Danger In The Home (Teflon): Most vets will not tell you this, but teflon and any of the other names that it is marketed under (usually look for non stick surface) can be fatal to your bird if the kitchen appliance, such as a pan coated with teflon, overheats. The culprit is the polytetra fluoroethylene coating. This also includes self cleaning ovens, ironing board covers, some types of portable heaters etc. When overheated teflon releases a ordorless gas that is instantly fatal to birds. Therefore whenever you buy an appliance that can be either heated or release heat you need to look at its composition to see if it has teflon in it.