Dear Parrots magazine,
Dodgy parts (2)
I refer to a letter in the September 2020 (272) issue about ‘Dodgy parts’ by Tania Wilkinson, when she gave an account of her Ducorps Cockatoo, which came to grief when playing with a toy comprising of plastic rings. I have sadly experienced a similar problem with bits breaking off, but more seriously I think, as the part that my Grey got caught in its mouth was quite sharp.
I suppose this was my own fault, as I bought this toy from an Internet site that I was not familiar with, as the picture of the toy and price were tempting. But you get what you pay for, and that has been buzzing around in my head ever since. It is clear to me that thinking about toys is nothing more than buying something to keep your parrot happy, is not to be underestimated. I have read other accounts of parts falling off toys and don’t think any more than these things just happen, and that our birds are more than happy to destroy them, which is stimulating for them.
But I would like to warn other parrot owners that there is much more to toys than meets the eye. Over the years, toys have become increasingly popular with unscrupulous manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon with cheap products and little thought of the consequences when something goes wrong. Always check that any toys you give to your birds are suitable, and if going out for any length of time, perhaps take out a toy you are not confident about, and only provide it if you are about and can keep an eye on your bird.
I was lucky, as I managed to get my Grey to my dog vet (not special avian) and she managed to remove this sharp object without too much trouble. There was a little bleeding, but we all got over this quite quickly. This could have all ended up much worse. Always buy from a reputable seller, there have been many in this magazine, and don’t shy away from what might look expensive. The toy I bought turned out to be very expensive when considering the vet’s bill!
Veronica Taylor, by email