Which Birds Are Dusty & Not Dusty?

[HarpSpirit]

I remember reading an article awhile ago about certain birds that were dusty....like Cockatiels and Cockatoos. I can't seem to find that article again.

So I was wondering if anybody here knows of a list or article listing which birds cause dust and which don't. I am assuming Lovebirds are not dusty as I have never seen any in and around his cage...but my Cockatiels are very dusty....achoo!! :rolleyes:

Thanks for any help!

HarpSpirit

[Eliza]

Cockatiels, cockatoos and African greys are all "dusty" birds. They have a fine powder on their feathers that can turn a black cage grey ;)

I believe those 3 species are the only dusty parrots.

-e-

[Elle]

Hmm.... Interesting. I didn't know they had a term for it. I know Max often gets a fine powder on his beak. That would explain :)

[Asue]

Dust is just another term for dander. Because birds do not have fur or hair, it's not flakie. Instead it's powder-like. The sheaths break away from new feathers creating dust. Some species are a lot more dusty than others... but all birds create feather dust. You'll notice parrots that are not allowed to bathe often have a powder like coating on body feet and beaks.

Anyway, all birds create dust, just some more than others. :wink:

[DebSpace]

I have seen that on a few birds in pet shops and wondered if they had dry skin from moulting or something. Interesting - learning, learning!:)

[LauraO]

I know my grey Mijo is very dusty. He has a ton of dander and it get's everywhere.

[Kathryn]

My Halfmoon Conures are not bathers...typical of the species. So they have a lot of dust. I use a mist spray that I ordered from Dr. Fisher on them every other day. It's helping keep their skin from being so dry.

[HarpSpirit]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. :)

Now if I could just figure out why the birds I seem to like the best are all the dustier ones.....:rofl:

[michael]

Goofy the peachfaced love bird looks dusty but doesn't leave any noticable dust around. around here they say thats a good thing, better than shiney. at least for a love bird. I hope thats fact!

[Cathy]

My first bird after a parakeet, was a beautiful cockatiel. He was so friendly, but we only lasted about 3 days because of his "dustiness." I couldn't breathe. I took him back to the store where I got him and traded him for Jasmine, my p'let, who they had hanbdfed. That was 3 years, and 3 birds later ago. My lovebirds and my caique do not bother me at all.