Electroplated Cages Safe according to vet?

Hi,

I am looking at options to buy a cage for my new baby Senegal. There is a local company that sells cages electroplated with Zinc near where I live. They have apparently been selling them for the past 20 years. I have seen the cages on multiple websites in my province. (Not sure if I can post a link?)

This obviously concerns me as it is plated with Zinc, so I contacted the avian vet in the area(a very well known and respected avian vet in the province with a doctorate degree).

He said that from his experience over the years with his x-ray machine:

1. Parrots in powder coated cages tend to get more Zinc poisoning because they can ingest a powder coat flake which will remain in their intestines and thus cause a build up of zinc in the bird if the powder coating contains elevated levels of zinc.

2. Galvanized cages (dipped in zinc) are unsafe because they can also ingest the Zinc pieces which are very toxic. (I am not considering buying these cages)

3. Electroplated cages (electroplated with zinc) are safe because, even though the zinc is toxic, the powdery rust that forms can be ingested by the parrot, but passes straight through its system with little ill effect, and does not cause a build up of zinc which leads to zinc poisoning.

Now, I have the option of either a powder coated cage or electroplated cage(stainless steel cages are unavailable in South Africa). Both the powder coating flakes, and zinc powder from electroplating concern me. Which should I go for?

Thanks in advance!

Well, I'm not a vet, but I do know of a cockatiel that ingested rust from chewing on the rack frame of a dishwasher and was treated with three weeks of chelation therapy before all of the rust particles were removed from its system.....here's an X-ray of her before treatment/therapy was started.....look for the white dots around her knee joints.....the bird's owner noticed blood mixed in with her poop, otherwise she may have died, so, while rust powder may pass through a bird's system, you don't want to take the chance with rust pieces larger than dust.....

I don't know about the types of powder coatings available in SA, but you can get coatings here in the states that are not zinc based or do not contain zinc.....inquire about having a powder coating shop paint an unpainted cage for you.....

Good luck.....

Thanks weco. Was the dishwasher painted, powder coated, or electroplated? I would assume that the accumulation of pieces would be a result of a painted or powder coated finish?

The electroplating on the cage does not appear to be able to come off in chunks, rather just the white powder after eventual weathering of the cage. I could be wrong.

I don't think there is much of an option when it comes to zinc free powder coating in SA. The cages are made in China or somewhere and shipped here.

Here are links to pictures of the cages I have access to:

Powder Coated:

http://www.parrotize.co.uk/birdcages/santa-marta-open.jpg

http://www.theonlinepetstore.co.uk/images/product/main/2/product_full2437.jpg

Electroplated:
http://www.petcreations.co.za/wp-content/uploads/A2-de-Lux-Large-Mesh.jpg

The picture I have of the dishwasher tray appears to be painted.....probably similar to the normal baked-on coatings used on appliances.....

If it was my choice, I think I might opt for the SA made cage and have it powder coated, as that is essentially the way many powder coated cages are made.....what the quality of their cages is, compared to those making the circuitous route from off shore manufacturer to the UK then to SA.....

I don't know what your budget is, but you might look into aluminum cages.....they are offered in the raw aluminum finish, which will tarnish and in anodized colored finishes, which don't tarnish.....anodizing, unlike paint, is a permanent colorization of the aluminum as well as a hardening of the exterior of the aluminum.....no zinc at any time.....

Kian, while SA may be a large country, if there is no demand for stainless cages, there is no reason for an importer to offer them.....I have not seen any numbers for pet parrots in SA, but I might be inclined to think the potential stainless market in SA to be less than half of what the stainless cage market in Canada might be.....

Kian, I have searched the web and asked around and cannot seem to find stainless steel cages anywhere in SA. I might be able to have one custom made but it will be very expensive, and likely not a great design.

Weco, if I buy the SA cage and have it powder coated, is that not the same as just buying the powder coated cage? I havent heard of anyone that does zinc free powder coating either...will ask around.

Thanks for the help.

Senegal2013 said:

Weco, if I buy the SA cage and have it powder coated, is that not the same as just buying the powder coated cage? I havent heard of anyone that does zinc free powder coating either...will ask around.

Click to expand...

DuPont and Dulux coatings offer zinc free powder coatings & I believe that Dulux is a UK based company, so figured that while a particular shop might not use those particular brands, they should be available in SA.....

Your assumptions about electroplated zinc coating not chipping off is correct and while we don't have zinc coated cages available here in the states, any zinc free powder coating chips that might pop off would not cause zinc ingestion.....

Both Dupont & Dulux both offer zinc free undercoats/primers, so, if the SA cage could be obtained without having been zinc plated, it could be coated with zinc free primer & zinc free finish coating.....

Just trying to think out of the box.....I have considerable experience in taking materials & equipment into countries/areas where they may not be available & can appreciate your frustration in trying to come up with the best solution.....my thoughts were that even sourcing a small container of special powder coating & primer might be the lesser of all evils.....

Good luck.....

Thank you for your tips weco, I spoke to the guy who builds the cages, and we found a place that can do a zinc and lead free powder coating(will want to get it in writing first though), instead of having the cage electroplated.

Glad I could be of some help.....