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keepthetips t1_iud5jqa wrote

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

1

Tittle42 t1_iudejtd wrote

Replying to Minnewildsota (#342,613)

Well instead of using deer, rabbit, squirrel fur which has lice and fleas they can use your dog fur which doesn’t?

I don’t know, I brush mine outside so I’m getting this effect. Life tip is just brush your animals outside to keep the fur out of your house?

7

Bbrbck t1_iue44gf wrote

Can you give them lint from your clothes dryer? I read such a tip back in the 80s, and have been doing it ever since. But is this really a good thing? Is it bad for the birds? Or other creatures?

−2

josh35767 t1_iue6kcu wrote

Wtf is this sub sometimes?

“Go put your pet fur in a bird feeder so birds can have it.”

12

CrimsonPromise t1_iue6ziq wrote

Replying to Bbrbck (#349,426)

Dryer lint isn't good for them. They're soaked with whatever chemicals you wash your clothes with like detergent and softener. There's also a risk of baby birds getting entangled with the fibers, or the adults birds getting their feet caught.

Also unlike fur if your clothes have synthetic fabrics like nylon, it wouldn't break down over time, so you're really just introducing fine strands of plastic into nature.

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kharjou t1_iue7xqb wrote

Why, yes I want 50 birds nest around my house to have that DOLBY SURROUND chirping at 6 am on sundays.

5

eastcoastme t1_iuec0fo wrote

Uhhh. I can be a Pro at Life without this tip. I feel like I wasted my time reading it. Now I feel like I am wasting my time responding.

1

coupdelune t1_iueec75 wrote

My aunt had a Samoyed who would lay on her front porch every day because he liked to people watch. All the neighborhood birds would swoop down and pick out his fur and use it to line their nests...every bird's nest in the neighborhood was lined in white. They really like it.

449

MrGraaf t1_iuef90f wrote

UNLESS you are using a flea treatment for your pet.

In that case; make sure you dispose all the brushed fur, because it will kill the bird's younglings.

566

kermiedafrag t1_iuefyx5 wrote

You severely underestimate the sheer volume of fur that my lab sheds on a daily basis. Forget bird feeders, it's a free for all with the entire house and exteriors covered in a layer of his hair. At this point the birds are probably going 'thanks, but no thanks'

103

que-mierda t1_iuegqeg wrote

I've read that you shouldn't do this. The hair may get tangled around their legs and toes. This causes a lot of pain and the birds can also lose their toes.

67

Turandot t1_iuek5r0 wrote

Birds don’t exist.

−1

Oemiewoemie t1_iuekxxo wrote

No human hair though! It acts like plastic wire and they can suffocate when entangled in it

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xx_nattydaddy_xx t1_iuepnuv wrote

lmao that's kinda ridiculous and not a real "life tip".

4

Sniffy4 t1_iuex2z7 wrote

does this also work for shower drain hair?

−2

UnknownEntity115 t1_iuey119 wrote

they’ve been making nests naturally for millions of years, i’d rather not play god

29

its8up t1_iueye5n wrote

LPT: Don't feed birds near your home. They throw seed all over the ground and it attracts rats.

2

OccamsRazor3 t1_iueyjek wrote

At a certain point, we're just becoming an unpaid bird subcontractor.

0

kanureeves t1_iuezqha wrote

Do not do this. We did it last year with our dog who sheds a lot and has super long hair. Mama bird started building a nest with it and I walked out one day to see to baby birds hanging dead outside of the nest because they got entangled in the hair, it was pretty gruesome.

You can collect some smaller sticks on a pile when you are storing wood outside.

41

Malinois14 t1_iuf6pm3 wrote

Combed-out dog hair belongs in the bin....

5

Se7enLC t1_iuf85b6 wrote

Also it can come in handy for reassembling into a new cat

1

december14th2015 t1_iufdl8j wrote

And, if you want to be a witch about it, it keeps you, your dog, and your home stead safe. When the guard dog's fur is spread around in all the bird nests it helps to create a boundary.

4

AJKlicker t1_iufdoa5 wrote

LPT: Just put your whole cat outside and the nest shortage should take care of itself

−1

CentiPetra t1_iufg653 wrote

You can also collect it and use it to make little felt dolls and leave them in piles on people's doorsteps or in their mailboxes as a "Welcome to the neighborhood" gift.

23

dslpharmer t1_iufg6bv wrote

I collect it to make a clone of her

1

Narethii t1_iufg8hw wrote

Replying to que-mierda (#351,932)

If that was a concern birds wouldn't do it in the first place, birds have been using sheddings from other animals since before humans domesticated dogs. This behavior would have been an evolutionary dead end of animal fur was an inherently dangerous material. The real issue people dose their pets with pesticides and baby birds are notoriously vulnerable to pesticides

21

geordiedog t1_iufgwvu wrote

Or just brush your dog outside and leave the hair on your lawn. ..Husky owner

1

CromulentGuido t1_iuflt8n wrote

Replying to coupdelune (#351,464)

Same thing with my Newfoundland. Birds would swoop down and pluck hair off him. He would chase the birds barking lol. When I had trees trimmed there were old nests we found that were at least half fluffy Newfie hair!

42

mintmouse t1_iufqonm wrote

Do the same with dryer lint, you can hang it from a clothes line with clothes pins.

−3

minikin_11 t1_iufriom wrote

This is terrible advice. Don't do this.

3

FizzingSlit t1_iufs51j wrote

I love doing this. I know it's silly but it makes me so happy to think little baby birds are being kept warm by my bunnies fur.

2

GotButterflies t1_iufsf3x wrote

PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS IF you use topical flea/tick and or heartworm products

6

TonyWrocks t1_iufwpc7 wrote

Also keep some fur for when they are gone.

Trust me.

1

arca5 t1_iufxjbs wrote

Replying to CentiPetra (#359,594)

Very thoughtful of you. When one of my fur babies bites the dust I'll process and freeze the meat. I typically save it for potlucks, thieving co-workers or new neighbors. It's always well received.

9

-krx- t1_iufxng1 wrote

Don’t do this, cat saliva has bacteria that’s toxic to birds and it’s all over their fur

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FlimsyHoliday7751 t1_iufyjiw wrote

When I was little, my grandmother’s hair was falling out from chemo treatments, and they gave it to my cousins and me to scatter for birds.

0

WyoA22 t1_iufzot3 wrote

Replying to mintmouse (#362,047)

You should NOT do it with dryer lint. It contains chemicals from detergents and softeners. It soaks up water and loses its structure. It will likely contains synthetic fibers that are harmful to birds.

3

DocZayus t1_iug4kgi wrote

Throw some of that dog fur under your shed, deck, porch. It helps keep rodents away as they hate the smell and fear the animals that shed it. I had skunks and gophers before I tried this, now they won't come near.

1

namnit t1_iug5s1w wrote

My experience has found the opposite: birds DON’T like cat fur at all. They actively avoid it when I’ve set it out for them to use for nest-building. I assume the smell says “predator” to them.

2

Treepixie t1_iug6d1g wrote

Does this work with human hair? I shed so much my hair breaks the roomba rollers

0

tiggertom66 t1_iug7f00 wrote

I have a Husky and two Labskies, I don’t need to bag it and set it up for the birds, it’s all over the backyard and they never seem to have trouble finding some

1

Woodburger t1_iug9vdu wrote

I worked at a restaurant with a patio and the owner got sick of sweeping it so he would use a leaf blower instead. Napkins, straws, food, leaves, anything would get blown into the nearby street. Once, a concerned group of citizens asked him why he was blowing litter into the street and he responded “nah, it’s fine, the birds use it for their nests” and then blasted them with the blower.

1

this_dust t1_iuga8i3 wrote

Fill the entire bird feeder or intermingle with seed?

1

WayneConrad t1_iugbliy wrote

Replying to Oemiewoemie (#352,790)

I have very fine, very short hair. The longest I ever let it get is #2, about 6mm. I cut my hair myself on our back patio and just leave the clippings on the concrete. It doesn't take long for the birds to pick it up. But I never thought about human hair being an entanglement hazard, thanks for mentioning it. I think my super short hair is fine, but if I have to cut it when it's longer, I won't leave it on the ground anymore.

6

justme_mb t1_iugbs34 wrote

Replying to mooshki (#367,114)

Please film this next time and post it everywhere. It must look like the wedding dress sales in New York where crowds go crazy grabbing for bunches of dresses. I'd be delighted to see the happy frenzy of birds.

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prettyinpinknwhite t1_iugi3zy wrote

Is this all year long or a seasonal thing? I always thought it was just in springtime.

2

alphajager t1_iugi95z wrote

I have a husky, I would need at least 7-8 bird feeders, and live next to an aviary.

1

Oemiewoemie t1_iugk358 wrote

Replying to TheRealSugarbat (#369,850)

Why are you on a forum when you won’t believe the answers given without a “sauce”? I don’t have sources on the top of my head so I had to google it to give you the link. Which makes me grumpy because you could’ve done that yourself easily. But fine, I apologize.

9

atastyfire t1_iuglyfw wrote

I don’t think birds need my help to build a nest

1

KingV14 t1_iugo55m wrote

One animals trash is another's treasure

1

BulletForTheEmpire t1_iuh15uk wrote

Keep some in case they pass on too, it can be turned into a memorial piece down the line. I turned my mices' fur into necklaces

1

EdensGarden333 t1_iuh3tow wrote

We do this often because our dog is a Malamute mix and has TONS OF HAIR!! What we brush off his fur could fill a 100 bird’s nests for sure! Since we do not have fleas or ticks where we live in the mountains, his fur is pristine and fluffy— perfect to keep any bird’s nest comfy and warm!
We used an empty orange bag to put his fur in so the birds could pull out what they need and it worked great!!

1

andarv t1_iuhcg0y wrote

You haven't meet my samoyed.. there is no bird feeder large enough on the planet.

1

atxntfb t1_iuhfcff wrote

Ain't nobody got time for that

1

Sstnd t1_iuhiscw wrote

Please just dont... many birds will simply suffocate and/or experience allergic reactions due to chemicals Pets have in their fur...

This is a very very very Bad Tip.

1

kelaniz t1_iujpuq1 wrote

Except don’t do this if you’ve treated your pets with any sort of topical flea/tick medication. Also not a good idea if they are taking any prescriptions. Some of these substances can be toxic to the chicks.

1