# Is faeces dangerous?



## gerbilgirl

Yesterday my grandfather decided to tell my mum that pigeon poo was dangerous. Mum is not happy but I convinced her that DuckDuck wasn't on a mission to kill her family  . So now I'm wondering... Is Wood Pigeon poo dangerous?

And to add a little happiness onto the post...
I took him up to the pet shop where I work yesterday (I got him through a customer finding him and taking him there) to get his nails clipped by someone a bit more experienced with birds, and he was really good . Everybody was petting round him and he just sat there and behaved. Even when a parrot started squawking at him and puffing his feathers up at him, Duck just cuddled into me until the parrot was put away. And although his wings are clipped he does still have quite a bit of flight, and he just sat there on my hand (with the door of the shop wide open  ), and lapped up the attention . So proud of him and everyone in the shop was so happy to see him and commented on how well he looked (even if he does look a bit raggedy with new coloured feathers coming in round his neck). He's 7 months now, and starting to act all grown up!


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## M Kurps

#1 2nd January 2010, 11:05 AM 
M Kurps 
Pigeon Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 160 


Interesting article I found

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Here is an interesting article that I found online posted by the New York City Department of Health. Notice the copy right date (2010). http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/epi/epi-pigeon.shtml 
Kurps 






Read this article,and show grandpa.
Kurps


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## Pawbla

Some phrases to highlight for you parents/grandparents:

Histoplasmosis
"When cleaning droppings a person may breathe in some of the fungus, which in cases of high exposure can cause infection. Common activities, such as cleaning off windowsills, will not result in high exposures."
So you can think that unless you have a loft, you chances of getting histoplasmosis are next to zero.

Cryptococcosis
"It is very unlikely that healthy people will become infected even at high levels of exposure."
"According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 85 percent of cryptococcosis patients are HIV-positive."

Psittacosis
"Since 1996, fewer than 50 confirmed cases were reported in the United States annually. In New York City, psittacosis is very rare with less than one human case identified each year."


And, from what I read, those illnesses are not even dangerous if treated.


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## gerbilgirl

Thanks for the replies so far...

Maybe I should clarify a bit more though, he is in the house in the bedroom next to mine, in a fairly large parrot cage which is cleaned every day. He is out twice a day for about an hour each time. Would being in his room count as high exposure?


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## John_D

Poop is not a problem when fresh if people take sensible hygiene precautions as they would with any other kind of poop. If a pigeon of any kind is sick, then obviously it's even more important to use commonsense, as one should when handling any sick bird or animal. 

Poop which is allowed to dry and become powdery could be a problem if breathed in, but that's only likely if left for quite a while, and who is going to leave loads of dried poop around 

One thing that isn't a 'pigeon disease' but does affect some people, of course, is the allergic reaction to feather dust and other minute particles given off by birds - this can be a problem with the more usual bird pets as much as with pigeons. I have had plenty of pigeons in my apartment (I have three currently, one sitting on my knee right now) but have no problem with this - some people have had to give up keeping one parrot because of it.

Histoplasmosis is not a problem in the UK, according to a Cambridge microbiologist I asked about it - to the best of his knowledge the fungus does not grow here. The fungus which causes Cryptococcosis may do. But again, these are not diseases of pigeons - they are actually caused by breathing in spores from fungi which grow in certain soils. They do well in soil enriched by bird droppings, but can be carried not just on bird feet and feathers (and mixed in with droppings), but also on shoes, clothing and animal fur and feet. An indoor bird is not going to come into contact with the fungi anyway,

John


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## Pawbla

To clarify: High exposure would mean spending some hours in a loft full of pigeons and dry pigeon poo, from what I get. And the difference between him being caged and outside is pretty much the same in exposure. Poop is still there.
Actually, he should be more time outside IMO.
There's nothing to worry about your pet bird. Just wash your hands after cleaning his mess (like with every kind of poop) and don't allow him to come in contact with other birds (that can transmit disease). You have everything covered there, the worst that could happen is allergy. What hasn't killed you yet, won't kill you in the future .


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## sreeshs

Just to add, if at all someone has a low immunity to get infected by Cryptococcosis, it is more common in cats than pigeons


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