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Post by julianna on Jan 27, 2015 15:57:30 GMT -5
First.... Just returned from holiday and little Oscar was at the sitters. It was wonderful to see him jump onto my shoulder and kiss me uncontrollably. He is such a little darling and I missed him horribly. He was happy to be home but it is funny.... cause I never close his cage but now he will go into the cage in the kitchen... and close the door himself and sit there... which is something he has never done before.
Anyway.... I was wondering if anyone else has given their QP a piece of plastic wrap to play with. Oscar absolutely loves this even more than food. Trust me... I did give him the choice. He takes the plastic wrap and slowly chews it into a small ball. He will chew this for almost an hour. It is a good way to keep him entertained if I have something important to do.
I know he does not swallow it... and does not tear it apart. ..... only turns it into a crunched ball. And don't you dare try to take it away from him as that is a cause for blood to be drawn. I sometimes thinks he just likes the feel of it... or that it makes nice crunchy noises that he loves... or maybe he is getting something from it... that I don't know about.
I checked and the chemicals are harmless to humans as the one I buy can be used to cook with as well.
I am curious if anyone else's QP loves this as much as Oscar does? |
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Post by biteybird on Jan 28, 2015 4:08:58 GMT -5
Bonnie goes FERAL when she sees any clear plastic wrap, bags, etc...lunges aggressively at it (accompanied by joyous squawks). I'm worried that she'll swallow the bits she chews off, so I always take it away from her. We have made a substitution. She really likes shiny foil chip/crisps packets and we leave one on the floor all the time for her to go inside and shriek! It is more beak-resistant and she can hide in it; a win-win!  |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Jan 28, 2015 8:34:56 GMT -5
Mr P goes nuts when he sees plastic wrap but that is because he thinks he is getting the food that is normally inside whatever I am unwrapping  |
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Post by cnyguy on Jan 28, 2015 20:34:44 GMT -5
Ralph just likes to tap on plastic wrap with his beak to see what kind of sound it will make. |
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Post by siobhan on Jan 29, 2015 13:26:47 GMT -5
I've never offered plastic wrap to mine. I think of them as toddlers who would get into trouble with something like that. My tiels love to chew up newspaper and the paper in their cages (and everyone else's cages) is always a wreck from their efforts. I've tried giving them other things, like plastic containers and boxes, but nobody has shown any interest in those.
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Post by biteybird on Jan 30, 2015 3:29:01 GMT -5
Ralph just likes to tap on plastic wrap with his beak to see what kind of sound it will make. Oh, Ralph, you are just a dream compared to your parrot peers. |
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Post by biteybird on Jan 30, 2015 3:32:14 GMT -5
We never actually offered plastic to Bonnie...she seems to find it wherever it is. She likes to go inside white plastic bags (the normal type you get from the supermarket). She also likes hiding inside hessian bags, chip packets and backpacks - with shrieks the whole time. But I agree, I feel I need to watch her the whole time when plastic is around.
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Post by beekersmom on Feb 6, 2015 11:13:17 GMT -5
I've never tried plastic wrap with Beeker, but he doesn't typically like to try new things. New toys are scary, new food only gets beeked if I eat it in front of him first. He does love newspapers (I line his cage with them) and I make a newspaper "tent" that he can hide in. He has even taught me how to play hide and seek with him and his tent. He does chew the newspaper up, and I've wondered in the past if the ink is OK for him but he's been doing it for many years now with no apparent ill affect...
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Post by julianna on Feb 7, 2015 14:48:16 GMT -5
I read that the newspaper ink will not harm them in anyway. Put your mind at ease.
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 7, 2015 23:06:57 GMT -5
Many newspapers are printed with soy ink, which is generally safe, and has bacteria-resistant properties.
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Post by julianna on Feb 16, 2015 15:14:04 GMT -5
Okay... so the plastic wrap is getting out of control sorta. You will not believe to see Oscar with his piece of plastic. He sits and holds it and chews it over and over and over. A good hour before he will drop it and go eat. I am beginning to think that there might be a chemical in it and I do not want him to have any chemicals so I am stopping the plastic wrap. Unfortunately he gets sooooo excited when he sees the wrap and it is going to be hard to say NO... all the time. He will actually dance around and around and flap his wings until he gets it but my thinking is... if it is that good... it must be bad. I smelled it and it smells awful to me but then again.. I would not eat raw hot peppers.
I would not recommend anyone giving the plastic wrap as a toy.... I truly feel it is more than a toy. What if he is getting a chemical brain freeze or something? My theory is... "If in doubt... throw it out".
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Post by Jan and Shah on Feb 16, 2015 15:26:07 GMT -5
Can you try and distract him with another toy - or maybe some paper? You play with it first and do squeals of joy so he has to see what you are doing and how much fun you are having. He will, most naturally, want it. Many years ago I had a cockatiel who injested a lot of plastic - I was unaware of this until I took her to the vet. Long story short - it killed her. That is why I dont have plastic near the birds. But if people are supervising their birds around plastic and making sure they dont injest it, then fair enough.
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Post by aaron on Feb 16, 2015 17:28:22 GMT -5
I would not recommend anyone giving the plastic wrap as a toy.... I truly feel it is more than a toy. What if he is getting a chemical brain freeze or something? My theory is... "If in doubt... throw it out". I think that is a good policy. If he is playing with the plastic for that long, it seems probable that little pieces of plastic are getting ingested, as it is not made to be under that kind of extensive stress. I think it's the right move to avoid that behavior, even though he likes it so much. Not worth the risk. |
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Post by biteybird on Feb 17, 2015 2:15:25 GMT -5
Yes, better safe than sorry. Bonnie is obsessed with it as well - if any is on the kitchen bench she goes straight to it - but she also loves chewing shoelaces, so I can sometimes divert her that way (until I've put the plastic out of sight).
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Post by siobhan on Feb 18, 2015 15:07:38 GMT -5
You might try paper grocery bags or something else that you can be sure is safe. A baby rattle, perhaps? It could be the noise that attracts him. As for newspaper ink, I know the one where I work uses soy ink so I don't worry when Freddie and Johnny are chewing newspaper into mouse bedding. I really should hire them out. They could pay for their own millet. LOL
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