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View Full Version : Bird Safe Oil (lubricant)



weimerheimer
06-24-2013, 05:21 PM
I pressure washed ALL my bird cages this past weekend. I noticed today that some of the food door latches are sticking a bit. These latches are the a&E cages type, which have a latch bolt with a return spring in them. I'd like to place some sort of lubrication on the lock assembly becasue they are hard to operate now that they got wet, but was afraid of using any type of Petroluem lubrication for fear of possibly poisoning the birds.

Does anyone use any tpe of lubrication on the locks/latches to keep the moisture/water from rusting the inner works and to help with smooth operation?

I was half wondering if a food grade oil might work and be safe (i.e. vegtable oil, coconut oil, olive oil, etc...)?

jules
06-24-2013, 08:43 PM
the food grade oil might work, i'd be inclined to try that first. or what about Vaseline (is that petroleum?) i've know people use it to help their birds with passing an egg, so maybe it would be safe on the door latches too?

jaspers cage has the sliding plastic bits around the bottom which are a pain as they stick too, so i might just try a bit of veggie oil on them :)

Carefree Birdee
06-24-2013, 10:35 PM
I would suggest trying Mineral Oil. It will not ever go rancid and degrade (and smell bad) like the vegetable oils will do. :)

Turquoise
06-25-2013, 05:14 AM
That is a good question. I haven't used any kinds of oils on my cages/enclosures yet.

Yes Jules, Vaseline is a by product of petroleum. Not sure how safe it really is around birds. Hopefully someone here knows if mineral oil and Vaseline petroleum jelly is safe enough to use where they may chew often. I know they or at least mineral oil is used for egg binding like Carrie said, but for an everyday possible chew spot it might not be so safe. Wished I had the answer for you.

ShellyBorg
06-25-2013, 07:00 AM
I use coconut oil and for 4 years now it has never gone bad.

spiritbird
06-25-2013, 12:46 PM
That is the problem with pressure washing a cage unless it is stainless steel. Check the wheels because they can get rusty very quickly.

Carefree Birdee
06-25-2013, 02:48 PM
This is what gets so confusing for me. :confused: One site I read where Mineral Oil or Peanut Butter is used for birds that have lead or zinc poisoning. They administer the Mineral Oil to help remove the toxic substances from their digestive system. And then on another site they say no...don't use Mineral as it will kill the birds. So it becomes difficult to make a safe decision sometimes depending on who you choose to believe.

And as for Vegetable oils....they do go rancid over time but it depends on the temps and humidity. But I read that Coconut oil seems to be stable longer than most other vegetable oils.

Just like when I was researching safe and toxic woods for the birds perches. Some site have obvious differences in some of the woods they list. What is safe on one list is on the toxic list on another. :suspicion:

I guess I should consult my "Magic 8 Ball" for the right answer! :th_hehe:

weimerheimer
06-25-2013, 02:59 PM
And there we have it folks ..... A HUGE QUANDARY! LOL!!!!!!

I found the same on wood safe for birds as well. Seems like there's no agreeing on some of these topics.

Keep posting folks, I'm sure there's a correct answer out there some where.

jules
07-01-2013, 10:25 PM
i've been asking around on another forum for you, and it is safe even to use the 3 in 1 oil. coconut oil, Vaseline and candle wax are all safe. this coming from a man who knows his birds! :)