Lead & Zinc Testing?

[brfussne]

I was posting on Christie's thread about different cages and cage prices when I found this company that tested its paint back in 2009 for lead & zinc because lead & zinc is poisonous to parrots. Researching Toxicosis made me want to start this thread. I was wondering what cage brand do you guys trust & use for your parrots? How often should a company test their paint for lead & zinc? The company is called Cagesunder500dollars and here is the link to their lab results. http://www.cagesunder500dollars.com/ima ... esults.pdf It says the tests were only done on 4 (Sandstone, charcoal, off-white, and forest green) out of several other colors they provide. I was curious if anyone has done any research on other companies who tested their powder coatings as well and what results did you find?

[brfussne]

I just wanted to add a few links for the people who may be confused about Heavy Metal Poisoning in parrots ...

http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/metals.htm
http://www.happybirdy.com/

[christie]

Cool! Thanks for starting this thread, I'm wondering the same thing.

[brfussne]

I know a lot of people recommend Kings Cages for their travel cages but what about their actual cages? According to their website, they test their cages regularly but it doesn't say how often? It also says ... http://www.kingscages.com/faq.aspx#top

“What are your cages made of?
Unless choosing Stainless Steel or Aluminum our cages are made of durable wrought-iron with a heavy powder coat baked on 100% bird safe paint - in a variety of colors for you to choose from.

Are your cages bird-safe and non-toxic?
Our cages are ALL Non-Toxic and safe for your feathered friend. We have our cages test regularly. That said, ingesting paint is never healthy, and if your bird is prone to making their cage a chew-toy, we recommend looking into our Stainless Steel or Aluminum lines which are impossible to ingest.”

But according to this website, aluminum is not safe for parrots.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Parrot-Cages- ... id=3087080

“Aluminum is a soft metal and by many considered as safe for birds. However few studies indicated that some birds' species in aluminum-laden habitats with high Aluminum diet have elevated aluminum level in bones and laid deformed eggs with soft shells leading to reduced hatchability. Other studies bring concerns with bone grows and body weight gain in growing chicks with elevated aluminum in the diet. So it's probably more safe not to let your parrot put his beak on aluminum stuff around your house and to avoid it in bird's toys (just as mere precaution - you never know what reaction your particular bird will have)

Most of parrot aluminum toxicity cases that were documented connected to heated aluminum foil - which is mostly attributed to fumes from its non-stick polymer additives.”

Is stainless steel the best choice then? What about wrought iron? This article suggests getting a powder coated wrought iron cage because is is stronger than paint, provides grip for the parrot, and protects the cage from rust since rust is also toxic to parrots.

“Steel /a.k.a. Wrought Iron is hard metal nontoxic (mostly because it's hard and very difficult for parrot to detach and ingest piece of it) to birds, but rust - is, so be careful as cage coating wears off and corrosion starts - consider powder coated cages versus painted. Powder coating is much stronger and structured surface of this coating provides better grip for birds.”

Any suggestions?

[Tarkus]

You're always safest with stainless . Just be aware that determining I'd you're getting what you paind for can be difficult. It's hard to tell type 304 from type 316 and medical from non-medical grade.

As far as powder coated cages I have had a few tested in the last year and they tested clean. All three were made in china so just because they are made in Asia doesn't mean they are dirty.

When looking at information on the Internet look at the date of those threads. 3 years when we talk about quality comtroll in china is an eternity.

[Michael]

The company is called Cagesunder500dollars and here is the link to their lab results. http://www.cagesunder500dollars.com/ima ... esults.pdf ?

Don't order from that site. They are run by the same scamming company as cages by design. See the terrible experience I've had with them here and do a google search for review or scam of cages by design if you're not convinced.

Stainless steel is obviously the best bet (but don't forget there are different grades of stainless steel as well). I have one alunimum and one powder. The powder coat cage is already taking some damage but is still a good cage. I think it makes less of a difference than people make it out to be. Just stick to a company that's been making cages for a while (presumably people have had those cages for as long as they've been around and their birds are ok or we'd hear about it).

[aisell]

That is very very useful, thanks so much for sharing

[Tarkus]

I just wanted to add a few links for the people who may be confused about Heavy Metal Poisoning in parrots ...

http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/metals.htm
http://www.happybirdy.com/

Unfortunaly Larry, happy birdie, seems to have stopped his testing, and updating his site since 2008. In terms of imports that was light years ago. I have not seen a possitive metallurgical report in at least four years from the major import brands.

The article by our esteemed Russian scientist also is outdated. He also provides a link on where to buy " the best cages" and that's always leaves me suspect.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Parrot-Cages- ... id=3087080

It's important to look at the dates of these sites before taking them as gospel.
Heavy metals are bad but that dosent mean that your cages sre full of them.

I agree with micheal. Cagesunder500 are overpriced and poor customer service.

Be Big,
Alan

[spiral]

hello everyone
this a link to a page about toxisity in metals thought it would be useful, anyway i hope so.

http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/metals.htm