Buying "safe" bird toys, returns, and disease

Ephy

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Jan 3, 2018
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A 4 year old House Sparrow named Kiwi and a 22 year old dove named Baby
Hey

Maybe a silly question, but is anyone ever concerned about ordering bird toys online and the possibility that the toy you receive could have been returned after being in the cage of a sick bird before it was returned?

What bird viruses or mites or whatever can live on bird toys and how do you know if your bird toy that arrives in "new plastic" hasnt been exposed to some other bird? Even briefly?

What is the chance that used toys could be a potential risk to our birds? If the toy cant be easily washed (ie: shredded paper inside a rattan ball) how do I clean it so it is safe before giving it to them?

Thoughts?
 

wrench13

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Nov 22, 2015
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Good question! I dont even know if bird toys are returnable.
 

Teddscau

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Sep 25, 2015
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I think some online stores don't allow returns. Stores with a physical location (as opposed to a "private" store such as Things for Wings, Feathered Addictions, Oliver's Garden, etc.) are probably more likely to have come in contact with birds. Granted, many of these "private" online retailers have birds of their own, meaning, in theory, birds may have come in contact with the items they're selling. However, you have to keep in mind that many of these online parrot supply stores are likely aware of concerns their customers may have over disease, and often have their work areas and products separate from their birds (plus, parrots get into everything, so they probably don't want their parrots tearing products apart and pooping all over them).

In theory, I think stores with a physical location, where you can browse goods, etc., are more likely to have come in contact with potential pathogens,since anyone who's gone in the store could have put their grubby little primate hands on everything.

For items that you can wash, I recommend washing them thoroughly with soap and water, allowing them to thoroughly dry, then, if you're still worried, you can quarantine the items for a month before giving them to your bird. You'll want to store the items in a nice dry, room temperature place. If you store them somewhere cool, you could cause potential pathogens to go dormant, defeating the purpose of quarantine since they'll wake up when you give the item to your bird. You can also use a bird-safe disinfectant such as Pet Focus on both porous and non-porous items. Again, this won't kill ALL potential pathogens, but it'll deal with the majority of them.
 

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