Heather and the Laser Pointer

[Die Fledermaus]

Heather the cockatiel sometimes is in front of me seven or so feet away on top of Tana the parakeet's tank.

I take the red laster pointer and put the spot on the wall five or six feet beyond Heather, but never near here.

She really gets agitated by this and eventually flies off. That moving
red dot bothers her.

So I will stop doing it. But it is curious how she reacts. Anyone with similar experience? BTW, Tana does not react so much. The finches stop chirping when it is near them but they do not look annoyed.

[Hamsters82]

On tv there was one dog or cat, on AFV I think, that followed it around everywhere and that's was its play toy.

[pinky]

Interesting. Birds may somehow see it differently than we do. Or pure red is a distressing color.

Why do you have a laser pointer? I hate them--never use one.

[Die Fledermaus]

I was wondering about red - seen as a threat?

>> Why do you have a laser pointer? I hate them--never use one. <<

Why do I have several Civil War pistols? Fun! Loved to shine it in peoples' eyes when they seemed to be falling asleep and not paying attention!

I once during a boring parent-teachers night in a crappy neighborhood
put a red dot at night on the forehead of a drug dealer 100 years away. His homies ran for the hills and so did he when he knew what was going on - a sniperscope?!

Gotta do something to fight the ennui.

[pinky]

>>Loved to shine it in peoples' eyes when they seemed to be falling asleep and not paying attention!<<

I'd say you were playing with fire there.

>>FDA Issues Warning on Misuse of Laser Pointers

The Food and Drug Administration is warning parents and school officials about the possibility of eye damage to children from hand-held laser pointers.

These products are generally safe when used as intended by teachers and lecturers to highlight areas on a chart or screen. However, recent price reductions have led to promotion and use of these products as children's toys.

The light energy that pointers can aim into the eye can be more damaging than staring directly into the sun. Federal law requires a warning on the product label about this potential hazard to the eyes.

" These laser pointers are not toys. Parents should treat them with appropriate care," said FDA Lead Deputy Commissioner Michael A Friedman, M.D. "They are useful tools for adults that should be used by children only with adequate supervision."

The FDA's warning is prompted by two anecdotal reports it has received of eye injury from laser pointers -- one from a parent, the other from an ophthalmologist.
Momentary exposure from a laser pointer, such as might occur from an inadvertent sweep of the light across a person's eyes, causes only temporary flash blindness. However, even this can be dangerous if the exposed person is engaged in a vision-critical activity such as driving.<<