Paint and Sheetrock

[Merlee]

Is this stuff safe? I have seen pictures of chewed up windowsills and Sheetrock. If I had a bird get into this stuff, what should I do?

 

[GinaF]

I'm going to err on the side of no.

I have a friend of mine who has a few cockatoos free in a room and they've basically eaten the room. They appear to be ok, but I'm sure the dust from sheetrock is bad. It's dangerous for humans to breathe, so the delicate respiratory system of a bird certainly shouldn't be exposed to it.

My advice to parrot owners would be to take caution that your bird isn't able to get his beak on the walls to eat them.

 

[forbey]

Sheetrock, by itself, is pretty much inert and shouldn't cause a poisoning problem. However, if ingested it could suck up moisure from food and the body as well as thickening up to clog the digestive tract. Paint, unless it is specifically listed as pet safe couldn't be good, regardless of the type. Some types might even form splinters that could result in tearing of the digestive tract.

As indicated earlier, drywall dust is harmfull to human lungs, so I can't see it having any better results in delicate avian lungs. The dust could also get on the eyes and result in a bird rubbing the eyes until it scratches them.

I'm sure there are some who can tell you that their birds have ate through their rooms a time or two and seem fine, but why chance it.

I would expect a bird theat eats the walls is lacking something beter to chew on.

JMHO!

Forbey

 

[weco]

Sheetrock, drywall, gypsum or whatever name you might know it by is a calcium product that can actually be fed to companion birds...it is basically plaster of paris.....

If it has been painted, no, it would not be safe to eat.....

Windowsills and other moldings can be made from pine, fir, poplar and any of many other woods and without really knowing which specific wood a molding is made from it is difficult to honestly say yes or no on your safety question, bu if it is a light colored, clear grain wood, it is probably alright that the bird redesign the molding, though painted surfaces would not be safe chewing items.....

Unless your bird is going to be sanding patches for you, I don't think you'll have any appreciable dust to worry about...it would be equal to powdered calcium you might use for the bird.....

 

[Pajarita]

Zero VOs nursery paint it's safe. Not that I would feed it to the birds but mine do chew the walls on occasion so I only use this kind. As to sheetrock, I had a pair of U2s that chewed the walls to make nests and although we kept on putting Plexiglas on it, they just kept on moving to another spot so they always ended up chewing some during breeding season and it never had any ill effects (I always have very good ventilation in the birdroom and two air purifiers during the winter months so dust was an issue but not a big one)

 

[Boysmom]

I found several concerns about sheetrock/ drywall, as it is not all made the same and can contain hazardous materials.

Chinese Drywall - Chinese Drywall Problems - What to Do

This link below ( if you scroll down far enough) shows that Gypsum does contain some Iron, lead, zinc, mercury all of which could cause metal toxicity in parrots if they consumed enough.

Gypsum

sheetrock also contains fiberglass fibers to hold the shape and for stability. That can't be good for parrots digestive systems.

Here's a little more food for thought :
There is a hidden danger in chewing sheetrock that isnt related to the product at all. That danger is the electrical wiring behind the sheetrock, they could easily chew into a wire and electrocute themselves into fried birdie. Also what about the insulation behind the sheetrock ?

We are cautious to not use Teflon or burn candles or use chemical cleaners in our homes for the safety of our birds. I could not imagine a well educated parrot owner allowing their beloved pet to chew this possibly toxic known as sheetrock either. Some people do not think of it as being toxic and some birds chew some before we notice and can stop it. If you read the links I provided above it will certainly change your mind about this product and make us all more aware of what we allow our birds to destroy. They are like toddlers, we must watch them at all times, as our homes contain many hidden dangers to them. It isn't my intention to bash anyone whose bird has chewed this product, but through discussions like this we can all better educate ourselves.