do they swallow plastic?

[bookworm0550]

argh, i'm so worried now. there's a table lamp they like to go to and i just noticed that they broke off the plastic part on the inside of it today and there are broken plastic all over that area. i basicially chased pan til he dropped a piece from his mouth. i am tossing that lamp out. I always thought they were just chewing the cover of it, which is just a cloth material.

do they actually swallow that stuff or just play w/ it? I'm so worried now. I don't want anything to happen to them. I am so mad at myself. I thought i bird proofed everything. i just keep imagining that those sharp pieces are making their way down my babies tummy. :very_sad: Is there anything I should look for?

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

that's a good question.... like i posted before, sunnybird's wings are coming in again & she's discovering new "play" areas....like the top of the fridge. She was able to lean over far enough to peel the magnetic poem words right off. I'm going to lower all the little pieces so she can't reach.

[bookworm0550]

seriously, since pan's been here and they saw him fly, it's inspired them to reach for new heights and that's not a good thing. all three were on the ceiling fan which was dusty!! I couldn't lure them down or grab them so i sprayed them w/ water til they came flying down. it's so annoying. And they're all clipped too.

i thought i read somewhere that they don't swallow anything thats not food, but you never know. if i didn't see evolet w/ a huge chunk of plastic in her beak, i wouldn't even thought anything of it. I always thought she was just gnawing on the outside cloth. they all seem fine. man, can't take your eyes off them at all. I think they'll be fine, but still makes me anxious.

[newloviemom]

yup--it's like raising children!!!! and I have two grandbabies to compare my bird with--LOL!!

[michael]

argh, i'm so worried now. there's a table lamp they like to go to and i just noticed that they broke off the plastic part on the inside of it today and there are broken plastic all over that area. i basicially chased pan til he dropped a piece from his mouth. i am tossing that lamp out. I always thought they were just chewing the cover of it, which is just a cloth material.

do they actually swallow that stuff or just play w/ it? I'm so worried now. I don't want anything to happen to them. I am so mad at myself. I thought i bird proofed everything. i just keep imagining that those sharp pieces are making their way down my babies tummy. :very_sad: Is there anything I should look for?

For the most part, birds will not ingest anything unusual in nature. Unfortunately, we know it can happen either by chance or via a birds instinct towards quickly consuming food before any other bird or animal gets involved. Because plastic, once it is ingested, can cause a dangerous chemical reaction, I would keep a very close eye out for any signs of illness and therefore act accordlingy. This would then be considered an emergency. How long should you watch? Really, this can vary from 24 hours on, whereas should you notice a change even in a few days that would raise some suspicion. ......Hopefully, your removing the offending lamp is the only cure needed here.

[maya_exquisite]

Oh my! I hope they didn't ingest any of it!!

[Bubblelady]

man, can't take your eyes off them at all.

Does seem that way, doesn't it. It really is a lot like kid-proofing a house. If there are 25 things to play with, only one of which is hazardous, they are immediately drawn to the risky thing. When I had Buddy at the vet's last week there was a woman there "visiting" her parrotlet. Her companion told me in the parking lot that the woman had received a stained glass sun catcher ornament for Christmas & had hung it in the window. Not thinking that it was real stained glass--held together with lead! He said the bird probably wasn't going to make it. :( Not to make you paranoid, but you do have to have a certain mind set about looking at what you bring into a house that has free-range lovies. Yet another reason why I choose to have my birdies clipped. I have a lot more control (although not complete control) over what they can get into. Even with them being limited to walking distance, they still manage to get into a fair amount of mischief! Being a natural born worrier I always call the vet when they ingest--or I think they may have ingested--something potentially hazardous. Usually I'm told not to worry, sometimes I'm told what to watch for & how long I should watch, and twice I was told to come right in! Which is a very windy way of saying, if it was me, just for peace of mind, I'd call the vet in the morning & explain what the fids have been up to. It's probably alright. They just like to make you nuts!

[momo]

Elmo lots to break plastic things.. and I find that she just sucks on it.. just runs it around her mouth. I dont think that she ingest it at all.

[bookworm0550]

aww, thanks guys. i sure hope that parrotlet will make it. no kidding. they are clipped, but it's like they are still able to get to places i can't reach. does anyone know if masking tape is ok to use around the fids too? man, i need to get a bird room w/ padded walls!!!!