It is my belief that no
toy or play gym company wants to put out toys that are dangerous to pet birds.
Some of the companies go to great pains to make sure that their toys or play
gyms are as safe as possible for birds. Unfortunately, for the most part,
parrot toy and play gym making is mostly a cottage industry. Many of the people
who make parrot toys are simply not aware of the problem with zinc toxicity.
And even if they are aware of the problem, they may not want to use stainless
steel parts because they can be difficult to find and they can add significantly
to the cost of the toys. Stainless steel is also harder to cut and work with
than less expensive metals.
If you are ordering toys
from a mail order or Internet company or from a local pet store you should
certainly ask if the toys contain any zinc-coated parts. My experience has been
that most dealers assume their toys are safe but unless the toys are
specifically noted as being made only with stainless steel parts, they have no
way of knowing for sure what the toys are actually made of. If you buy toys
from a bird fair, you sometimes are buying directly from a local company who
makes the toys and you can ask them about how their toys are made. However, in
many cases the folks who make the toys simply do not know. If you are buying
toys or play gyms directly from the manufacturer, you should directly ask the
question about how the toys are constructed. However, as I recently learned
even the best-intentioned toy or play gym manufacturer may be unaware that their
toys are not completely safe. I recently purchased a beautifully designed
wooden play gym from a very reputable manufacturer. Before ordering I
specifically asked about the metal parts. I was told that the metal parts were
all stainless steel. However, when I received the gym I did the magnet test and
quickly discovered that none of the parts were stainless steel. When I called
the company to ask about this I learned that the company thought that had been
purchasing stainless steel parts for their play gyms. When I explained that the
parts were not stainless steel, the play gym company immediately contacted the
vendor who supplies their metal parts, including screw eyes, chain, and quick
links. The play gym company called me back to indicate that although the parts
were not in fact stainless steel, they were nickel plated steel and were
completely safe. I then checked all of the metal parts using the method I will
describe later in this article. It turned out that the chain and quick links
that they were using were in fact nickel-plated steel and were safe. However,
the screw eyes used for holding toys were zinc-plated and thus not safe for
birds. I then called the company back with my findings. I was very pleased
with their response. They apologized for the problem and indicated that they
would immediately send me out replacement stainless steel screw eyes for the two
play gyms I had purchased from them (which they did). Also, they decided to
stop shipping play gyms until they could replace the screw eyes with stainless
steel ones. This is the kind of company I like dealing with.
So what can you conclude
from this? If a major toy manufacturer indicates that all of their metal parts
are safe, there is a reasonably good chance that they are, but you are not
guaranteed that this is the case unless all parts are stainless steel (non-magnetic).
At the end of this article I will give some guidelines for visually inspecting
metal parts that can help you identify at least some unsafe parts.
According to the American
Zinc Association, zinc is almost never a component of steel, but rather a
coating to prevent rust. Even if steel is partially made from recycled metals
that are zinc coating, the re-melting process burns off the zinc. As an
impurity, zinc causes steel to become brittle so it is not a component of the
steel itself.
The good news is that
since zinc is a coating it is relatively easy to test for zinc chemically. The
bad news is that the chemical used to test for zinc is hydrochloric acid, which
is dangerous stuff to work with. While hydrochloric acid is generally not
available to the general public, there is a somewhat diluted form of
hydrochloric acid called muriatic acid which is easy to obtain and a little less
dangerous to work with.
WARNING: Any handling of
muriatic acid for testing for zinc should be done outside in a well-ventilated
area. You should be wearing rubber gloves and lab type eye goggles with sides.
You should also wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt to minimize the chance
of getting any acid on your skin. Also, you should have water readily available
so you can quickly wash off any acid that accidentally splashes on your skin or
clothing.
If in spite of these
warnings you want to test for zinc, here are recommended steps to follow:
1.
Muriatic acid can be purchased at most paint stores or hardware stores
that have a paint department. Typically the smallest quantity you can purchase
will be in a quart bottle. It is not very expensive.
2.
You can test for zinc using a single drop of acid, so it is safer to
transfer a small amount of the muriatic acid to a small container. I recommend
that you obtain a new empty glass medicine bottle with a dropper built in. I
was easily able to purchase one for 50 cents at my local pharmacy.
3.
Working outside wearing protective gear, transfer a small amount of
muriatic acid to the medicine bottle, being careful to not breathe in the fumes.
Since the top opening of the medicine bottle is small, you should use a small
plastic funnel to pour the acid into the medicine bottle. Do not use a metal
funnel unless it is stainless steel – the acid will probably dissolve it.
Alternatively, you can pour a small amount of the acid into a glass measuring
cup with a pouring spout and then carefully pour it into the medicine bottle.
After the transfer is complete, you should close the bottle and wash the outside
thoroughly with water (as well as the funnel or measuring cup) to remove any
remaining acid. This is actually the most dangerous part of the testing. Once
the acid is transferred to the medicine bottle you will only be using a drop or
two at a time.
4.
To actually test things for zinc, you will need two things: 1) a bucket
filled with cold water which you will use to dunk toys and other metal parts to
quickly wash off the test acid, and 2) a glass plate or baking dish which is
where you will place the item you are testing. (See below for suggestions on
how to test cages.)
5.
When muriatic acid is put onto a metal part with zinc coating, you will
see an immediate and vigorous foaming reaction. The area where the acid touches
the zinc will sometimes turn almost black, although this does not always
happen. In order to get an idea of what type of reaction you are looking for, I
suggest you obtain a galvanized roofing nail from your hardware store, building
supply store, or your friendly neighborhood handyperson. Working outside and
wearing protective gear put the nail on the glass plate and put a single drop of
acid on the nail. You will get a vigorous chemical reaction. Then try the same
thing with something you know is stainless steel, such as a piece of tableware.
You will get absolutely no reaction when the item is stainless steel. This will
also be the case if the item is nickel plated rather than zinc plated.
6.
Use the same procedure to test toys. Note that a toy may have several
metal components, for example, chain, quick links, a metal loop fastening chain
to a plastic object, a metal wire used to string together wood or plastic parts,
etc. As soon as you have tested the metal parts of the toy, immediately dunk
the toy in the bucket of water to dilute the acid. You should thoroughly rinse
the toy later before using it with your bird.
7.
Play gyms usually have metal screw eyes or other metal parts for hanging
toys. Remove one of each type of metal part from the play gym and test it for
zinc. This includes any nuts or bolts that hold things together. One of my
plastic play gyms has metal toy hangers made out of stainless steel, which is
great. However, the toy hanger is fastened to the play gym using a regular nut
and a wing nut, both of which turned out to be zinc coated!
8.
Testing chrome plated cages can be a bit tricky. Since it is not safe to
test for zinc indoors, you need to move the cage outside to test it. I have
noticed that most cages that are chrome plated are small portable cages, so
moving it outside is not a problem. If you have a large parrot cage, you will
need to move it outside, which may be a bit of a challenge, especially if the
cage won’t fit through the door! In any case, once the cage is outside, remove
any perches or toys that might be damaged by water. Have a garden hose handy to
rinse the cage after testing. All you need to do is put one drop of acid on the
cage bars and see if you get the zinc reaction described above. As soon as you
do the test, thoroughly hose down the cage to make sure that all of the acid has
been rinsed away.
One alternative to testing for zinc yourself that you may want to consider is to see if there is a local commercial analytical lab in your area that can do the testing for you. Another alternative is to check with the toxicology lab at a nearby University. They may charge a small fee for the testing, but at least you won’t need to handle dangerous chemicals yourself.
www.fluffies.org
Copyright © 2001- 2005
All About Parrots
&
Alles over
papegaaien
All About Parrots interactive &
Alles over papegaaien
interactief
All rights reserved. No
content may be used or reproduced without the author's written permission
