do you think wire is dangerous for birds

[hannah50942]

i have a cockatiel and i made a toy with wire attached to it. he loves it i just want to know if it's safe for him. it's a little car with wire at the front for him to pull the car along is it safe?

[Wolf]

So far as I have been able to find there are only two metals that are non toxic to birds , stainless steel and aluminum and the aluminum is presently being questioned.
Whenever there is a long skinny, flexible string, cord or wire there is a danger mostly if the human does not provide adequate supervision and/ or maintenance.

[hannah50942]

ok thanks

[Wolf]

Try using a shoe lace for the pull on the toy car, you may have to replace it more often but as long as you provide adequate supervision it is probably about as safe as you can make it.
We use harnesses on our birds so that we can give them some outside time with some flight capabilities, but they are by no means safe for them without the appropriate level of supervision. You have some good ideas, keep working on them and use what is said to make improvements, they are really not meant to discourage you.

[GMV]

i have a cockatiel and i made a toy with wire attached to it. he loves it i just want to know if it's safe for him. it's a little car with wire at the front for him to pull the car along is it safe?

Depends on what the bird does with it, and what the wire is made out of.

[Pajarita]

Wires are not recommended for birds. Plenty of other stuff you can use which is not dangerous (I prefer natural and untreated sisal rope). But I would also never contemplate making a bird pull a cart.

[RiffRaff]

Most silvery metal is either zinc coated or nickel plated; both these metals are dangerous for birds. Unless the metal is 100% stainless steel with no coating, it's probably not safe. Even worse some wires may be contain pewter, or other heavy metals, or have coloured coatings.

Anything that is long and flexible could also become tangled around the bird and pose a danger. Thin wires can be broken off and pose a serious risk to birds if swallowed or if it gets in their eyes.