is sulfur dioxide in corks safe for our birds?

[vasiana]

Hi all!
i recently read in http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/23888-diy-toy-list.html
that corks are an excellent toy for our birds!
So I called a buddy who works at a cork factory where they make corks for wine bottles and asked him to supply me a few bags.
What bothered me was that he mentioned the following:
They pack the corks in a large see-through bag and spray them with sulfur dioxide (SO2) in order to keep them fresh.
He insists that it is absolutely safe for humans and birds, since all wine bottles have SO2 in them.
However, I immediately wanted to ask you guys, since we all love our birds and always want to double-check the facts!
Any help would be extremely welcomed!!

 

[henpecked]

Don't know about SO2, i don't give corks as toys because i'm afraid of them ingesting it and becoming impacted. (cork seems too much like food IMO)

 

[Kiwibird]

My husband and I don't really drink wine, but my parents do and they've been giving their 3 birds corks for as long as they've had them (over 40 years). It doesn't seem to have any negative effects on them, in fact, they LOVE shredding them. They do not, however, give them those newer plasticy types of corks, because who knows what those are made of, but regular corks are pretty bird safe. None of my parents birds eat the corks, but you may want to observe your bird the first few times just to be sure....

 

[Remy]

Sulfur dioxide is a preservative that is used in many food things. They put it in a lot of dried fruits to maintain the color (have you seen sulfured apricots vs unsulfured apricots?). As long as your bird does not have a sulfur allergy, it should be okay.

 

[vasiana]

thank you all for your valuable replies!