Toys Are Not Always Safe for our Parrots

 

When it comes to toys, we have a safety first policy at Parrotdise Perch which we apply to products  purchased for store inventory as well as the many toys we hand produce on site.  We inspect all toys upon arrival to ensure they have only bird-safe parts.  We also have products tested by a qualified lab to ensure they are safe.  Our toy making staff are trained to work with metal, leather, cotton and dyes.  Our own toys are inspected several times to ensure we have it right.  Parrotdise Perch does not sell to other stores so any toys that look the same as our toys are likely “knock-offs” and therefore have not been through the rigorous safety checks given to all Parrotdise Perch toys. 

 

We are often in discussions with manufacturers of toys where both toy design and toy composition are addressed.  In the past, we have occasionally found parts that don’t meet our standards and when this happens, the manufacturers often incorporate our suggestions for a safer alternative.  We also forward customer concerns and suggestions to the manufacturers and have seen modifications made based on customer feedback.

 

Over the past year, the Pet Industry in general has been affected by the economic downturn.  This manifests itself adversely when it comes to the quality of toys offered to the public.  Many companies have closed their doors and several new ones are taking their place.  Parrotdise Perch has been forced to increase its vigilance with regard to the quality of materials used in the manufacturing of bird toys.  We recently received a common product from a newly established company that was made with oiled sisal.  Unfortunately we can’t fix this problem and simply returned the product.  Another example is toys which were once distributed with nickel plated chain are now being sold with inferior metal chain which can be harmful to our pets.  To ensure the proper safety standards for our customers, Parrotdise Perch staff has replaced all questionable chains with top quality nickel plated chain from our own inventory.  Thus we are still able to offer safe toys to our customers.  Hopefully, other retailers and websites are taking similar measures for their customers.

 

We have also noticed another disturbing trend where large distributors, particularly in Canada, that have historically provided products for the dog and cat industry are now venturing into bird toys.  Not having the in-depth knowledge of the safety requirements of birds, many products are created for sale to bird owners using parts which can be hazardous to a bird’s health.   For example, one major distributor is using normal tanned leather (typically used in dog equipment), for parts in bird toys as opposed to bird-safe veggie tanned leather that is used in all Parrotdise Perch toys.  Apparently, this distributor is shipping these unsafe toys to pet stores across Canada.  Hopefully over time, and with feedback from customers, the safety of toys will improve and the public will once again be able to buy toys from pet stores across the country with complete peace of mind.

 

One of our favourite toy manufacturers, SuperBird Creations, always delivers creative, fun toy that offer stimulation for our Parrot.  Their bird-safe toys undergo excellent quality control without compromise.

Conclusion:

Be wary and ask questions.  If you think you have a product that appears unsafe ask someone that knows.  Parrotdise Perch is always available to provide our professional opinion.  If you have a toy that concerns you and want us to look at it, simply put it inside a plastic bag and bring with you the next time you shop.  Be prepared to leave it behind.  If you shop only on the website we suggest mailing the toy to us as the pictures don’t often reveal enough to formulate an opinion.  Most importantly, if we don’t sell it, ask us why !!  There are products that we believe to be unsafe for our Parrots and for this reason we don’t sell it.

© Parrotdise Perch, January 1, 2010

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Can your Parrots get the H1N1 virus?

H1N1 is all anyone is talking about right now - and justifiably.  Unfortunately, there are no cut and dry answers to the questions posed, but here are the facts as we know them.

It is more likely that owners will pass H1N1, as it exists today, to their birds than the other way around.  Therefore, during cold and 'flu season, precautions should be taken when sick when handling or feeding your pet bird.  Ideally, care - taking tasks should be delegated to a non-symptomatic family member, but if this is not possible, precautions such as wearing a mask and certainly, keeping the bird away from your face are warranted.  Remember that most 'flu viruses are passed by hands, so washing hands frequently, certainly before preparing your bird's food, and not physically handling the bird when sick can decrease the risk of acting as a mechanical vector and transmitting the virus to the bird.

Contact with poultry farms should be discouraged.  Wild bird contact, given that winter is upon us, is likely less of a concern, but if you are filling bird feeders, ensure that you wear gloves, wash the feeder and your hands and try and prevent mechanical spread of a virus.

Incubation in a bird that contracts H1N1 can vary from hours to days, depending on the susceptibility of the bird and the virulence of the virus strain.  Typical influenza signs are observed: mild to severe respiratory distress, lethargy and inappetence, diarrhea, and in poultry, swelling around the head has been documented.  Certainly, any bird seen with mild upper respiratory tract disease from a household where the owners have been sick would be suspect of carrying the virus.

As with any viral infections, individuals can act as carriers - not clinically sick but shedding the virus.  Shedding can occur for as little as 5 days and as long s 4 weeks.  People who feel fine, but have been in contact with someone with the 'flu should consider they may be acting as a carrier and should take the same precautions as someone who is sick.

As with any influenza, the treatment is supportive and dependent on how severely the patient is affected.  While this virus can be fatal in birds, many will be challenged and survive.

Dr. Kerry Korber B.A., D.V.M.
Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

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For your next vacation consider an eco-tour to see Double Yellow-Head Amazons in their natural habitat along the coast of Mexico.  

Vista de Pájaro EcoTours is offering excellent birding trips . . .

 

El Cielo, Tamaulipas, Mexico (February 19 - 25, 2010) 
In February, we'll make another trip to the fabulous Bio-Preserve of NE Mexico, El Cielo, Tamaulipas.  An incredible site with amazing birds, from Bee and Blue-throated hummingbirds to Amazons and my current favorite, Barred antshrike, this trip is incredible! Even birder's with long Mexico lists added dozens of life list species on our spring trip to this site.  We will be staying at the lovely Casa de Piedras, located in the small town of Gomez Farias, within the Preserve. We will make day trips to river and mountainside sites, each with phenomenal birding. We may offer daily yoga class as part of this trip.  $1650, includes ground travel, expert local guide in El Cielo, room and breakfast.  Deposit of $400 is due by October 1.  Receive an early bird discount of $50 by getting your deposit in by September 1st.

For a wonderful account of Gary Clark's visit to El Cielo, please see the June issue of Birder's World, in 'Birding Hotspot', pp. 26 - 31. (Thanks Vicki!)

Parties of two or more receive a $50 discount per person. Travel is at your own risk.  Travel insurance is advised.  Trip cost does NOT INCLUDE airfare, lunch/dinner, or tips.  Our trips are kept very small, from 4 – 8 people, and very reasonably priced.

For more information on these tours contact J. Marie Digatono at Oratrix6@aol.com or by phone 763.315.1749.  Marie has been taking small groups into NE Mexico for 14 years, and each visit has been an exciting and wonderful experience, for experienced birders and beginners!  We look forward to seeing you on this adventure!


Positive Reinforcement Training
Parrotdise Perch would like to pass on some information in our ongoing efforts to spread the word on the desirability of using “positive reinforcement” as the primary tool in modifying the behaviour of our companion Parrots.  Before parting with your money for well marketed Parrot trick training videos that guarantee to stop your Parrot from biting, have a look at what information is available to you.  There are several individuals who are contributing through their knowledge of animal training to the companion Parrot and pet communities. 

Dr. Susan Friedman, PhD is the most influential person in the Parrot community; educating thousands of individuals in the use of positive reinforcement and the science of behaviour enabling them to improve their own relationship with Parrots or help others solve behaviour problems with Parrots.  Dr. Friedman is a professor of psychology at Utah State University.  She teaches the Science of Applied Behavior Analysis and has developed a course specifically for the Parrot community titled Living and Learning with Parrots. 

Bob Bailey has been instrumental in the use of positive reinforcement in commercial facilities and zoos around the world and for several years now in the companion animal community by training the trainers.  Bob has worked with over 200 different species of animals and along with Marion Breland Bailey developed training techniques that are currently being used by nearly everyone that trains with positive reinforcement.   Their training techniques are based on the work of Fred Skinner and several other scientists that specialized in learning and behaviour.  It was Marion Breland Bailey that first began using a secondary “stimulus” known today as a “clicker” and popularized by Karen Pryor through her book titled “Don’t Shoot the Dog”. 

These individuals have provided many others in the companion animal community with the tools to train.  One doesn’t have to spend $99.99 to learn how to train their Parrot when the information is free from so many reliable sources.  We only caution those wanting to learn more about training to be discerning about the information being provided.  Several well publicized individuals use punishment such as shock collars and flooding to get desired behaviour.  We know that although they can get behaviours it is definitely not the least intrusive means.  Scientists have proven that there are many repercussions with the use of punishment  and we should avoid its use whenever possible.  An example of flooding is simply waving sticks around an animal that has no means of escape.  The animal has no choice and through physiological means relaxes to reduce stress that could ultimately cause physical harm.  Now you have an animal that will not bite (at that moment).  An article on the aggression in animals is available on an Ontario Veterinarian website http://www.yorkvilleanimalhospital.ca/index.php?view=pageView&docid=100049691  titled “Training your dog – should you use rewards or punishment?”. 

Dr. Sofia Yin DVM has written many articles on behaviour available at www.nerdbook.com and Barbara Heidenreich, a professional animal trainer, has information on her website at www.goodbirdinc.com.  Simply do an internet search on any of these individuals to find articles they’ve written and other reliable sources for information on training with the use of positive reinforcement.  We at Parrotdise Perch are also available to help you learn about positive reinforcement, modify unwanted behaviours through applied behaviour analysis as well as providing clicker training classes. 

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We know you have many shopping choices and really appreciate the time you take to view our products.  This wasn’t always the case; When we established Parrotdise Perch, with a goal to bring fun, challenging and safe toys to our fellow Parrot lovers north of 49, we knew of only one online store with very limited selection.  Today you have many stores to choose from and we at Parrotdise Perch are proud to lead the way in providing the best and safest toys.

Parrotdise Perch continues to offers the largest selection of Parrot toys to help stimulate the psittacine mind through foraging or mechanical puzzles.  We select toys that are safe and manufactured in a bird-free environment.  Toys that don’t meet our safety requirements are either converted using safe parts or, when this isn’t possible, we simply don’t offer them for sale. If you don’t see a product on our website you may want to ask us why before you buy it somewhere else. 

We rely on you, our customers, to provide feedback about the toys your Parrots enjoy the most so we are able to match you with appropriate products.  We ask our customers a lot of questions about their Parrots because we feel that each Parrot has unique needs and it is only through conversation that we can determine what those needs are and which of our extensive inventory of products is most suitable. Our customer's satisfaction is the primary source of our satisfaction.

Parrotdise Perch has a terrific selection of organic food and treats to promote your avian companion’s health and well-being.  We encourage everyone to use as many organic products as possible.  For us “human grade” just isn’t good enough. Humans can withstand way more than any of our Parrots.  Why do you think they sent the canary into the coalmine?  You will not find bottles of vitamins or tonics on our website as we believe that with our healthy diet the need for supplements will be reduced to those situations where supplements are prescribed by a veterinarian. 

We are always adding more products and welcome your suggestions.  We hope you will enjoy exploring our website.  If you refer a friend, please be sure to ask them to add your name in the comment box at the checkout.  This will allow us to reward you with the same loyalty rewards they earn on their first shopping experience.  This is free shopping for you in appreciation for sending your friends our way.  We appreciate your business and want to thank you for stopping by!

From all of us at Parrotdise Perch
Kathleen, Christine, Shannon, Josie, Jesse & Tanis

We would like all our customers to know that the ABC Blocks we sell have been tested by an independent lab and confirmed to be free of lead. The accuracy of home tests is not as accurate or reliable as lab testing.  Although a home test kit is cheaper then sending product to a lab facility, we would rather take this precautionary measure to ensure that our products meet our high safety standards.

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Mississauga Store

Parrotdise Perch store at 5200 Dixie Road in Mississauga (just 2 blocks south of the 401).  We look forward to serving our Ontario customers in person.

STORE HOURS
MONDAY	CLOSED
TUESDAY	CLOSED
WEDNESDAY	11:00 AM	7:00 PM
THURSDAY	11:00 AM	7:00 PM
FRIDAY	11:00 AM	7:00 PM
SATURDAY	11:00 AM	5:00 PM
SUNDAY	11:00 AM	5:00 PM