Have you heard recently about the health benefits of using essential oils? Wonder if traveling down the naturalist path for health and healing you and your parrots is a good thing? Well, there are some things your must know before you start. First and foremost remember that in general anything that is scented such as air fresheners, candles, scented sprays, perfumes and such are dangerous for birds. So, how then could essential oils be safe for parrots if scented products are unsafe?
First you must know exactly what essential oils are. Basically they are aromatic, volatile liquids found in plants and are essential for a plant to grow and live. Plants need these to not only survive, but to thrive as well. They support various life processes and regulate plant functions. Different oils have many different properties, from healing to purifying to protecting. Some are antibacterial and antifungal. There is research to show that they may have been used as early as 4,500 BC, and the Ancient Egyptians used them for treating illnesses as well as religious ceremonies and rituals.
So, sounds amazing right? Well there is one thing you must know before using essential oils on yourself or your feathered family. Essential oils are available in many different grades and can be easily adulterated with chemicals and additives to make them cheaper to produce. These adulterated versions can be toxic to people and pets! This is the reason that people have been told that essential oils are harmful to pet birds. When using essential oils it is important to select oils that are therapeutic grade. Over 90% of essential oils on the market are not of therapeutic grade, and even some that are therapeutic grade have different levels of quality. So it is extremely important to only buy certain brands of essential oils.
One of the most highly recommended companies producing safe, therapeutic grade and high quality enough to use around parrots is a company called Young Living. This company creates pure unadulterated, therapeutic grade essential oils. They grow their plants on virgin soil that is never treated with pesticides or toxic chemicals. You can find more information about their growing and harvesting process at http://youngliving.com
So, why use oils in the first place? You probably don't need to "heal" your bird right. But think about this, we all have to clean up after our birds, dirty bowls, cages and perches, so why not use a product that will kill all the nasty stuff with out putting our birds are risk from harsh chemicals. Thieves oil makes a great disinfecting spray. Thieves is an all natural antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial essential oil that is 100% safe and non-toxic to use around birds.
If you are interested in learning more about using essential oils with pets visit Dr. Shelton's website http://oilyvet.com
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