# Birds in the bathroom



## birdsrus (Feb 22, 2017)

Hi,

I have three budgies who live in their flight cage in the master bathroom. There is a separate compartment for the toilet with a closed door at all times. There are two big windows to let in natural light during the day and their cage gets covered during the night. There is no use of hairspray or perfumes or any kinds of chemicals in the bathroom except the usual hand soap. But my concern is when we shower. Could the scents from my shampoo and soap be harming my birds? Does the strength of the scent correlate with harm to the bird?


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## JRS (Sep 3, 2016)

Could the scents be harming your birds?.... I’m not sure if they would actually harm the birds or if they just find them unpleasant. 
I think it would be best if you switched to unperfumed shampoo/shower gels though, considering the birds are in the actual bathroom. There are plenty to choose from, often created for people with eczema or allergies.
I’d also make sure that you ensure that everyone switches on the extractor fan (if you have one & it’s not automatic) and leaves it running for a while afterwards. Open windows in the summer.
Alternatively, is it not possible for you to wheel the cage out of the bathroom whilst it is in use?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Various fragrance additives in products such as shampoo and soap can be toxic to the birds' respiratory system. Concentrated in the steam generated from a hot shower I would assume would be even more detrimental.

I would suggest you switch to fragrance free soap and shampoo

With regard to soap: 
Dove Unscented for Sensitive Skin, recommended by my dermatologist, is all I use.
There are various other brands that you may prefer.

Cetaphil Liquid is an excellent choice for face and hands and has no fragrance.

Various brands of unscented shampoo is available at most retailers as well as on-line:

Earth Science Unscented Shampoo for Sensitive Scalp

I also recommend that people always use
unscented detergents for their clothing and unscented dryer sheets.

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## birdsrus (Feb 22, 2017)

These are great suggestions! Thank you! And the reason I can't wheel them out is that there's a crazy cat in the house. I'll try to get those scent free shampoos and soaps next time I go shopping. I use a Schwarzkopf shampoo right now that's relatively scent free but my soap is Irish Spring so that's a bit of a problem. I also used to open the windows all the time in the summer, and sometimes I even open them when it's mildly cold outside to let in some fresh air. The extractor fan is in the room with the toilet though, so there's no extractor fan in the area outside. But I'll still leave the one in the bathroom on.


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