Is Non-Toxic Polymer Clay And Other Materials Safe For My Bird?

**Coral52** · 12-02-2011, 05:31 PM

I found some non-toxic polymer clay and I thought I should make my Cockatiel a swing or some toys but I am not sure if they are safe. Also, are rubberbands safe, too? I thought they seem stretchy and my bird might like toying with it.

**DesertDweller** · 12-02-2011, 07:09 PM

I believe that this issue with clay and rubber bands would not only be the toxicity, the really big issue is if the bird ingests the material. I personally would never trust allowing my birds to touch clay or rubber bands. I'd be too afraid that the material might cause a blockage in their digestive tract. I recall having learned years ago that rubber bands are very dangerous to birds.

Maybe someone with more experience with these materials will be able to give you more insight.

**Pipers Mom** · 12-03-2011, 06:37 AM

I totally agree with Pat. Piper was very inquisitive and would try to put anything or everything in her beak. Last thing you want is something stuck or blocking their digestive tract. For some reason, she enjoyed chewing on my shoe laces. I would shoo her away and she would get upset. So I bought a package of shoe laces at the drug store and safety pinned them on my chair and she would sit and chew on them for a long period of time. What was nice about it is that I could wash them and they were much cheaper than the toys she rarely played with. I always made sure her toys were safe and cleaned very often. I would be worried about the rubberbands, eventually they will dry rot and break.

**AmberMuffinz** · 12-03-2011, 09:01 AM

I agree with everyone else. It would be very easy for that beak to chip off pieces of clay and ingest it. I'm sure somewhere on the package it says "Do not ingest" on it. And rubber bands sound like a bad idea as well. On another note, they taste horrible anyway. I wouldn't want to play with one in my mouth lol. There are a lot of inexpensive ways to make your own toys though, just look around the forum and you'll find many topics about it.

**DesertDweller** · 12-03-2011, 12:09 PM

Non-toxic is not the same as Bird-Safe.
The rule of thumb that I use is: A: When in doubt, DON'T, and B: Make sure the items you give your bird are clearly marked Bird Safe.
By following that rule of thumb, I never have to worry about what I give my birds.

One more thing: if you give a bird something that is designed for birds, make sure it's for the right size bird. For example, Amazons should never be given toys designed specifically for small birds such as budgies. And, budgies most likely cannot handle Macaw - or even conure - toys. If a toy is intended for several different sized birds, it will be thus labeled.