Zinc & Your Parrot
by Sally Blanchard

This article is reprinted from Issue #33 of the Pet Bird Report and may not be reprinted without the written permission of Sally Blanchard or the PBIC, Inc. Contact us for permission.

Important For Health but ….

Zinc is a trace mineral which is essential for the health of our birds yet an excess can be toxic. At the IAS Convention this January (1997), Dr. Fern Van Sant D.V.M. presented a paper and program about Zinc and its potential toxicity to parrots. Consequently, there has been a great deal of discussion about this topic on the Internet and I have received numerous e-mails, letters, and calls from concerned bird owners. As often happens, some people post messages without having solid information. Consequently, a certain amount of hysteria can result. At this point, I do not know which companies produce cages with zinc in the paint and which do not. I do know, however, that there is a great deal of conjecture going on which may not be based on fact. However, if you have a cage with chipping paint which your parrot is chewing on, it is important to have the paint checked for potential heavy metal toxicity. If you find that the cage paint has any toxic substance in it, it makes a great deal of sense to replace the cage.

While I do not have all the facts and the PBR will be printing more information on this topic in the future, I would like to address a few points. The first is that zinc does not jump off of something to ‘attack’ the bird, it must be ingested to cause harm. Just having something in the cage which has zinc as part of its composition will not necessarily be harmful to your parrot. For example, the hardware and chain used in most bird toys (particularly those advertised in the PBR) should be safe for the vast majority of parrots. Update: Issue 53 contains a detailed article on testing of cages and accessories for the presence of zinc.

How can a bird ingest zinc from bird toy hardware? The most significant way is if the parrot actually ingests the metal pieces. Unless there are chips, flakes, small globs (solder for example), beads, or the material scrapes or powders easily, ingestion would be highly unlikely as most parrots do not swallow nonfood items. However the act of ingesting a non-digestible foreign body is in itself of grave concern. If your parrot is the type who eats what he plays with, you must be very careful about the toy choices you make. In addition to metal, swallowed wood, leather, rubber, plastic, synthetic fiber or cloth, excessive grit, and some cage sub-stratas like corn cob and ground walnut can cause serious impaction problems even if they are not toxic. Never allow parrots to play with items such as cosmetic jewelry or beads which may contain toxic metals.

A problem may result if the metal hardware is of poor quality and is plated in such a way that the coating chips, flakes, or can be scraped off easily. Most of the toys I am familiar with contain higher quality metal hardware. While the higher quality quick-links and screw eyes can be barely scraped with a great deal of firm pressure applied with a sharp knife, the material is relatively inert and it is doubtful that most parrots will be able to scrape material from them with their beaks. This is especially true if the hardware remains intact as part of the toy which makes it more difficult for a bird to manipulate the metal with their beak. Evidently padlocks have been identified as a problem with large macaws because of the bird’s tendency to chew on them if they are accessible from inside the cage.

Since I first learned about the problem with zinc, I have talked with both professionals with knowledge about the properties of metal and avian veterinarians. They do not feel that it is a significant risk factor if a parrot simply ‘fiddles’ with hardware with his beak because the metal is solid and not pliable. Parrots have dry mouths and while they may chew on objects, it is unlikely they actually ‘suck’ on them. However, if the hardware becomes detached and is consistently manipulated orally, if it is heated in a dishwasher, soaked in something acidic (i.e. fruit juice), or sits in water, some zinc may leech out either into the water or the bird’s mouth if the metal is then chewed on. Frequent drinking of such a solution could result in toxic levels of zinc. (Stay away from any metal bowls unless they are stainless.) The screw eyes in most toys will only be a problem if they become detached from the toy and the bird has the opportunity to soak them, place them totally within their mouths, and/or ingest them. If small or non-stainless metal hardware parts become detached from the body of a toy, they should be removed from the bird’s environment immediately.

Some parrots, especially cockatoos, seem to become fixated with the stimulation of manipulating metal pieces in their beaks. It may be a good idea to buy stainless steel quick links to place on all of their bird toys. Several PBR advertisers sell stainless steel quick links separately but unfortunately, the high price of stainless steel hardware makes it prohibitive for actual use in all manufactured bird toys.

I do not believe we should go off the deep end and throw away or not buy quality toys simply because they do not have stainless steel hardware. I have read statements on the Internet stating that companies who do not switch to stainless steel hardware are unethical. This is nonsense. As educated bird owners, we simply can not expect all quality bird toy companies to suddenly change all their hardware to stainless steel when we have no evidence that the hardware they are using is a problem when maintained properly. Stainless steel can be over 6 times the cost of regular metal hardware and the market will not support such a price increase in price. The retail price of some toys could double or even quadruple depending on the number of hardware pieces used.

Sometimes people seem to grab at "information fads" — particularly on the Internet. Suddenly, to some, zinc toxicity has become the simplistic reason for all feather picking — it is not. However, in some cases, it is certainly worth asking your veterinarian about. Zinc toxicity is a newly discovered consideration in the safety of our birds. I am sure that within the next few months, we will all have more access to information on this subject. In the meantime, it is important to use caution in all things we provide to our birds but please be reasonable and try to get good information in making your decisions. The key, as always, is to pay attention to the way our parrots play with their toys. My parrots do not play with their toys in such a way that I am concerned about the hardware being a risk factor. However, if you feel your parrot is at risk because he chews on or mouths his toys excessively, then make the necessary changes.

 

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