My roommate has her birds out whenever she's at home. The two little ones-I think they're lovebirds hang out on and in a drawer and get onto the counters, furniture, dining room table, etc. often and leave all their droppings. My roommate is not the cleanest person I've known, but she does pick up after them and puts them away when she goes to work. When she does clean the counters, she only uses water and a paper towel. I, on the other hand, think this practice is disgusting! I'm constantly cleaning and disinfecting the counters before I cook, or even make a sandwich. I don't even set a spoon down until I've cleaned. The other day, as soon as she got home from work, in she comes to the kitchen with those birds! She knew I was cooking and had most of the counters occupied and I just thought that she was ridiculous. Isn't there harm in utensils and plates and stuff coming in contact with the bird droppings? She also uses the utensils that the birds have walked all over and pooped on or near-is that okay?
NO that's not okay. EW! not just the "ick" factor, and i am far from a germophobe! would she let a rat or a dog or a cat or a person poop all over right where food is served? EWWWW!
it's called UNSANITARY. you are not being a priss - it's unacceptable.
That's disgusting. That could be a roommate deal-breaker for me, actually. A simple google pulled up this page, so yes, it appears that pet birds can definitely carry diseases:
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/30104/pets/ca...
What can I say GROSS......................it's time you flew the coop.... move out or get a new roommate ..
My first question is "who's on the lease?"
What you describe is pretty disgusting and I'm not surprised you are upset. I had two finches for nearly ten years and they were out of their huge cage only when they escaped for precisely the reason you describe. It's a bit much to ask others to tolerate the bird poop, in my opinion. That's pretty thoughtless.
Bleach water : 1 T to 1gallon of cold water. Must be made daily to be effective. That needs to be what's used in this situation, because as Peg pointed out, bird feces does carry salmonella.
2 words:
zoonotic vectors
bird dropping are one of the most foulest things on the planet. As they dont pee so all that concentrated Uric acid is mixed in. They have stomachs with acid that would melt plastic, and takes paint off cars, and this comes out in there droppings. Also bird digestion can weed out disease and virus, and deposits it into the poop. So direct contact with what they eat onto the surface. Unless your roommate was following them around with bleach and a face mask, I think they should poop only in a designated area. Heres some gross stuff if ya want to know.
Bird Fever
Bird Flu
Toxoplasmosis
Hystoplasmosis
Legionaries Disease
by the way my brother's ex-girlfriend had 4 parrots. Nasty things. She used to do the same thing, and one day, she was frying chicken in oil... one of them flew into the pan and fried is BUTT off... it had to be put down and it started the whole kitchen on fire when if flew around with its feathers in flames.
UPDATE: I worked for animal shelters and pet store in my younger years. Birds are the one pet that can be sold directly from the wild. While these might be pets, they can not be fully rid of some virus's and disease they might have picked up in the wild, or wild parents. Most of these illness can harbor in an animal for years, until the bird is stressed, causing the immune system to lower slightly and then these things are released. Being a pet does not stop them from coming into contact from other wild animals. She sounds like she gives them a large range of freedom, and in this they can come in contact with other animals, and dangerous stuff for them as well. She needs to watch them better.
And that is the exact reason why at 50 years old I will NOT, EVER have a bird as a pet! I had the same type of roommate 30 years ago and never forgot that.
Then to top it off, we bought a house almost 12 years ago. When we looked at it the lady was down to 3 cats and 2 dogs. We had the cable company come to put a jack in some room and he made a comment about being in that house before. He remembered being in one room and it took him longer to move all the bird cages than it did to do his work. Sure enough, I started looking around and all the custom drapes she 'left' me were covered in bird s**t across the top. They all went in the trash and I had the vents cleaned which were full of seeds and feathers as well.
Don't give me looks about my dog hair when you come to my house, which is usually vacuumed daily. At least my dogs aren't crapping on the counter tops and drapes!
It's time to talk to her about this, and yes, this is disgusting. Such as, "I don't mind them in the living room so long as the poop is cleaned promptly and with an actual cleaner or in your bedroom, but not in the kitchen ever, especially when food is present."
Also, remind her that bird poop can spread diseases and bacteria and needs to be cleaned and sanitized with more than just water, and very regularly, as fungus can grow in dried poop and spread illness.
Bird poop isn't just poop, it is a mixture of poop, urine and urates... eww.
Do you have a rental contract you can show her about pets? Pet feces, no matter the type of animal shouldn't just be laying around the house and in the kitchen, that is so unsanitary, for any amount of time. There are more than 60 types of diseases people can get from bird droppings by the way, maybe she needs a reality check:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/61646.php
Even if the birds are not carriers of any of the above diseases, the poop and floating feathers can still carry bacteria and other disgusting things that can make you sick.
If she doesn't take the hint, then you can go find some dog poop in a yard and put in on her pillow. Then say, "Oh! I just had a cute puppy over for a while." Then, put it in the trash and spray her pillow with water to 'clean' it up right in front of her.
Not okay, in my book of hygiene.
I have had free-roaming parakeets, but never in the kitchen. I have known people (even sisters) who let cats or birds hang out on their countertops, and I have always made a practice of not accepting dinner invitations from those folks. I'm far from being germ-phobic, but that's way too much for me.
Chickens are known to carry salmonella and other infectious diseases, like bird flu. Not all are infected, or course, and domesticated pets may not carry those diseases, but I simply won't take the chance.
Depending on who's the controlling party in your rental agreement, I would be inclined to either insist on a no-bird-in-kitchen rule, or I'd move out or kick the roomie out. And of course, even if she obeys the rule while you're there, she may violate it when you're not. After all, her reasoning is that she's never gotten sick (yet), so why worry?
Mary:
that would make me sick. No. I would not allow birds to roam free in my home.
I would make sure that things are wiped down with Clorox. PERIOD. A paper towel and water are not sufficient. You may be lucky to not have gotten sick already - but it's a nasty sickness waiting to happen.
NO FREAKING WAY!!! Birds stay OUT of the kitchen.
Yuck.
She has to understand, that that is not only her kitchen. It is a shared kitchen.
You need a new roommate or to live alone.
Blessings.....
Is it "OK"? It might be for her but it wouldn't FLY with me! LOL
Grosser than gross.
Diseases that can jump from bird to human fall into O. of four categories:
• Fungal, which spreads from contact with the bird's droppings. So far, only pigeons regularly harbor fungal diseases
• Parasitic, such as lice or fleas which may use the pet bird as transportation to get to you
• Bacterial, such as e. coli
Dear God. And we wonder where bird flu could possibly come from?
Research the practices of how animals are allowed in the kitchen in Tibet. Women birth their children around the animals. And they have a high infant/mother mortality rate. Bird s%*t is no different in terms of cleanliness than other animals. If you can't get her to see reason, get another roommate. You are crazy to continue to live with this!
So sorry!
Dawn
Not only is it disgusting (because it is) but what if you were cooking and the bird landed in the pan?? Or onto an open flame or boiling pot of water?
Gross for humans, dangerous for birds.
She would not be my room mate for all the reasons listed below.
Someone posted that because they are not wild birds, they aren't carrying disease. That is not necessarily true. If they came from a pet store or bird breeder they still could carry disease, and yes, humans can get diseases from birds.
You owe it to yourself not to have to live in a home where you constantly feel you must scrub and clean, and where you do not have to worry daily about whether you could get ill. That is a deal-breaker in my estimation. I would tell her that unless the birds are permanently banished from the kitchen -- including when she is there alone! -- your living arrangements are over. Easier said than done, I know, but the daily stress of "Where did they poop? What did they poop on? What if I don't see it?" etc. is asking too much of you.
One thing before you talk to her: You don't say whether you have ever expressed to her clearly that you find this practice totally and constantly unsanitary, or whether you have ever specifically said to her "Please keep the birds out of the kitchen." If she has zero idea that this bothers you, it's up to you to tell her. If you never say anything about it, she is assuming that you're fine with the birds being in the kitchen. So if you have never before expressed a problem with this, and you do so now, she is going to rightly respond with, "But you never said anything! I thought you liked the birds!" Be prepared for that and take responsibility for the fact you didn't say anything before now (if that is indeed the case; if you have been telling her how you feel clearly, and she continues to bring in these birds -- well, you have a bigger problem than bird poop with this roomate.).
Update us here!
Is that OK?? No, it's not OK!!! That would be a deal breaker for me. Not sure who is on the lease but that is disgusting and unsanitary. Why in the world is this OK with you?? Why wouldn't you speak up the first time the bird sh** on the counter or you saw her wipe it down with water?
Gross... there's no way I would continue to live with this bird lady. It unsanitary, unhealthy, disgusting.
@MartyMomma... I should probably apologize to the PETA people for laughing hysterically at the story about the flaming parrot. Sorry but the visual on that was damn funny. Thanks for the laugh.
That grosses me out just reading that! Yuck. Yes there is harm in anything pooping on your counters or utensils etc without being properly washed and disinfected.
I personally dont like birds, because they are dirty, but especially because I have asthma. The stuff from their cages gets in the air and everywhere.
So yes, she should be keeping them in their cages, because they do poop all the time unexpectedly, and especially not bring them in the kitchen while you are cooking!
I beleive that you are referring to Histoplasmosis which is most commonly found from bat droppings, but also more commonin Starlings, and pigeon. Midwest is a known for it. BUT it is still disgusting and I wouldn't have it. I would request that she take them out only when she can be attentive with them OUTSIDE the kitchen. Yuck
Also, if you haven't already, try telling her what action you would like to see happen, i.e. please keep the birds out of the kitchen, and see where that goes.
Good luck, and do let us know what happens please.
T.
ooooo..... yuck....disgusting...stupid
It probably won't hurt you, they are not wild birds so they are not carrying disease. However, it's pretty rude of her to expect you to be okay with that. She should be cleaning up properly after her own birds. And I'm a bird owner.
Not sure about the salmonella mentioned below, but look it up -- if you get proof of that, show it to her and insist they stay off the counters and stop pooping all over the place. My lovebird stays in his cage unless he's on my shoulder or outside.
When I was younger, if my roommates had habits I couldn't tolerate (or vice versa), I found another roommate.
Even if it weren't dangerous, it's just gross. You are entitled to an opinion here and the two of you need to come to a mutual agreement. If she has any doubts about the birds, talk to a vet and your doctor to get backup.
walking on is fine pooping on no. buy lysol wipes tell her to use them. i have birds have had them walk on my pizza (pretty funny) but nothing happend i lived
Ya know whatever she does with the utensils is totally up to her. You on the other hand should clean them, gross!
All I can say is.....EEEEEWWWWWWW
That’s really gross. I would ask her to not let them in the kitchen. You can both get sick from bird poop and birds carry like any other animal can carry diseases.
Dawn B.
The US is high on the list with the infant mortality rate. But giving birth near animals is gross too.
Why are you living with someone like that ? Time to find a new roommate. Her lack of not only sanitary conditions, but total disregard for others says it all. I would be moving out asap.
These are her substitute children. She won't make a decent mother if she knows nothing about hygiene.
Set your boundaries and stick to them. And, if one of you has to, move out.
Gross! I could ot tolerate living with someone like. Who knows what sickness you will catch with bird poop all over the apartment. Water does not santize anything you Lysol. I would move asap.
Updated
Gross! I could ot tolerate living with someone like. Who knows what sickness you will catch with bird poop all over the apartment. Water does not santize anything you Lysol. I would move asap.
