what are the chances of getting sick from your bird? im really nervous about that kind of stuff
There are zoonotic diseases, diseases which can pass from an animal to a human
I cover the basics here
There’s also a condition called bird keeper’s lung or bird fancier’s lung where if a person breathes in too much bird dust, poop, and seed debris it can create inflammation in their lungs.
That said, these things are really not super duper common dramatic things we need to be frantically concerned about. The odds of actually getting one of these problems are very very low and all of the Zoonotic diseases are only transferable if the bird is already sick, taking a bird to the vet for annual checkups, being cleanly, and using basic hygiene prevents a majority of these problems. If by chance your bird does come down with a zoonotic disease react the same way you would with an ill person, don’t spend prolonged amounts of time with them, get them proper treatment, wash your hands frequently, etc. If you somehow do get ill go see a doctor and get treatment, from my knowledge all of the things listed are treatable. Bird fancier’s lung is also not a common problem with the average person, unless you live in a house with six cockatoos, and sleep in the same room as your bird’s cage breathing in poop for 8 hours every night there’s a very slim chance you will get ill. Use basic hygiene, go outside for fresh air, change their paper frequently, clean the cage weekly.
These things are all easily preventable with basic hygiene and aren’t something we should be having major panic attacks over, it is smart to be aware of these problems so if something does arise we are educated on that manner but we shouldn’t be spending every minute fretting about it!