Copper bells?

[mrgoogls]

one of the toys i bought has a cowbell on the bottom that i really liked. thats one of the reasons i got it. but now that i read a bit more, i think the bell is copper. it is that color and i read up on the toy maker and that toy and i beleive its copper. is that safe? i saw on the MySafeBirdStore site that they sell individual copper bells. so that makes me think its okay but i just want to be sure.

i really hope its safe because it is one of my favorite toys i bought. has wood,leather,acrilic and the bell. so lots of different stuff all in one. and was on sale for 2.99!!!!! i guess if i really need to i could cut the bell off and keep the rest. thank god w have an entire garage overflowing with tools

 

[DebsFlock]

If the copper is sealed and the sealant is bird safe, it's probably OK. However, when copper oxidizes (that green verdigris color that old copper statues and roofs get) the oxides are pretty toxic. You may want to check with the toy maker. I try to stick to stainless if I think something might get chewed on, but MySafeBirdStore is usually pretty good.

 

[mrgoogls]

i know mysafebirdstore is a good place to buy from. thats one of the things that made me think it would be safe. i have no clue if it is sealed. how would i find out? and how long does it take to oxidize? it will probably be chewed a lot because it is right at the bottom of a toy

 

[azdesertrhino]

I think I would stay away from copper. A quick web search brought up concerns of heavy metal poisoning and metal toxicity.

 

[mrgoogls]

i agree. i am cutting it off tomoro. i just when to my bird store to visit my quaker(cant take him home yet. to young. but its an hour and a half drive to see him:/) and they sold SS cowbells there. so next time i go i will buy some. will be the same just with nice, safe, nontoxic SS. how i i attach it to the toy though? should i use a quick link? i heard that hot glue is safe once it dries is that true? that would make it easy.

 

[brianlinkles]

yes, if you use the non toxic hot glue it is safe once it dries. In fact there is a zoo (can't remember which one) that gives popsicle sticks with treats hot glued to them. I am not sure if hot gluing the bell would keep it on there. I would go with a quick link or some cotton rope. I love the superior cotton rope it comes off in tufts and not long strings.

 

[azdesertrhino]

i agree. i am cutting it off tomoro. i just when to my bird store to visit my quaker(cant take him home yet. to young. but its an hour and a half drive to see him:/) and they sold SS cowbells there. so next time i go i will buy some. will be the same just with nice, safe, nontoxic SS. how i i attach it to the toy though? should i use a quick link? i heard that hot glue is safe once it dries is that true? that would make it easy.

We use stainless steel quick links and hardware. We shy away from stuff that could be potentially dangerous for our B&G, which includes glues, plastics and such.

Untreated Sisal, Superior cotton rope, stainless steel, natural safe woods. We feel pretty safe using these materials.

 

[DebsFlock]

Quuick link or jump ring. A jump ring is just a circle that is cut through... There is a technique to opening and closing them, but Google should turn up a number of good descriptions.

 

[mrgoogls]

thanks guys. i will probably just use a quick link as i have a few(like 10....lol)