Providing clean air for your pet bird has to be somewhere near the top of your list of concerns. The right portable unit can be the answer to the problem. Here is a discussion about why.
One of the best things about birds is that they move around. And in captivity that movement generates lots of dust and dander that usually has no place to go. The air currents from their movement stirs up a lot of other stuff too like household dust, dust mites, parts of dead insects, mold and mildew spores as well as airborne bacteria and viruses.
Without a way to clear the air, you and your pet are forced to breathe air that becomes increasingly unhealthy. Since the production of dander will be an ongoing process it’s easy to understand why it can reach levels that exacerbate existing respiratory conditions for humans and can cause grave health concerns for your avian friend..
The most reliable way to keep the air quality high is to keep the allergens in the air low. Using an air purifier that contains a canister that contains a variety of filters sized to eliminate different particles is best because no one filter can do the job adequately or for long enough.
A HEPA or high efficiency particle arresting filter is a must when dealing with birds. The extra particulates are microscopic, and because the HEPA is designed to remove airborne particles that are as small as .3 microns in size, birds and this type of filter are a perfect match.
Air purifiers operate by cleaning the air that’s closest to it first. This is an obvious advantage for having a portable unit. You can place it in the bird’s room or fairly close by and it will displace the air beside it first and gradually work its way through all of the air that is open to it.
If you and your bird live in a space that has the temperature and any filtration controlled for you, a portable unit gives you more control. Many systems shut down or cut back overnight in an attempt to save energy and money.
Unless the power is shut off, a stand-alone unit will allow you to continue to filter the air without a drop in air quality. And it may take several hours to get air quality back to an acceptable level. It won’t happen instantly, and you are left to breathe air that is thick with pollutants.
Maintenance on a portable unit is usually do-it-yourself, and is way less expensive than a unit that is attached to the house. The filters in a stand-alone unit are generally less expensive and there are units that have a 5 year guarantee and a pro-rated warranty to insure you get your money’s worth of filtration.
Wheels are also an excellent feature to have. The more portable the unit is the more likely you are to use it. So if you decide to move the location of your birds in your home, you can simply relocate your unit by rolling it to wherever you decide they will be.
Having a unit that is not connected to the central air or heat is a winner, because if you decide to move to another home that is across town or the country, you can rest easy knowing that clean air is as close as the nearest outlet.