Why a neighbouring treatment is still your canary's problem
A canary's respiratory system is far more efficient than yours: air flows through air sacs deep in the body, extracting far more of whatever is in it with every breath. That is why birds were historically used as early warnings in mines, and why insecticide mist that a person would barely notice can overwhelm a small songbird. In a block of flats the air is shared more than residents realise — through ventilation ducts, gaps around pipework, the space under doors, and a common hallway or stairwell. A closed window in your flat is not a seal against fumes generated next door.
Move him out before the treatment starts
Arrange for the canary to leave the building before the pest company begins, not once you can smell something. A friend, family member, or boarder in a different, untreated building is ideal. Move him in his own cage where possible, covered with a light cloth to keep the journey calm, with his usual seed and water and a piece of familiar cage furniture so the temporary home smells and looks like his. Tell the host the basics in writing: what he eats, that he must not be kept near a kitchen with fume-producing cookware, scented candles, or sprays, and when you expect to collect him.
Get the return timing from the professionals, not the smell test
Ask the pest company — directly, not through your neighbour's summary — what was used, when the treated flat will be ventilated, and how long pets, especially birds, should stay away. Different products clear at very different rates, and the absence of a smell is not proof the air is safe for a canary. If the treatment involves your own flat's hallway or shared areas, add extra time. When you do go home ahead of him, open your windows and run ventilation until the air has fully changed, and check any shared vent or doorway for lingering odour before he returns.
Watch him closely in the first days back
Even with careful timing, observe the canary more than usual after his return: laboured or open-beak breathing, tail bobbing with each breath, a weak or changed song, fluffed sitting on the cage floor, or loss of appetite all warrant a prompt call to an avian vet, describing the fumigation and its timing so the vet has the full picture. Do not wait a day to see if breathing signs settle; with respiratory exposure, early veterinary advice matters. Note what he was treated near and when, in case symptoms appear later and you need to reconstruct the timeline.
Plan the arrangement before you ever need it
Flats get treated with little warning, and the worst time to find a bird-safe host is the morning the pest company arrives. Line up your emergency host in advance — someone outside your building who has agreed to take the cage at short notice — and keep a small travel kit ready: cover, spare seed, a water pot, and written care notes. Having nearby pet lovers in your KinsLe Circle of Love who already know your canary makes that urgent phone call a simple favour between people who have met, rather than a plea to strangers.