

She now works for a vet and is off to vet school next year.

Thanks to all of you . I am now convinced that it is safe for kids - just that we need to keep the good handwash practice. Hope my son learns from me too. And I also believe that kids get to learn to be more responsible by looking at us keeping pets. So, hurray for all those who have kids and pets

The best part is children get to see a different side of you, a caring side that is not about the children but another living thing. They learn to share you.

Granted now my daughter and husband have a good laugh and say instead of the crazy lady with cats I am the crazy lady with finches. I correct them and say "ah but I am the crazy, happy lady with finches!"

They tease me but they are one of the first ones to try to see a baby chick. Or my husband scouts the bird shows and takes me over to see different types of birds and finches! HMMMM!

quote " crazy happy lady with finches" ... you think thats bad Cindy, i get all excited when i spot my finches mating hence my nickname Birdy Perv lol

FinchDegg wrote:quote " crazy happy lady with finches" ... you think thats bad Cindy, i get all excited when i spot my finches mating hence my nickname Birdy Perv lol

lovemyfinch wrote:

FinchDegg wrote:quote " crazy happy lady with finches" ... you think thats bad Cindy, i get all excited when i spot my finches mating hence my nickname Birdy Perv lol

Someone hand that lady a blindfold....no peeking please!!!!!

cindy wrote:

lovemyfinch wrote:

FinchDegg wrote:quote " crazy happy lady with finches" ... you think thats bad Cindy, i get all excited when i spot my finches mating hence my nickname Birdy Perv lol

Someone hand that lady a blindfold....no peeking please!!!!!

hmm hmm ... that would be Gent (Probably makes my case a little worse lol )