- Corks from wine bottles, would these be ok for him to play with if rinsed in hot water?
Pencils, particularly the graphite inside.
Pens, if he licks the ink off the end or something.
Rubber, in case he starts nibbling at the TV remote or something.
Glue and ink on packaging and toilet rolls, etc.
Candles.
PVC.
Fabric, eg. carpets, curtains, cloths.
Varnished wood.
Household items as toys.
Moderator: Mods
Household items as toys.
Just a few things that are always lying around my house that I'm worried may contain toxins, he probably won't eat them but it's just the trace amounts I'm worried about, and I plan to let him have some as toys if they're ok.
i wouldn't encourage the bird to be playing around with things other than designated toys. They get pretty destructive and get into everything. all the things you have put down in your post bar pvc I would have to say no to.
You need to child proof your house, they are like toddlers and get into everything and its up to you to keep the bad things away.
mine play with things like bottle tops, straws,pegs (preferably not spring loaded ) some cat toys are good (balls they can pick up easy) all the toys need to be monitored to make sure they aren't being chewed to the point they can be swallowed.
You need to child proof your house, they are like toddlers and get into everything and its up to you to keep the bad things away.
mine play with things like bottle tops, straws,pegs (preferably not spring loaded ) some cat toys are good (balls they can pick up easy) all the toys need to be monitored to make sure they aren't being chewed to the point they can be swallowed.
-
SarahandEco
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 4:36 pm
- Location: USA
I've heard candles can be bad for them, and so is the glue in toilet rolls.
Pencils are popular toys, but make sure to keep them away from the graphite. Break the tip of the pencil and put a cap eraser on the sharp end if your bird is especially curious about the graphite.
I don't know about the rubber, but my Eco always tries to eat the TV remote, too. I'd avoid it just in case.
I think most fabrics are ok as long as they have been washed. Lots of new fabric has formaldehyde in it which is toxic.
I don't know about some of the rest of the stuff. Just go by the general rule, if you have any doubt as to if it may hurt your bird, avoid it.
Pencils are popular toys, but make sure to keep them away from the graphite. Break the tip of the pencil and put a cap eraser on the sharp end if your bird is especially curious about the graphite.
I don't know about the rubber, but my Eco always tries to eat the TV remote, too. I'd avoid it just in case.
I think most fabrics are ok as long as they have been washed. Lots of new fabric has formaldehyde in it which is toxic.
I don't know about some of the rest of the stuff. Just go by the general rule, if you have any doubt as to if it may hurt your bird, avoid it.
Pretty Girl's favorite toy: an empty plastic pill bottle. She carries it around in her beak and bangs it on the bars of her cage in the morning to wake me up.
She also likes the caps to those pill bottles, which she smashes on the table BANG BANG BANG!! I think it get's all of her aggressions out, like a punching bag.
Better that, instead of biting ME.
She also likes the caps to those pill bottles, which she smashes on the table BANG BANG BANG!! I think it get's all of her aggressions out, like a punching bag.
Better that, instead of biting ME.
Nice to know about these things. Does anyone know about the clays they lick in the wild to detox? I was thinking of getting some for him, just in case, he should know when to use it on his own so I don't have to worry about him getting to stuff when I'm not looking that's all.Yes, they do like to get into everything. I try not to keep anything toxic around, and use nontoxic cleaning products.
I've heard about some kind of detoxifying clay in the wild, but how to get it? Who knows. I use aloe vera juice for detox/cleansing. I just mix some in her water once a week or so. It's clear and tasteless, so she doesn't refuse it. Aloe juice has many healing qualities (for people, too). I buy it at the vitamin store.
Another thing I keep at home is echinacea extract (it's from a flower). This is a homeopathic remedy that I use as a tonic when my bird is moulting or laying eggs. A few months ago she was sick (not sure what was wrong) and the combination of echinacea and aloe worked very well. She recovered and is fine now.
I've heard about some kind of detoxifying clay in the wild, but how to get it? Who knows. I use aloe vera juice for detox/cleansing. I just mix some in her water once a week or so. It's clear and tasteless, so she doesn't refuse it. Aloe juice has many healing qualities (for people, too). I buy it at the vitamin store.
Another thing I keep at home is echinacea extract (it's from a flower). This is a homeopathic remedy that I use as a tonic when my bird is moulting or laying eggs. A few months ago she was sick (not sure what was wrong) and the combination of echinacea and aloe worked very well. She recovered and is fine now.
Corks from wine bottles, would these be ok for him to play with if rinsed in hot water? cork comes apart pretty easy, it can be swallowed and cause compaction.
Pencils, particularly the graphite inside. even if the tip is broken off , it can still be accessed through chewing.
Pens, if he licks the ink off the end or something.
Rubber, in case he starts nibbling at the TV remote or something.
Glue and ink on packaging and toilet rolls, etc. could be toxic to birds
Candles. toxic to birds
PVC.
Fabric, eg. carpets, curtains, cloths. compaction, hanging
Varnished wood. toxic
Pencils, particularly the graphite inside. even if the tip is broken off , it can still be accessed through chewing.
Pens, if he licks the ink off the end or something.
Rubber, in case he starts nibbling at the TV remote or something.
Glue and ink on packaging and toilet rolls, etc. could be toxic to birds
Candles. toxic to birds
PVC.
Fabric, eg. carpets, curtains, cloths. compaction, hanging
Varnished wood. toxic
-
U.S Marine
- Posts: 610
- Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:55 pm
- Location: U.S.A
Cork is one of my bird's favorite chews. He loves to rip it to bits. I buy him corks at a craft store and he assassinates them.
There are toy pencils made for birds with naturally dyed wood and no graphite. Technically graphite shouldn't be poisonous or anything but experts say that it is and it's always the first thing birds seem to go for so why risk it? It's too easily ground to dust and consumed. Also, pencils are painted and/or varnished and your bird probably doesn't need to eat that so avoid them as toys.
My bird also loves pens. He breaks the rollerball off them and even if the ink is safe that's just something you don't want so I give him either pen caps or pens with the ink and roller removed. Basically just some plastic. He particularly loves fluorescent highlighters so I let him have the caps on expired ones. He's also very fond of rubberized pen grips. Plastic in general is fine and that includes PVC. Lots of bird toys are made out of PVC pipes.
Insofar as rubber is concerned, again, my guy's a huge fan. He will demolish remote controls if given the chance. He loves latex erasers and the such and I note that he always spits out the pieces he rips off. I wouldn't want him to ruin my remotes, but generally silicone, latex, rubber, etc. seem like they should be safe and fun under supervision.
Glue and ink will vary. I let my critter play with TP rolls and he loves them. Some brands have a lot of tacky-feeling glue and he doesn't get those. Others seem to have very little glue at all so I save them up.
Candles haven't occurred to me as toys. I don't know how appropriate they are.
Fabric is a contentious issue. My bird will destroy t-shirts, shoelaces and stuff like that given the chance. He really seems to like doing it too and he doesn't seem to eat any of the material so I'd say it's pretty safe under supervision.
There are toy pencils made for birds with naturally dyed wood and no graphite. Technically graphite shouldn't be poisonous or anything but experts say that it is and it's always the first thing birds seem to go for so why risk it? It's too easily ground to dust and consumed. Also, pencils are painted and/or varnished and your bird probably doesn't need to eat that so avoid them as toys.
My bird also loves pens. He breaks the rollerball off them and even if the ink is safe that's just something you don't want so I give him either pen caps or pens with the ink and roller removed. Basically just some plastic. He particularly loves fluorescent highlighters so I let him have the caps on expired ones. He's also very fond of rubberized pen grips. Plastic in general is fine and that includes PVC. Lots of bird toys are made out of PVC pipes.
Insofar as rubber is concerned, again, my guy's a huge fan. He will demolish remote controls if given the chance. He loves latex erasers and the such and I note that he always spits out the pieces he rips off. I wouldn't want him to ruin my remotes, but generally silicone, latex, rubber, etc. seem like they should be safe and fun under supervision.
Glue and ink will vary. I let my critter play with TP rolls and he loves them. Some brands have a lot of tacky-feeling glue and he doesn't get those. Others seem to have very little glue at all so I save them up.
Candles haven't occurred to me as toys. I don't know how appropriate they are.
Fabric is a contentious issue. My bird will destroy t-shirts, shoelaces and stuff like that given the chance. He really seems to like doing it too and he doesn't seem to eat any of the material so I'd say it's pretty safe under supervision.
Re: Household items as toys.
Skye has destroyed the grommets off of every pair of shoes I own. :/
Teach me to leave my shoes out! Lol
Teach me to leave my shoes out! Lol