This should be a warning to all pet owners regarding the dangers of Teflon-Coated oven liners and cookware!
Two of my birds died last night (December 13, 2010) due to the toxic fumes released from accidentally burning our Teflon-Coated oven liner. The oven liner is suppose to be able to withstand temperatures up to 550 ºF. Our electrical oven only goes up to 500 ºF. So what happened?
Apparently oven liners are not suppose to be placed on the bottom floor of the oven, but on the bottom rack. When placed on the bottom of the oven, the oven liner can reach temperatures up to 800 ºF! This is due to the heating element being directly underneath the oven floor.
So when my wife and I cooked dinner last night, the Teflon-Coated oven liner burned pretty badly. I was not aware that burning Teflon releases a toxic gas that is fatal to birds. Our birds are not even in the kitchen, but in a bedroom down a hall and through closed doors. Even being in a completely different room did not save our birds. The Teflon-Coated oven liner melted and has left a permanent mark in our oven. Quite interesting that a product intended to keep the bottom our oven from getting dirty actually ruined our oven by leaving a permanent mark on the oven floor.
I have had our lovebird "Nibbles" since 1999. We got him when he was only days old, and hand raised him ever since. I have never seen such a tame, loving bird who enjoyed whistling and dancing while I played the piano. We also got a parakeet named "Petey" a few years ago. Petey became great friends with Nibbles. I would put both birds together all the time and they would both kiss and whistle together without ever fighting. That is rare for lovebirds since they are territorial. I will miss my two birds very much, especially when I play my piano. I'll never get to have Nibbles sit on my shoulder chirping away while I play.
I believe companies selling Teflon-Coated products that are intended to be used in extremely hot conditions should be required to display a warning label in large print "OVER HEATING OR BURNING THIS PRODUCT
WILL RELEASE TOXIC FUMES FATAL TO HOUSE PETS SUCH AS BIRDS!"
Rest In Peace my little birdies.
