QUESTION ABOUT JUTE ROPE

[Maria]

Hello all my feathered friend lovers! I came here to double check with ya'll, and get feedback - answer to this question. Just to be on the safe side, before I buy jute from this source!

At herman1957 Bird Parrot Toy Parts on EBAY (I'd joined) (here is the link again - http://stores.ebay.com/herman1957-Bird- ... 34.c0.m322)

. . . . . .

the only thing I do have a concern about is what he is saying about the fragrance of his jute he's getting/offering.

"This rope is a natural fiber product, and the organic nature of the jute fiber gives it the unique natural fragrance. Over time that fragrance goes away, but when it is new, you certainly know it because of the natural fragrance!"

I'd emailed him asking and stating the following about - referring to that statement posted on his site about the jute: - - - -

Are you sure this is safe? I'd had some jute come in which I'd ordered, a bit from another company, and I did not notice any fragrance or aroma. So now I'm going to go home and really smell it, but this is the first I've heard about jute having a fragrance. There was another company who said they do not have jute because they could not find a vendor who had or could get any which was "bird safe". In general, anything "aromatic" (scent, gives off fumes) is toxic to birds. This includes some types of trees (the wood). If it is "fumey", I would question it, especially anything stongly fumey.

We know with rope, criteria which has to be met is:
unbleached, unoiled, chemical free, oil free (we also need to stay away from ropes sold in hardware stores, because oils are used on these for cutting processing), biodegradable, no fillers, all natural, NOT nylon, unravels, safe, tangle free, not harmful if swallowed, non-toxic, no unsafe lengths of fray, no memory like other rope. Prevents entrapment and limb strangulation caused by fibers such as nylon or polished cotton rope.

His response back to me in email was the following:

It is 100% safe, The natural jute plant has a distinct oder.

I haven't had a chance to think about it yet, while I've been home over the weekend, to actually put my nose to the jute I have on hand from another source, in order to smell it. BUT - is this true what he's saying? Would this be safe? I wanted to come here and check with ya'll first, seeing what kind of feedback I get.

Does bird safe jute have a fragrance/odor? Is what he is claiming true? Or is this a matter regarding we have to be careful of which vendors it may have been gotten from, who are either unaware of the criteria, or make false claims to make a buck.

Immense thanks,

{{{{bird hugs!}}}}

[friend2parrots]

i did a quick look around on the web and it does seem that the fiber jute has a naturally occurring odor. different people describe it differently. on a hermit crab forum people were talking about how to rinse the purchased jute in saltwater to get the smell out.

we problably need to look into whether jute odor is objectionable to parrots. i think the odor, if it is not toxic, and if it is naturally occurring, might go away if rinsed out in an appropriate method (we would have to research that). but i think the most important thing is to look for vendors who say " organic, untreated, unoiled, and NON-DEODORIZED." we wouldnt want to get jute from someone who has used chemicals to get the odor OUT of the jute. ( i did see a couple of websites that were advertising "deodorizing services" for people's jute rugs. )

[friend2parrots]

just wanted to add that I don't know anything about keeping hermit crabs as pets, but they are supposed to be sensitive creatures. specifically, the hermit crab forum thinks jute is fine, as long as its natural and organic, and they recommend boiling the jute in saltwater as a means of disinfecting and getting the odor out.

[Maria]

This is getting confusing.

First of all, the statement he's portraying is that it's "organic".

He's portraying that due to the fact that it's organic, it has an odor/fragrance.

What we need to know is - if this, therefore, "natural" "odor" - is toxic to birds.

Jute rope is commonly used for making parrot toys.

The only reason why I'm questioning it, is because I have never smelled an odor on any jute which I had gotten related to parrot toys, and this is the first time anyone had ever made reference to the fact that it has an odor. So I am questioning if his jute is bird safe.

Birds are not suppose to have salt, so that's not an option (boiling in salt water).

And I still haven't had a chance to actually smell my jute, but I did not ever "notice" an odor.

Certain "fragrant" trees/woods are toxic to birds, because they are indeed fragrant. The fumes are toxic to birds, and that's why some woods/branches are not safe for birds, -

Example: Pine. UNLESS it is cleaned and de-barked in a bird safe way, and the sap is removed. Something to that affect. Then it no longer has the odor. That's when some parrot toys are indeed made out of pine wood. Soft pine.