Are Soy Candles Safe For Birds?

When occasions knock, you think of redecorating your house to get a festive vibe. Not only that, some people like to have their home cozy and warm. And candles add to your interior decoration, most often in a better way than lamps do for the age-old classical gesture and warmth they have.

However, as beautiful as it gets, more concerning can it become when you are burning candles and owning pets simultaneously, especially birds.

Birds do not have the same respiratory system as we humans do. They are sensitive to most smoke and fumes and prone to get sick. In the worst-case scenario, birds can even die.

So, while lighting up candles can be a great way to enchant the overall ambiance of a home, you might worry if your birds will do well around anything burning.

As most people tend to replace traditional wax or paraffin candles with scented soy candles, the worry is not over. So, you might still wonder, “Are soy candles safe for birds?” and whether they are a good alternative. Keep reading to find out.

Key Takeaways

• Birds have sensitive lungs and become irritated by most fumes and smoke. This is why avian experts suggest and advise not to burn anything near your pet birds.
• Soy candles are supposed to be safe and healthier for your pet birds. However, you must ensure that soy candles are 100% natural, organic, and free of harmful chemicals.
• Along with soy candles, beeswax, palm wax, and bayberry candles are often considered safe for birds.

Do birds have sensitive lungs? Why?

Most bird species are accustomed to living in the air and outdoors. They have strong senses, especially sight, smell, and hearing. These abilities help them in locating food, searching for mates, shelter, and other requirements so they can live in the wild.

Birds’ respiratory system are similar to human, consisting of air sacs, lungs, tracheas, and nostrils. However, unlike humans, birds do not have diaphragms. Therefore, for them, gassy exchange takes place in lungs-based air capillaries, but for humans, it involves air sacs.

As a result, oxygen reaches the blood cells in birds quite fast, which significantly supports them during high-altitude flights. However, it also makes the birds more prone to the pollutants they breathe. These substances enter a bird’s blood circulation by direct inhalation, which may make them sick or kill them.

Birds also lack nasal hairs to filter out dangerous particles like smoke and dust. Because of this, avoid bringing air fresheners, deodorants, incense, oil diffusers, or antiseptics near birds. As a result of their toxic stuffing’s, candles may also be quite dangerous to your pet birds’ health.

Are soy candles safe for birds?

Soy wax comes from soybeans and is used to make soy candles. Unlike artificial chemical-based paraffin candles, they are all-natural and organic.

Therefore, lead, paraffin, ultraviolet blockers, and other toxic ingredients are typically absent from soy wax. Additionally, compared to regular wax candles, these candles produce less heat and smoke, which is better for birds’ lung.

Soy candles are among the safest types of candles to burn around birds, provided they are made entirely of soy and without artificial chemicals.

But not all soy candles are made entirely of soy. Some candles still contain paraffin to hold their shapes well when made into container-shaped candles.

Consequently, some avian experts advise avoiding burning anything close to your birds. They claim that although they can’t say for sure, soy candles won’t damage birds’ health.

What can make soy candles unsafe for birds?

Although it’s safe to say that most soy candles are safe for birds, some avian experts suggest not using them as they can be harmful for some reasons.

Below we share why soy candles can still be dangerous to your birds:

• Existence of paraffin: The negative effects of paraffin will still be there if your soy candles include paraffin, in addition to not being manufactured entirely of soy. Because of this, your beloved birds won’t be safe when you light the candle.
• Essential oils: Natural essential oils are not present in all soy candles. They could have been combined with chemicals and synthetic fragrances. Because of this, lighting candles comprised of impure essential oils and chemicals can release dangerous vapors.
• Soot production: Even if you use a pure soy candle, the soy candle’s soot generation may not be entirely safe for birds. Since soot contains a lot of carbon, it may be fatal to any organ. Because their respiratory systems are more delicate than humans’, birds’ exposure to burning carbon may be hazardous.

You now understand that although soy candles are a safer option, they are not entirely devoid of dangerous ingredients that might kill a bird if you burn them close to your pet bird.

Therefore, considering various factors, many avian specialists advise against burning anything—be it a candle or lamp—close to a bird’s nest, regardless of how natural or organic it may be.

Are paraffin candles dangerous for birds?

You scarcely notice the effects of candles when you burn them, whether made of wax or paraffin, to improve the overall scenic gesture and scent of your room to spend a wonderful evening or romantic candlelight dinner. But with pets, particularly birds, that is not the case.

Therefore, lighting average, cheap paraffin candles close to your birds is never a smart idea. These paraffin candles often have a perfume, which makes them appealing to us, but we should never attempt to fire them next to our pet birds.

The respiratory systems of birds are far more sensitive than those of humans. Therefore, while these candles seem harmless to humans and have no apparent negative effects, they are quite dangerous to birds.

Apart from the respiratory system of birds, paraffin candles nearly always include chemicals and emit chemicals as fumes. Small doses of these chemicals are safe for humans, but they may be more than enough to injure a bird’s respiratory system.

See Also: Are Candle Warmers Better Than Burning?

Which candles are safe for birds?

Most pets and birds will not take it normally when you light candles around them. They may feel irritated but can’t express it. However, they get used to it eventually when they feel safe.

But poor-quality candles can easily irritate a bird’s respiratory system and pose a severe threat. Paraffin, lead, and impure essential oil mixed candles are examples of poor-quality candles. Hence, you must be very careful with your chosen candles. We will list some safe candles for birds.

1. Soy Candles

Because soy candles are made entirely of natural ingredients, they are often considered safe for birds. They don’t include any artificial materials that are deemed to be bad for the environment.

A candle made of soy wax burns more slowly and produces less smoke and heat, which helps to purify the air. Soy candles may be readily replaced since they are manufactured from natural materials.

2. Yankee Candles

Conventional candles are dangerous for your birds since they are filled with chemicals and oils that may hurt your animals. On the other hand, Yankee Candles produces candles devoid of toxic substances that might affect you or your birds and are manufactured from organic and clean components.

3. Beeswax Candles

Candles made of beeswax are harmless to birds and don’t include artificial ingredients that can irritate their respiratory systems. They are formed of beeswax, which bees naturally produce to build honeycombs. Beeswax is wonderful for birds since it may help clear the air of certain contaminants.

4. Bayberry Wax Candles

Despite being produced by plants, bayberry candles are safe to use around your birds. Even more stiff candles may be made by mixing these candles with beeswax. They are distinguished by their natural, reviving scent. Their festive candles are rather well-known.

5. Palm Wax Candles

Palm wax candles are decomposable and hence more ecologically friendly. These candles are often used instead of paraffin. These candles are formed by separating the fatty acids from red palm oil under intense pressure and heat.

Although they are clean and natural, certain birds may be bothered by the scent of fatty acids. Therefore, you should maintain caution when using these candles.

See Also: Are Wooden Wick Candles Better?

What to know while burning candles around your bird?

The easiest way to determine which candle is ideal for your bird is to test it out and see how it responds.

To do this, follow a few steps described below:

1. Choose the finest natural candles and ignore the synthetic alternatives. While your birds are awake and near, burn the candles one at a time for around a few minutes. Then, observe their reactions.
2. If it’s the first time you’ve burned a candle close to your birds, they may not respond immediately.
3. Come back in approximately 5 minutes to observe whether your bird is happy with the candle after leaving it burning for a few minutes.
4. It may indicate that the candle is safe for your bird if it comes close to it. The more away your bird gets from the candle, the less probable they will like the vibe.
5. Please run this experiment again with every kind of candle you have. Even while certain candles may not bother birds, the insufficient ventilation they get from them might cause them to become overheated.

Never burn a candle inside a closed birdhouse that isn’t ventilated. Ensure that there are enough doors open so fresh air can enter and lessen the heat and fragrance from the candles. The bird’s species or genetic makeup may also impact its response to certain candles.

Is there an alternative to burning candles?

As previously indicated, some avian scientists believe soy candles are unsafe for birds. You’re left to question whether there are any other options you may utilize to enhance your home’s aroma.

See Also: Can You Have Candles in Dorm Rooms?

Here are some excellent suggestions that are far safer than using candles to give your area a pleasant scent:

• Boiling orange peels in a pot will produce beautiful smells
• Cinnamon and water at a boil make the room smell mildly nice
• Bringing in flowers with a good fragrance to your house
• Adding indoor plants in pots beautifies the air and produces a good smell.
• Lemon peels in a simmer help your room smell a good smell.
• Use an air purifier. Some of them have air freshening smells along with a purifying feature.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

When we talk about burning, no matter what it is, it tends to become toxic to birds and unhealthy. So, while burning candles, you must ensure your pet birds respond well.

You can conduct the little experiment we have mentioned here to know what suits them better. However, among the candle choices, soy candles are supposed to be healthier than other candles for bird health.

But most avian experts suggest that you focus on the soy candles’ quality and ensure they are 100% organic and safe to use.