Are Remote Controls Poisonous to Birds ?

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

If you have a small bird like a cockatiel, all you have to do is flip your remotes over and they can’t get to the buttons.

For larger birds, you need to get them out of the bird site. We all get a lot of chuckles telling stories about how I birds nibbled on the remote buttons. Generally speaking, they like the buttons because they see you play with the buttons so they want to play with “your” toys.

What I’d like to point out is the danger in your bird swallowing a small button battery from the remote. In humans, batteries usually pass through the system and are eliminated. The still I’m going to have to check with a vet if this would hold true with birds because of their unique digestive system.

My concern is the battery that can get stuck in the digestive tract (remember food sits in the bird’s crop for six hours before passing to the first stomach). The battery can very well cause tissue damage.

According to the National Capital Poison Center ” An electrical current can form around the outside of the battery, generating hydroxide (an alkaline chemical) and causing a tissue burn. When a battery is swallowed, it is impossible to know whether it will pass through or get ‘hung up.”

My best advice should you determine your bird ate a button battery is to seek veterinary care immediately so as to determine the placement in the bird’s digestive system

by Mitch Rezman