# Panicked Over Peppermint Oil



## AlicjanPip (Jun 19, 2013)

Is peppermint oil bad for pigeons?

We have a mouse problem, and I thinkk we just went overboard with the smearing of peppermint oil around the small pigeon hutch we have. So, now we're going nuts trying to wash it away.

Does peppermint oil vapour affect pigeons????

Thankyou


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Are your birds displaying some type of reaction? 
I have peppermint (herb) planted all around my flight cages and it doesn't bother my birds.

** I did a little reading and found this......

"The peppermint oil can kill your birds if used near them. Like phenol oil it causes upper respiratory distress and death in all birds.
I have researched this first hand from a breeder and also: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q…
They do not recommend ANY essential oils near birds. "

From what I'm finding, peppermint leaves and plants are safe......it is the OILS that are not safe.


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## Xbluejayx (Jul 11, 2013)

As long the oil isn't on the area where the pigeons bottom feed, you should be ok.


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## AlicjanPip (Jun 19, 2013)

Msfreebird said:


> Are your birds displaying some type of reaction?
> I have peppermint (herb) planted all around my flight cages and it doesn't bother my birds.
> 
> ** I did a little reading and found this......
> ...


Thanks for both of your replies 
In reply to Jay, we only smeared the oil on the legs/ground around the legs/brick window sill next to the hutch cage.
We have 2 pigeons in the hutch cage. One is going through the moult now - I picked him up, and I could smell peppermint on him, which got me horrified and researching the darn oil. His mates feathers don't smell, however...I don't know whats going on, how he absorbed the smell and she didn't.
But we've hosed/scrubbed the ground/legs of hutch/bricks down as much as possible. There's a faint smell of the oil still floating around...i dont know if we've just inhaled too much of it ourselves now, or what...anyhows, the pigeons seem to be okay. My sister and i are ready to keel over.
What are good mice repellents?
I can't stand them, we keep the little hutch clean, newspaper changed everyday, everything changed daily, and they still have the audacity to come. We hoped the oil would knock them out, not us :/ GAH


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Any fumes like that would be bad for them. As Waynette has said, the plants are safe. The hutch should be built so that nothing can get in anyway. And remove their feed at night would also help. If they can throw feed outside onto the ground, that will attract mice also.


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## AlicjanPip (Jun 19, 2013)

Jay3 said:


> Any fumes like that would be bad for them. As Waynette has said, the plants are safe. The hutch should be built so that nothing can get in anyway. And remove their feed at night would also help. If they can throw feed outside onto the ground, that will attract mice also.


Hi Jay3, yeah, this mouse thing began 4 days ago. We put a cardboard box cubby inside the hutch, so that Pip and Lulu could stay in it at night...for warmth...anyways, the next morning, there were mice droppings on top of the cardboard box roof. Never happened before. Food and water goes inside house each evening, they get their last drink at 6 or 7 and thats it til morning. Its like the mice are wanting the cardboard box. :/ we'll go for the leaves now, instead of oils, learnt that lesson on ourselves tonight. I think we'll be smelling peppermint for a month now.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You have to keep the mice totally out. They spread Salmonella/Paratyphoid to your birds, who will become very sick and possibly die.
Can you post a picture of the hutch?


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