Air freshener causing respiratory issues?

[Karen]

I was reading an article earlier today about birds being extremely sensitive to scented candles and remembered my own air freshener that I have in my room where Sylvia's tank is. It's a dual scent pine and 'winter berry' one, and I was wondering if that might be causing or aggravating Sylvia's respiratory issues.

I know pine oils are bad, but has anyone had any air fresheners that might have caused problems? I've gone ahead and unplugged it and won't use it again, just in case, but I would like to hear anyone else's thoughts on it.

[655321]

Possibly. The oils in scented candles and those plug in air fresheners can get into the respiratory tract and also on their skin and irritate them. That's also why it's not a good idea to wash your hands with scented soaps or using scented lotion when handling them. At least that's what I've read/heard. I used to have my snake's cage (before I got my skink) in my bedroom and I love candles and would burn them frequently. I started to notice that while I had a candle burning, especially a strong scented one, he would rub his nose/face on everything. Then he would stop shortly after I blew out the candle and the scent went away. Once I realized this I stopped burning them in there. But now his cage is in another room, a much better ventilated room (my room is kind of small), and I haven't noticed this behavior since! It might be worth it to stop using the air freshener for a while and see what happens.

[Spindown]

so i'm assuming incense would definitely be a no-no.

[655321]

Yeah...cause that has the scent, oils, and smoke! Smoke definitely has to be bad. I know, I'm a big incense fan too. Kinda sucks but I'd rather my babies be healthy!

[Karen]

My room is not that well ventilated, so I'm definitely tossing it, at least until I move out into my own apartment in a few months. Hopefully that will help her out some, I just feel guilty for not remembering it until now.

[Linnea]

air refreshers and air cleaners(electric) are very dangerous for human lungs and animal lungs alike. when talking about air refreshers i dont mean fresh herbs, i mean the chemical stuff they put on it.

the electric ones,particles they contain are not illegal due to their effectiveness, but the molecules might as well bind to your lungs as they do to dust and cause allergies or respiratory infections in the long run (asthmatics are in the danger zone).

and air refreshers (the smelling ones) do cause allergies to some people. if i were you i wouldnt have anything strong smelling in the room you sleep /keep reptiles in.



however, i do not believe the air refresher caused the respiratory infection itself. but removing things like that is a good idea for everyone in the house. its way better to pick fresh flowers and put them in the room!

[Karen]

Even if it didn't cause it, I'm sure it wasn't helping her any. I've been using air fresheners for years without any issue, but if it's better for the reptile I'll definitely toss them out. I'll be keeping an eye on her over the next few days to see if she seems to have an easier time breathing now that it's gone.

[Linnea]

i may have sounded a big rash in my previous comment. theyre still no good though.

its not helping her, but its probably not causing anything that is visibly going to change her RI problem directly. im just guessing saying this, but if i had asthma problems and there was an air-refresher in the room....well, i can imagine it being a trigger. im not comparing human asthma symptoms to RI symptoms with lizards, but threre is an underlying issue with strong smelling things while having breathing problems/infections. (unless its tiger balm...does the trick. for humans)

but sylvia is already on meds so she will definitely get better in a few days just from that n__n ( + loving care)

[Karen]

but sylvia is already on meds so she will definitely get better in a few days just from that n__n ( + loving care)

Well, she's been on meds since October 20th and her breathing still has a bit of crackle to it. Some days it is more pronounced than others, though it has never gotten as bad as it was when I first took her in. She had her last injection on Monday and has a few more days of Baytril, so after that I'll see how she does off of meds. If she starts getting worse again I'll go get more obviously. The bacterial cultures they did from her mouth and lungs didn't really show anything, so the vet didn't have much to go off of.

[Linnea]

other things that irritate the mucous membrane include:

hairspray, strong smelling shower products/soaps, nail polish(when applied), washing chemicals that are not allergy tested......

thats all i can think of that might help in her close environment.....might not even help to change anything at all since this info i have is mainly meant for humans who are sensitive to certain products due to breathing problems, allergies or temporary respiratory problems(including colds).

and onions......fresh onions x'D......

[655321]

Thank you for mentioning nail polish!!! I use clear nail polish for some of my crafts and often do so in close proximity to my skink's cage (just because of how the room is set up). I will change this and do it in a different room, just in case!

[Karen]

hairspray, strong smelling shower products/soaps, nail polish(when applied), washing chemicals that are not allergy tested.....

None of those around her at least, and I hate onions... so none of those either.

[655321]

Yep! I love onions....but she's nowhere near the kitchen.

[Spindown]

lol at least onions dont make them cry