Monday, October 15, 2007
Metal Poisoning and Pets
One of the most important issues that I can't stress enough is to research before and after getting your pet. Having rescued over 400 parrots in Ontario and placed many into new homes has opened my eyes to how sometimes simple things can have major, debilitating effects on the lives of our pets.
Today's discussion is on Metal Poisoning in parrots. Zinc is poisonous to birds so all birds toys or toy parts, cages, food bowls etc should be made from metals that are Zinc free. The best metal to use for bird toys is stainless steel as it is Zinc free. However Stainless Steel is at least double the price of other metals.
Having a parrot rescue in Ontario has prompted me to write about issues that have appeared here at the rescue. We have had two birds arrive that have both been devastated by metal poisoning in their homes. The medications to help the birds can be as dangerous as the poisoning itself not to mention extremely costly. The best cure is prevention.
We expect that toys that we purchase would be made parrot safe but given the current events coming out of China with toys for our own children being recalled, we have to investigate the toys ourselves as there are those individuals that like to cut corners or don't do their own research before designing toys for our pets. Toys made in the US and Canada and sold on Ebay have also been found to contain Zinc.
One parrot we have at the rescue was given a toy with a bell attached to it. It was purchased in a pet store specifically designed for birds. The owner assumed since it was purchased in a pet store that it would be safe for his bird. However the bird got progressively sicker and sicker until it was determined that he had contracted metal poisoning.
Upon investigation to determine the cause they found that the bell on the toy was not made of stainless steel at all! It has made of some other metal. The toy creator had cut corners to save on the cost of an actual Stainless steel bell.
Well $10,000 in treatments later and the bird has finally gotten a clean bill of health. However we have to be very careful not to introduce any metals to the bird at all. He still has feather loss but other than that he is doing much better. It was a very expensive lesson to learn!
We have another bird that came to the rescue who has had no use of her legs for the past 15 years due to the owner giving her the wrapper off a champagne bottle as a toy! It is simple little things like this that cause the majority of injuries such as metal poisoning.
Another bird who contracted metal poisoning was transported in a metal dog crate to various events. This bird used to rub his beak (a normal practice by most birds) on the bars of the cage. As the story goes he also contracted metal poisoning by introducing small shards of metal into his system.
We have a responsibility to our pets to research for ourselves and determine if the products we buy are in fact safe for our parrots. We need to contact manufacturers and ask them what materials the birds toys are made of and then check for ourselves. One way to test for zinc is to use a magnet. If the magnet sticks then there is definitely zinc in it. We should also research other safe metals that are zinc free. Lead is also another metal poisonous to birds. The magnet test is not the the be all and end all. There is still a chance of zinc or lead being in the item tested. We can't take it for granted that what we buy even from some of the best pet stores is safe for our pets. We need to check and double check for ourselves to ensure the safety of our parrots.
Today's discussion is on Metal Poisoning in parrots. Zinc is poisonous to birds so all birds toys or toy parts, cages, food bowls etc should be made from metals that are Zinc free. The best metal to use for bird toys is stainless steel as it is Zinc free. However Stainless Steel is at least double the price of other metals.
Having a parrot rescue in Ontario has prompted me to write about issues that have appeared here at the rescue. We have had two birds arrive that have both been devastated by metal poisoning in their homes. The medications to help the birds can be as dangerous as the poisoning itself not to mention extremely costly. The best cure is prevention.
We expect that toys that we purchase would be made parrot safe but given the current events coming out of China with toys for our own children being recalled, we have to investigate the toys ourselves as there are those individuals that like to cut corners or don't do their own research before designing toys for our pets. Toys made in the US and Canada and sold on Ebay have also been found to contain Zinc.
One parrot we have at the rescue was given a toy with a bell attached to it. It was purchased in a pet store specifically designed for birds. The owner assumed since it was purchased in a pet store that it would be safe for his bird. However the bird got progressively sicker and sicker until it was determined that he had contracted metal poisoning.
Upon investigation to determine the cause they found that the bell on the toy was not made of stainless steel at all! It has made of some other metal. The toy creator had cut corners to save on the cost of an actual Stainless steel bell.
Well $10,000 in treatments later and the bird has finally gotten a clean bill of health. However we have to be very careful not to introduce any metals to the bird at all. He still has feather loss but other than that he is doing much better. It was a very expensive lesson to learn!
We have another bird that came to the rescue who has had no use of her legs for the past 15 years due to the owner giving her the wrapper off a champagne bottle as a toy! It is simple little things like this that cause the majority of injuries such as metal poisoning.
Another bird who contracted metal poisoning was transported in a metal dog crate to various events. This bird used to rub his beak (a normal practice by most birds) on the bars of the cage. As the story goes he also contracted metal poisoning by introducing small shards of metal into his system.
We have a responsibility to our pets to research for ourselves and determine if the products we buy are in fact safe for our parrots. We need to contact manufacturers and ask them what materials the birds toys are made of and then check for ourselves. One way to test for zinc is to use a magnet. If the magnet sticks then there is definitely zinc in it. We should also research other safe metals that are zinc free. Lead is also another metal poisonous to birds. The magnet test is not the the be all and end all. There is still a chance of zinc or lead being in the item tested. We can't take it for granted that what we buy even from some of the best pet stores is safe for our pets. We need to check and double check for ourselves to ensure the safety of our parrots.
Labels: abused birds, birds, lead poisoning, metal, ontario rescue parrot, parrot rescue, rescued parrots, safe toys for parrots, toy making, zinc
Friday, September 14, 2007
What Size Cage is Suitable For My Parrot?
There are as many bird cages on the market today as their are birds!
There are many things that must be taken into consideration before you purchase a cage. Bigger is not always better!
Bar Spacing is of critical importance, the space between the bars must be the appropriate width to avoid choking, strangulation, feet and toes getting caught as well as escape!
Typically the smaller the cage the small the bar spacing. However as you get into the midsize cages the bar spacing varies for the different species of birds.
The other consideration is size. We do this NOT BY what will fit in the room but WHAT WILL make the bird happy and comfortable as this will be his home for the next 30 or more years!
I have written the following guidelines to help you in your purchase. The Bar spacing should be adhered to exactly but please remember that the Cage sizes are the bare minimum that should be the home of your new bird! In this case Bigger is ALWAYS better!
Species .................................. Minimum CageSize.......... Bar Spacing
Finches ..................................18"x30"x18" .....................1/4" to 1/2"
Canaries ................................18"x24" x18" .....................1/4" to 1/2"
Budgies .................................18"x18"x24" .......................1/2"
Cockatiels .............................20"x20"x24" ......................1/2" to 5/8"
LovebirdsParrotlets ...........24"x24"x24 ........................1/2"
Ringneck Parakeets ...........24"x24"x36" .......................1/2" to 5/8"
Small Conures, Hahns
Macaws ...............................24"x24"x24" .......................5/8" to 3/4"
Large Conures, Caiques,
Pionus, Jardine's ,
Rosella's ..............................24"x24"x36" .......................5/8" to 3/4"
Amazons
Small Macaws
Goffin's Cockatoos
African Greys ....................24"x36"x48" ......................3/4" to 1"
Large Cockatoos ...............36"x48"x48" .......................1" to 1.5"
Large Macaws ..................36"x48"x60" .......................1" to 1.5"
There are many things that must be taken into consideration before you purchase a cage. Bigger is not always better!
Bar Spacing is of critical importance, the space between the bars must be the appropriate width to avoid choking, strangulation, feet and toes getting caught as well as escape!
Typically the smaller the cage the small the bar spacing. However as you get into the midsize cages the bar spacing varies for the different species of birds.
The other consideration is size. We do this NOT BY what will fit in the room but WHAT WILL make the bird happy and comfortable as this will be his home for the next 30 or more years!
I have written the following guidelines to help you in your purchase. The Bar spacing should be adhered to exactly but please remember that the Cage sizes are the bare minimum that should be the home of your new bird! In this case Bigger is ALWAYS better!
Species .................................. Minimum CageSize.......... Bar Spacing
Finches ..................................18"x30"x18" .....................1/4" to 1/2"
Canaries ................................18"x24" x18" .....................1/4" to 1/2"
Budgies .................................18"x18"x24" .......................1/2"
Cockatiels .............................20"x20"x24" ......................1/2" to 5/8"
LovebirdsParrotlets ...........24"x24"x24 ........................1/2"
Ringneck Parakeets ...........24"x24"x36" .......................1/2" to 5/8"
Small Conures, Hahns
Macaws ...............................24"x24"x24" .......................5/8" to 3/4"
Large Conures, Caiques,
Pionus, Jardine's ,
Rosella's ..............................24"x24"x36" .......................5/8" to 3/4"
Amazons
Small Macaws
Goffin's Cockatoos
African Greys ....................24"x36"x48" ......................3/4" to 1"
Large Cockatoos ...............36"x48"x48" .......................1" to 1.5"
Large Macaws ..................36"x48"x60" .......................1" to 1.5"
Labels: bar spacing, birds, cage, cage size, cages, parrot, parrots
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