PDA

View Full Version : Toys for Birds Can Be Dangerous



spiritbird
04-07-2016, 12:59 PM
Popular parrot toys which are offered in pet shops may hurt your parrot seriously. Threatened are mostly bigger species because parrots play and chew the material on small bits. These bits can be swallowed consequently. According to the spokesperson of Czech Veterinary Association Josef Duben we should be careful permanently, even in the case of seemingly „harmless“ objects.
Be wary of steel bells!
„It’s necessary to consider the ability of big parrot species to chew almost everything they get. They can easily bite the cover of the rocking circle off and hurt by sticking wires. All fibers or wires can get stuck between the leg and the ring so birds panic,“ said Duben. Even the sellers warn customers about the inside hearts in steel bells which can be removed and swallowed. That’s why it’s recommended to remove the hearts before the parrot will do that.
The spokesperson warns also about home made toys. „I definitelly advise pet owners against providing any rubber bands to their pets. The gum can be easily chewed and swallowed. Or when any parrot eats cotton string then it mostly has serious digestive troubles,“ warned Duben. The same carefulness we should keep in case of plastic cups, bottles or other containers.
a
[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]



a
The best toy? Natural wooden branches
Dangerous toys shouldn’t appear on the market at all and a trade inspection authority can impose a ban on selling of such goods. Pet owners who find a dangerous toy in any pet shop can report that to the trade inspection. Best toys are from wood. All parrot species should get wooden branches regularly. Those can also be used as perches. However, we have to change them for new ones as soon as they are damaged. Perches of regular shape are mostly not suitable for parrots. It’s dificult for them to grip by a beak or by nails. It’s useless to spend money on overpriced toys when you can easily go to the park or the forest and get something natural for your pet.

Printed from Parrot Daily News [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

Macaw Lover
04-08-2016, 12:44 PM
Same reason I don't like giving plastic toys, not after seeing how Kalea chews that stuff up. Who is to say she can't/hasn't swallowed any of that stuff yet you see so many toys made from plastic parts which have been chewed by birds.

plax
04-08-2016, 01:49 PM
Same reason I don't like giving plastic toys, not after seeing how Kalea chews that stuff up. Who is to say she can't/hasn't swallowed any of that stuff yet you see so many toys made from plastic parts which have been chewed by birds.Exactly! I've always feared plastic parts used on bird toys. When broken apart they literally become shards with the potential to puncture/lacerate the digestive tract. Plastic parts are NOT natural! I can't imagine the thinking behind using them.

Casper's 2nd best friend
04-08-2016, 02:29 PM
Casper pulled a button off my shirt yesterday. He eventually surrendered it after I offered a swap for an almond but I think he might have swallowed the thread.
Will this just stay in his crop or could it cause problems?

PlaxMacaws
04-08-2016, 03:34 PM
Casper pulled a button off my shirt yesterday. He eventually surrendered it after I offered a swap for an almond but I think he might have swallowed the thread.
Will this just stay in his crop or could it cause problems?Ingested fibrous materials may pass or remain in the crop where they can accumulate and eventually obstruct evacuation of food.

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

spiritbird
04-08-2016, 06:29 PM
I have often wondered why some woods are toxic to our pet birds when the wild birds have there way with any type of wood. Is it that the wild ones build up immunity?

PlaxMacaws
04-08-2016, 07:02 PM
I have often wondered why some woods are toxic to our pet birds when the wild birds have there way with any type of wood. Is it that the wild ones build up immunity?I think there's a lot of speculation on that. For example, wild macaws ingest indigenous clay on a regular basis that some believe may contain substances which counteract various toxins found in other items they eat. And another possibility is that wild birds, when thriving in their natural environments, instinctively know which woods are safe and which are not. Again, I think most answers of that sort are more theory than proven fact.

Penny
04-09-2016, 03:30 AM
There's a good possibility the information on whether or not a type of wood is safe or not is handed down from parent to chick in the wild, and if they are in an area with unfamiliar wood they would simply have no frame of reference.

Robyn
04-09-2016, 07:30 AM
It can also be that wild birds spend a large portion of their day foraging where captive birds spend most of their days playing and chewing on wood and I don't know about you but I've never seen a wild bird chewing on branches.

Casper's 2nd best friend
04-09-2016, 12:12 PM
It can also be that wild birds spend a large portion of their day foraging where captive birds spend most of their days playing and chewing on wood and I don't know about you but I've never seen a wild bird chewing on branches.

Parrots in the wild that I have seen in documentaries have quite often trashed the trees they are filmed in.

Yew trees: Yew trees are supposed to be dangerous to birds but I think this idea has come about because they are a danger to horses. The yew tree we have in our garden is full of birds, nesting, playing and eating the insects. Starlings and thrushes love the berries, the pits of which are poisonous to humans (the fruit is fine, quite sweet - just don't swallow the pit). The pits, which are the actual seeds pass right through the birds without being affected by the birds digestive system and without in turn affecting the bird.
This is how the tree reproduces and spreads its domain - the birds fly off and poop the seed elsewhere. Would the same happen to apple pips and cherry pits? Are we being too careful because of chemical analysis and untested fears? However, I don't think I will be using Casper for research, just in case.

PlaxMacaws
04-09-2016, 12:27 PM
It can also be that wild birds spend a large portion of their day foraging where captive birds spend most of their days playing and chewing on wood and I don't know about you but I've never seen a wild bird chewing on branches.If Mare's Amigo is any example, some parrots with freedom outdoors just love mutilating trees and branches with their beaks. That doesn't mean all of them are inclined to ingest the wood they tear apart, though.

PlaxMacaws
04-09-2016, 01:23 PM
Yew trees: Yew trees are supposed to be dangerous to birds but I think this idea has come about because they are a danger to horses ... Are we being too careful because of chemical analysis and untested fears? However, I don't think I will be using Casper for research, just in case.You've posed a great question, Jean-Pierre. I'll give another example that includes a question from a concerned parrot owner to a renowned avian vet, and I'll include that vet's reply.

My example is that Juniper branches appear on many of the lists of woods that are presumed to be toxic for birds (which are floating around the Internet). I have personally checked with various avian vets about the safety of Juniper branches for use as parrot perches. Those vets have always replied that Juniper branches are safe as long as the shrubs they were removed from were not previously sprayed with chemicals/pesticides. They further advised that it's the Juniper foliage and berries that are toxic, and not the wood.

Here's what Dr. Brian Speer had to say in a reply to someone with the same question (note that he makes a similar point to yours, Jean-Pierre)...

The question as posed to Dr. Speer:

My Question: Is Juniper wood toxic to parrots? I read in Gallerstein’s book that only the needles, berries, and stems were toxic.

Dr. Speer, I wrote asking about the Juniper tree and its toxicity to parrots. Below are science articles regarding the Juniper and native birds that rely on the Juniper. If it is not toxic to so many native birds, why do so many sites state that it is toxic to parrots?

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]
Dr. Speer's reply:

You have done a good job, taking the time to challenge some of those simple statements. Why do these types of comments about toxic risk to parrots exist out there? In part, by taking known fact from some species and correlating it to others where it is not known to be a problem or even where there is no problem; in part “just to be safe”, and part simple error. This is one of the inherent risks of taking some pieces of information, without verification - sometimes, we end up really out and removed from reality. The catch here: We do not know what parrot species will do that are non-native to areas where Juniper grows, or if there could be a problem in those species..

Here is an excerpt from a summary discussion about Juniper poisoning:

Juniper, Juniperus sp: There are many species used commonly for landscaping. They are all shapes, sizes and colors and are widely distributed throughout North America. The fleshy seed cones are used as a food source for birds, rodents, deer and humans. Some of the toxic principles are diterpene acids, believed to be responsible for abortions in cattle and sheep; terpine-4-ol, responsible for diuretic effects; and sabinyl acetate which causes fetal malformations that are well documented in rats. The other clinical signs after large amounts of Juniperus are eaten include premature births, stillborns, small or weak newborns in cattle and sheep with the dam also being ill. It is not recommended that pregnant animals have access to these shrubs.

The toxic principle seems to be oriented towards abortions or fetal malformations - an issue that kind of seems to be centered about placental mammals - not birds who do not do that pregnancy thing.Above material excerpted from: [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

The answers to questions about potential toxicity of certain plants and trees for particular animal species are simply unknown. It therefore at times becomes assumed that if an item has been proven toxic for one species it may well be toxic for another. Information of this sort can easily find itself posted around the Internet as factual - when that factual status may ultimately turn out to be false. Arguably, though, I think it's best to err on the side of caution when it comes to the health and safety of our beloved feathered ones.

Casper's 2nd best friend
04-09-2016, 02:47 PM
Thanks Tony, that is a great reply about how misleading information can sometimes be. Common sense rules.