(Post edited on 3/22/18- the online picture and article that inspired this post have been removed, but the post itself is still very informative and helpful.)
...it was no surprise to find out how many people had bought that toy. It is available at Walmart. Worse, it is also available in pet stores including PetSmart, a huge pet retailer chain that most would believe carried only safe products, a fair and reasonable assumption. Pet stores are supposed to be all about our pets and their welfare, but that is not how it goes in reality. They are retailers first and foremost whose primary interest is the bottom line. (I know that we have several people in our community who work at pet stores. Please do not think that this frustration is directed at you. I know you are there for the right reasons. But, for the most part, your employers suck. I hope they know how lucky they are to have you as the front line representing their company.)
It seems clear that we are getting too comfortable with the selection of toys available. It is a shame that we always have to assume the worst. But it is what it is…
What you need to know:
- Bird toys should never have painted surfaces or use glues to hold pieces together. There is the toxicity aspect, but even if non-toxic paints or food-grade glues are used, there is another problem that is just as serious. Paint and glues are applied to surfaces. They don’t soak into surfaces like dyes do; they dry on top of a surface. This is a part of the toy that might attract the attention of an observant parrot during play. While our fingers are not well designed to removed glue or paint, the parrot beak makes short work of it. If these chips are swallowed, they can be deadly even if they are non-toxic in nature. They can get lodged in the digestive system causing a serious blockage. Most dyes are soy based (vegetable) and are a safe colorant choice.
- Leather toys parts should be vegetable tanned only. Tanning is a soaking process that converts animal skin to leather. It is usually done with acidic chemicals, but vegetable tanned leather is soaked in tannins made from plant matter and is free of dangerous chemicals.
- Metal hardware should be stainless steel or nickel plated. The hardware pieces should not be removable or indigestible. Also, they should not have crevices or be shaped in ways that might get stuck on a beak or nail.
- China exports pet products by the tons. Cages and toys are continually found to be made from parts known to be toxic. They use paints or powder coating that contain known toxins. Sadly, they also manufacture pet foods that have been responsible for countless pet deaths. Still, their products are being widely distributed because of their affordability. This is good for the wallet– very bad for the pets. Beware of products manufactured there.
The smart parrot owner will look closely at the toys they are considering, inspecting them like Sherlock Holmes for safety and durability. But doing that at the pet store creates another set of concerns. Parrot toys that are meticulously handled by parrot owners can transfer disease.
Did you know that the PBFD virus can survive on surfaces for months? Pretty scary, huh?
We have no way of knowing that our birds are sick without monitoring their weight and droppings. They don’t begin to present symptoms until they are very sick. I think it is fair to say that most bird owners are not monitoring their bird’s health, and they remain unaware that their bird is ill.
If an owner were to handle their sick bird prior to handling toys while shopping or if employees were to handle a sick bird being sold at their store and then go about stocking the shelves, there is the very real chance of spreading disease that way.
This concern is multiplied many times over at bird fairs where all of the customers are bird owners coming in from all around looking for toys and other bird products.
Until bird stores and the vendors at bird fairs start using one toy for display and send their customers home with toys kept untouched in a stock room, I will continue to buy the majority of my toys online.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to a single idea: know and trust your bird product sources. If you do not have a specific manufacturer whose products have always been of good quality, then shop from a store that is reputable and conscientious about the products they carry and from one you can trust to make good choices on your behalf.
Our personal choice for toys at BirdTricks is Planet Pleasures, an environmentally and socially conscientious fair trade organization who supplies the toys for our toy program.
Please take a second to check out Parrot Toys By Mail program. It is very reasonably priced, totally convenient and completely safe for your birds. These are the same toys we give to our own birds.
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
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21 comments
My beautiful rainbow lorikeet died suddenly this morning only 2 she was born on the day my husband died she had been chewing on a, 70 doller large string of toys in her cage and had eaten the rubber of the shoe on the toy and I think it killed her I’m devastated
I didn’t see any comment about the jingle bells used in toys even home made toys & how dangerous they are. The flaps can be opened easily by parrots but sometimes they can lose their digits or be cut by the metal. If they open up the flaps the metal part in the middle is lead so can kill the if they swallow it. Also if people have stained glass that is made with lead to hold the glass together & they land on the top or pick at it, they will die. Forewarned is armed against a painful loss.
Keep all plastic on any kind away from your bird or they can chew it up. Years ago My African Gray stopped eating for 4 days. He had chewed up a plastic toy. Three days with one of the best bird vets in Calif. and a thousand $ saved his life. X rays showed large parts of plastic were stuck in his Proventricle The esophagus continues after the crop and connects it with the proventriculus. This organ is known as the glandular stomach of birds where the primary digestion begins.
Thank you for all the great information… I lost my green cheek from metal … Very sad
I obviously missed this article when it was first printed. Since the article was printed over 6 years ago, could you please post a picture of the lethal toy again? I’m sure there are many people who follow you now who didn’t see it either.
Florida we have a lot of bird shows here they also sell these things there. And yes they are from China.
I haven’t bought bird toys in years. I don’t care how safe they look, our birds can find a way to get small pieces of the toys in their beaks. I Their beaks are very strong and if they bite the toy hard enough , something will break off and they will try to eat or swallow it. I just try to entertain them as much as I can and hope they will be ok when I have to leave them alone. It is better for them to be bored for a few hours than to choke or get hung up in a toy.
I read the aricle, looked into my green cheek’s cage, and there it was! I am so fortunafte Louey didn’t get sick. I immediately through out the toy. Thanx so much for posting info about this toy. I will never buy from China or foreign again!!!!!!!
OMG. This is just the kind of toy I would buy for my precious conure. Thanks so much for this info. I never buy toys at WalMart, but I thought toys from the pet store were safe. I’m thinking toys for babies, made in USA. Anything from China should be required to display a big red skull-and-crossbones symbol. Of course, that won’t happen because our government couldn’t care less about the public these days.
I would love to get safe toys from Bird Tricks but I have one African Grey and he would not go through three toys a month plus I can’t afford 45 dollars every month. It would be nice if you had other options for parrot owners to order smaller amounts or less often. He also has issues with new things so it takes a long time for him to get used to a new toy.
I want to thank Bird Tricks.com for posting this information. My brother and I bought 2 male cockatiels, from a pawn shop of all places. Luckily they were only in there over night. We basically rescued these 2 little guys. I can tell that they have come from a horrific past, but since Sept 17 2014. when we got them home they are starting to show signs of being able to relax. We can not seem to get any info about their past or who owned them. Who ever they are they want to hope I don’t find out! Well my brother and I are starting from scratch, with the help of Bird Tricks.com. and the information I purchased, CD’s and Digital books, Frankie & Johnny, (the new names of our birds) my brother and I, with time and much patients,will make a brand new beautiful life with and for Frankie & Johnny so they will finally feel LOVE and TRUST and HAPPNESS for ever. THANKS!
We like our parrots to be happy and entertaine when we’re not hom, but do they really need toys? I say no. Anything that hangs is a concern, getting hung up in it. Happens. I thought that you can’t go wrong with plastic toys. One day that changed. Cookie had a cat toy. Plastic, small, round at both ends with bars holding it together and a little bell inside. The bell had slots in it. She loved it. She would hold it in her beak standing on one foot and go at it. Trying to get that bell. I guess. Once she was banging it on the floor of her cage trying to break it open. That or, I HATE THIS DAMN THING! After monthis of this I came home and she did it, the bell was gone. The toy still intact. She pulled it out through the bars. I know this because it was stuck on the bottom of her beak. For an unknown amount of time she couldn’t drink or eat till I came home. As for China, good luck finding anything that doesn’t come from China. Forget the toys and spend more time with your parrot.
I purchased a very similar toy in Australia and placed it in the cage of our 3 yr old Ringneck….. We were in shock to find he had passed a week later, but did not know the cause of death. To hear this news now makes me wonder whether the toy we purchased had anything to do with it… Still grieving for our boy :(
It was a useful information and I appreciate sharing it with all bird owners. Interview
I agree with boycotting China for anything wooden! I watched a program last week that was making viewers aware of the Trees/Forests that are illegally being cut down from Russia then sold to China, where they make wooden flooring out of it, then 3X’s the allowable formaldehyde is soaked into it. So very dangerous for us, so it’s no surprise to me that anything wooden from China should be avoided.The wood is sold too Canada & the U.S. And there also destroying the natural habitat for the Bengal Tigers (only 500 remains) that live there. So for ours & the Tigers, & our Birds sake, ask as many questions as you can when buying wood imported from China. Better yet, don’t but it at all! For the love of all animals:)
I recently read an article about wild birds. It stated that they “sleep” for only a few minutes at a time. Do domesticated birds also sleep like that? If so, why do we cover and isolate them overnight for long hours at a time? I stopped regularly covering my conure, except on cold nights for his comfort. What is your take on this? Thanks.
My cockatiel has this toy !!! I will Be taking it to the pet stores Showing them this warning and Asking them to take this product Off shelves !!! I don’t buy treats Or dog food from China and will Boycott ALL products from CHINA!!!
I have a question about cages. The cage I have for my Macaw is made in China. Cages for large birds are expensive and $1,000 is a good price for the larger type macaw/hyacinth cages. Believe me, I would love to get a stainless steel cage and I am really considering it. But in lieu of that, I’m wondering if I were to have my current cage powder coated without the zinc in the powder coat, would that rectify the potential threat of any toxins from the actual cage?
What about dog toys like big bones rawhide, greenies treats, puzzle, lamb tendon. All the animal based treats.?
I guess it should not be concidered paranoia to boycott a country that eats animals and sea life while still living.
Hmmmm, Aren’t toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls held together with some sort of glue?
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