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Just found out...I've got to make my first doctors appt in 2 more weeks.

Does anyone know if a Doctor will make you get rid of indoor finches/buttons if you are pregnant?

I know the cats have got to stay out....

Even if I build an outdoor aviary for the summer, I wont be due until Dec.

I had plans to order guinea keets, I may be able to put them under a heat lamp and build a home for them outside but I have to bring finches in for the winter...

I've never been pregnant, and never can be as I'm a guy.. but seriously, why would anyone tell you not to have birds around if pregnant? Unless you happen to have some kind of allergy to birds, what other reason would there be? To me, having something as relaxing to watch as birdies would be helpful, not harmful.

Honestly, I have no idea. I know with the cats it is because of something in their urine.

Please let us know about the birds, my husband and I want to start a family in a couple of years and this info will be needed.

Or sensitivity to dander?

Talk to your doctor first........these days it seems each doctor has a different opinion. My DIL is pregnant and they have no intention of getting rid of their dog or African Grey!
Personally, I don't see a problem with finches, don't know about the other fowl...........

If your cats are indoor cats, keep them that way. Otherwise, here's some info that may help. Good husbandry is the key to staying healthy.
http://www.kittens-lair.net/cat-health/ ... eases.html

Seriously, I wouldn't worry about it.
I kept my canary, lovebird, and sun conure while I was pregnant, but just had my husband do the cage cleanings. If we had had a cat at the time, I would have had the man clean out the litter box. We did have a dog.

One of my pregnancy books talked about parrots and the possibility of picking up a disease from them (I forget the name of it.), and I asked the doctor about it. She said she could test me for it, but the chance that I might have anything from the birds or might possibly pick up anything from them was so remote that she didn't think it was worth bothering over.

I am sure there have been zillions of women with cats and dogs and chickens and cows, and thousands with pet birds, who handled their animals during pregnancy with no problems whatsoever.

I understand your concerns and believe me, I worried about everything worth worrying about when I was pregnant, and many things that weren't worrying about. I'd be far more concerned about falling down stairs, or not getting enough folic acid or calcium. I personally think it's wonderful for a kid to have pets around right from the start.

Mention it to your doctor, but I'd be very surprised is s/he is fussed about the pets.

My very best wishes to you. You are in for the joy of your life.

Ann

I think the main issue with birds is their dander.... and how it may affect infants... Otherwise I don't really know of how birds can affect humans (other than the human possibly being allergic), as long as the birds are healthy and things are kept clean.

Now that my memory has been jogged, I suspect the fear might be from "parrot fever" which is just another name for a bunch of zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted between birds and humans, the most common being giardia, although mentioned on several avian vet websites, I also read that the form of giardia birds have is NOT a zoonotic disease and CANNOT be transmitted to humans -- vice-versa. Not positive how accurate the info is, as there are many papers on the subject and variations of giardia, but cats, dogs, and other small animals can contract this same disease, and being mammals, can be zoonotic. I suspect much of what you may have heard *might* be old wives tales, but there may be truth to some.

Just my $0.02 worth.......

Probably what you are thinking of is toxoplasmosis. My husband got this when he used to own a pigeon years ago, it can be carried in bird & cat feces. What usually happens is the mother becomes a carrier & it passes to the child, I think during birth but don't quote me. I remember reading it can cause blindness in babies. What happened to my husband was an inflamation of his left retina which caused scarring. He had to go on steroids for a long time & is now blind in that eye. Once you get it you are always a carrier & unable to donate blood. I'm not trying to scare you off of keeping finches. I don't even know if they are carriers, but to be safe you should let your husband clean the cages & cat litter boxes.

Do you think it could be airborne or just by poo?

Just chiming in to say congratulations, Dana -- what happy news!

And I think having your husband clean all the cages & litter boxes is a wonderful idea.

Cheers & felicitations
Pat

From what I have read it is a parasite that grows in the intestines of birds & cats & is shed through the feces. Fresh feces is usually not the problem but after it has set awhile, giving the parasite to grow. People who have suppressed immune systems are particularly susceptible. You do need to be careful of the dust from the cat litter, but most finch people use paper in the cages so dust is not usually a problem, especially if you mist the paper before gathering it up. A person can contract the disease & be asymptomatic. One can be tested to see if it is present. The only way it is transmitted person to person is through pregnancy, mother to fetus. If transmitted during the first trimester there is a 15 % chance of the baby being infected; in the later stages of pregnancy the likely hood jumps to 50-60 %. I'm not trying to be an alarmist here, just thought you should have some info. You can Google & find many articles on the subject. My motto is, better safe than sorry.

I guess my plan is for an outdoor aviary, at least until fall. Then, Mr man will just have to do that cleaning for a while.

Thanks for the info, it also gives me a start for questions for the DOC.

I think this still leads back to the term parrot fever, which is giardia, aka a few other terms. It is NOT (in the bird version) zoonotic as stated on a couple of websites and IINM the Wiki pages under giardia. (possibly wrong on site) At any rate, if the birdies have something, I suspect I have it too, as does my wife. We change cage paper daily, so there is little dust, and yes, the organism does come from dried poo dust while the bird is shedding cells. If you've had your birds tested for giardia and are negative, I'd not worry.. Cats are a whole other game, and I'd not have a cat within 40 miles of me if I could help it. I just don't be a cat person.

YMMV with above......

sam

My Dr-s office was not really concerned about the birds. Yipee!!!

My vet said that generally house birds are ok. They also said most older cats would not be as big a risk as young cats. Oh well, its summer and they will just have to cope. I have plenty of dog houses outside for the chickens and some of them are empty. An excuse not to clean litter boxes.... Double Yipee!