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Is my zinc oxide sunscreen safe for my new pet bird to be around?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Male | unneutered | 6 months and 25 days old

hi i am adopting a pet bird and know all about the dangers of non-sick coating. I've heard that zinc is also toxic to birds. I try to always be safe i the sun and am usually coated head to toe in zinc oxide-based sunscreen. Is this a problem for my bird? thank you

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Rebecca, DVM

Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 26th, 2017

Sink is only a problem if ingested, so as long as you keep the creams and lotions out of the birds reach I don't anticipate that it would cause a problem. In general I strongly recommend the book birds for dummies by Brian Speer and Gina spadafori as a great resource for new pet bird owners. Excuse the title it just happens to be part of that Series. Another good resource is that association of avian veterinarians at www.Aav.org. Good luck and thank you for using PetCoach.
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