Pet Bird In Home Daycare?
 

Hello,
My daycare provider recently got a pet bird which is allowed to roam freely where the children play. Isn't this unsanitary and against the rules? What should I do and say?
My children have been nonstop sick ever since. Please advise.
Thanks!

Which state are you in?

Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Hello,
My daycare provider recently got a pet bird which is allowed to roam freely where the children play. Isn't this unsanitary and against the rules? What should I do and say?
My children have been nonstop sick ever since. Please advise.
Thanks!

First, can you define "roam freely"? Is the bird allowed out on the floor, etc? If so, this is definitely a hazard for the bird and possibly the children if they get bitten. And of course if it is going to the bathroom where the kids are, that is just wrong and I'm sure it is against state regulations (if your dc is legally unlicensed there are no "rules" however).

Second, you insinuate that your children are sick because of the bird. This is cold/flu season, so the two may be completely unrelated.

I have parrots here but they are well contained and kept away from the dc kids unless we bring them out for "show and tell" and even then, the children are NOT allowed near them. Having a bird (or any other pet) in a home daycare can be a wonderful thing and a great learning experience for the kids, but HOW the animal is cared for is key.

I would definitely bring up your concerns with your provider. I'd be more concerned with your child being bitten by a bird than them getting sick from one.

I've never heard of a pet bird making the kids sick. I've never heard of a pet bird causing any problems other than making a nonstop racket all day long. From what little information you are giving, I'd say you are overreacting. But, if you could give more details, I might agree with you. (picturing chickens on the kitchen table)

I love pets... I have had birds.... But, I don't think I ever want any more birds because I can't stand the noise.

Some of kid's fondest childhood memories are the pets they had lots of contact with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Hy5HW1y6Y <---this is a bird I'd love to know (but not in my house) I'd totally invite him to my party though.

I hate birds, they freak me out. We use to have a budgie that would fly around, I hated that bird. I think the op is talking about birds like budgies who just fly around. Yuck and sometimes those birds do poop everywhere.

OP what kind of bird? I'm picturing bird poop covering everything and that is really unsanitary. I used to work in a pet store and dried bird poop is so impossible to clean up. If it is a love bird or parrot or cockatiel I would be really concerned with biting most of all. I keep all pets( accept 2 lazy push over cats ) in a separate off limits area.

I had a pet bird when I was a kid and they are dirty! poop everywhere and feathers. Definately not sanitary to have a bird out roaming around...any pet that's not trained actually. I would tell her she needs to keep the bird in the cage while the children are there.

I am pretty sure the state would require any bird to be caged during daycare hours, and possibly even in a locked, inaccessible area. I know my parrot is required to be out of the daycare area. That's just common sense, tho. A parrot can really put a chomp on a person! ;)

Birds can carry the strep virus. We had a Cockatiel and I was getting sick numerous times, not realizing it was from the bird.

I get so super sick around birds. I stayed at my MILs where DHs stepdad had a bunch of little birds and I was so ill after one night there!! Bleh, I wouldn't be very happy if my childs DC had a bird that was able to play where the kids were freely....

Originally Posted by youretooloud:
I've never heard of a pet bird making the kids sick. I've never heard of a pet bird causing any problems other than making a nonstop racket all day long. From what little information you are giving, I'd say you are overreacting. But, if you could give more details, I might agree with you. (picturing chickens on the kitchen table)

I love pets... I have had birds.... But, I don't think I ever want any more birds because I can't stand the noise.

Some of kid's fondest childhood memories are the pets they had lots of contact with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Hy5HW1y6Y <---this is a bird I'd love to know (but not in my house) I'd totally invite him to my party though.

LMAO Oh this is great! Totally made my day! :lol:

Having a bird in a cage that periodically is let out to fly around the room is one thing. However having a bird that is constantly free to roam around the room all day and poop on what ever it pleases does not sound very sanitary at all.

I had a parakeet when I was around 11 and my dad used to let that thing fly all around the house It had it's own little perch by the window with all it's little toys but that little bird made a big mess everywhere! Being 11 I didn't think much about little specks of bird poop on the ceiling fan and everywhere ells....but now I would never let a bird freely roam around my house or room where my child is staying for my child to get pooped on!! Just Sayin!

If your provider is licensed go online and read your states childcare regulations

In Missouri licensed providers may not have birds or reptiles in area where the children can come into contact with the pets. Salmanella is a big problem with both and you MUST wash well after handleing either one.

As a parent you need to be proactive for the safety of your child. I would suggest moving your child since it bothers you. But if it is not in the regulations she is not breaking any laws.

Originally Posted by itlw8:
If your provider is licensed go online and read your states childcare regulations

In Missouri licensed providers may not have birds or reptiles in area where the children can come into contact with the pets. Salmanella is a big problem with both and you MUST wash well after handleing either one.

As a parent you need to be proactive for the safety of your child. I would suggest moving your child since it bothers you. But if it is not in the regulations she is not breaking any laws.

I agree, if you're having doubts about your child's health and safety, maybe it's time you considered moving them to a new daycare. I don't think it's bad for a child to have positive interactions with birds every now and then, but everyday, especially where they play, is too much exposure.

Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Hello,
My daycare provider recently got a pet bird which is allowed to roam freely where the children play. Isn't this unsanitary and against the rules? What should I do and say?
My children have been nonstop sick ever since. Please advise.
Thanks!

My child's sitter got a bird about 8 months ago. My husband wanted us to find a new sitter at that point because birds carry many different types of bacteria that are harmful to young, old and immunocompromised poeple. I didn't think much of it, but my daughter gets sick with what seemed like a cold w/ fever every 2-3 weeks. After discussing it with her pediatrician, he ran some tests and it turns out she had histoplasmosis which is transmitted through bird droppings. It's a fungal infections that infects the lungs.

My sitter does not allow the bird to roam freely in the house, that I know of... either way, the birds big, nasty, cage is right in the center of where she spends most of her day. The sitter allows my child to touch the cage and stand close to see the bird. When my child rubs her eyes, nose, or has a snack she then gets this fungus in her lungs...eeew!

I have stopped taking my child to the sitter and she hasn't been sick since.

I had a bird for 9 years. (Not while doing daycare). Birds are very fragile, and become sickly easily. I would be more worried that the bird would get sick from the daycare kids bringing in sickness than the bird giving sickness to the kids. Also, with my bird, I never left the cage door closed. She would sit on top of her cage, occasionally on the curtains, and we held her a lot. Even though she was "free" much of the time, she did not poop all over.

Yes, people can be allergic to birds just like they are allergic to dogs, cats, and other pets/animals.