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| Shredded newspaper | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 26 2009, 01:18 PM (164 Views) | |
| JohnS | Apr 26 2009, 01:18 PM Post #1 |
Senior Member
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Now that I use newspaper instead of sandsheets in the parrotlet cage, I've sometimes seen one or both crawling underneath the stuff. That has got me thinking that some shredded newspaper would be okay for them to play with/under. Does anyone else do this? Their latest toy is something called a 'jellyfish', half a coconut with 6 ropes made from pleated rafia (each about 1 inch thick and about 1 foot long) hanging under it. They love it, standing on the ropes and biting at the rafia - I'll take a photo of it this week and post it up :) |
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| bonnie | Apr 26 2009, 01:30 PM Post #2 |
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I've never give mine shredded news paper but I do have these balls that I shred up my printers paper and put it in the ball. This keeps them occupied for a couple of days. http://www.cavalierbirdtoys.com/mediumparrotparty.html |
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| kevinp | Apr 26 2009, 02:46 PM Post #3 |
Administrator
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Because Parrotlet poo is one of the strongest sticking things known to man and can be very hard to get off the grills at the bottom of their cages, I either put a square of kitchen roll or a square of newspaper under their perches to catch the droppings and sometimes mine chew this but only when I put a clean piece in :) |
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| JohnS | Apr 26 2009, 05:11 PM Post #4 |
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Not seen any of those Bonnie, but they look like good fun; I will have to check out a few more pet shops I think.... :) Kevin, the (rat) cage they're in now doesn't have a grill or even a drawer you can pull out to change the paper. I have to separate the two parts completely to clean out the bottom bit, which does make giving it a good clean a lot easier. I'll try a mixture of both however, sheets of paper on the bottom with some shredded paper on top for them to play in. |
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| theexbrit | Apr 26 2009, 06:04 PM Post #5 |
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My only concern with newspaper would be the inks & dies used. As long as they don't eat the paper I guess it would be fine. :question: |
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| JohnS | Apr 26 2009, 08:37 PM Post #6 |
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Senior Member
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But they shred the paper up themselves too, I guess there's not much difference between paper they've shredded and stuff that's been put through a shredder.... I was dubious about using newspaper at first until I learned that a few people on here use it, and that the inks used nowadays is safe. <Thinks> I must remember to put page 3 from The Sun in the cage next time the vicar comes down rofl rofl rofl |
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| bonnie | Apr 26 2009, 08:48 PM Post #7 |
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Threats of Toxicity in Newspaper Ink There are three ways ink can have contact with the human body. There is dermal absorption (through the skin), inhalation of ink particles into the respiratory tract (breathing), or ingestion through the mouth and into the digestive system (eating). There is little threat of dermal absorption of ink or its ingredients once the ink is dry because the ink has achieved its stable state. The ingredients that were potentially absorbable become dry and are no longer able to be absorbed. Lead, which can be absorbed through the skin, was banned as an ingredient in ink by the EPA in 1985 and is, therefore, no longer a threat. Stall trials concluded that the ink rub-off from printed newsprint was not a concern for animals. Inhalation is a concern only when the ink is in liquid form either in transportation or at the place of production. Particle droplets and evaporation of active ingredients are a concern because they can be inhaled if proper prevention techniques are not practiced during the printing of the newspapers. Again, however, once the ink is applied to the paper and dried, it is stable and there is little danger of inhaling ink particulates. There is a threat of inhalation of dust from finely shredded paper. In this case, the concern is over fibrous inhalation rather than the toxicity. To avoid fibrous inhalation, stall trial results suggest using shreds at least 1 inch x 1 1/2 inch or larger. Ingestion of inks used on newsprint has not been an issue because the ingredients used in the inks are not considered toxic in either the liquid or dry state. The only animal that showed an indication of grazing on the newspaper bedding was the horse and the grazing was in limited amounts. No other animals indicated any interest in the newsprint as a food source. These trials and ink references are for the black inks used in newsprint. The trials do not include the waxed or glossy inserts or supplements that accompany newspapers, nor does it include colored inks used on those publications. |
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| JohnS | Apr 26 2009, 11:20 PM Post #8 |
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Ah well, that puts the mockers on that idea then drats Thanks for posting that Bonnie, I would have put finely shredded paper in their cage otherwise :( |
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