Color coming off??

[Mydoona]

Has anyone else had this?
I noticed today that my new bird Mardi (who is a white faced pied) had green markings on her white face...then I saw the culprit...she was rubbing her head on her perch which is one of those clip on calicium perches and its green and the green color of the perch is coming off onto her feathers..also I cleaned her multicolored ladder and the blue on the ladder came off all over my hands :mad:
Is this dye poisonious to my little lovie??
I didn't think so because they sell them in petshops but you never know.
thanks

[michael]

As long as you purchase your supplies from a reputable source and packaging indicates safe non toxic vegetable colourings were used there should be no problems. Often, with some parrot treats that are coloured after consuming them your bird may have a change in the colour if its droppings. Its good to know this "ahead" of time so as not to confuse it with an illness. The "instant" colour mutations that have occured from time to time do make for some interesting lovebirds 8o. I've used food colouring on some of our homemade perches and the only problem I ever had was getting the colouring on ME. Really, I had forgotten how long it can take to get the stuff off, especially when it gets on your face >o.

[linda040899]

I agree with Michael. Most toys are colored with vegetable dye and that is harmless for birds. It's been known to stain feathering when it gets wet so I try to get wooden toys that are not colored, when possible.

Another thing I've found is that the vitamin coloring on fortified seed can also stain feathers even if it doesn't get wet. How well I remember taking some whiteface lovies to a show one time and someone asking me about my "pink face" lovebirds! I guess I never noticed it and didn't think anything about it until the question was asked! Not all fortified seed will do this but the brand I was using was the exception to the rule! :lol

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Like Michael and Linda said, it's harmless. But if it bothers you, what you can do to prevent it is, give the toys a quick soak in some hot water with a touch of bleach in it. Rinse well and let them air dry.

That will get the extra food coloring off.

[Mydoona]

does this include those coloured calcium screw on perches too?
Thats what most of the green is from...wondering if I soak them will the
a) soak up the bleach or
b)color is all the way thru the perch thus not getting rid of the dye?

[Pips mom]

That is what I do too-----if something is colored with food coloring, I give it a good soak in some warm water and rinse it a few times----that way the worst of it washes off. I did this with Pip's playgym when I first bought it and no color ever comes off of it, even when he has just taken a bath and is wet!

[Mydoona]

funniest thing happened...I gave my new lovie a bath by misting her with a spray bottle to help get rid of the color from the perch and what did she do when she got all wet..rubbed herself on the perch and is now green all over.looks pretty but not really what I wanted..I must go take the perch out and soak it.

[Jally]

LOL Michael! I don't even want to know what you were doing with food coloring on your face!

I think sanding a new toy until the color fades a little would be OK. Not so sure about a calcium perch though. I have bee pollen perches and like those a lot better. The color doesn't come off of those. But they do create a lot of dust as the birds chew them down.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

I wouldn't soak a calcium / mineral block in bleach. I was referring to wooden toys and things like that.