• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Information requested on Balsa

birdsafe

Walking the driveway
Avenue Veteran
Joined
12/4/09
Messages
200
Location
Virginia
Real Name
Joe Arbogast
While I don't use balsa -- because yucca is so much safer and easier to get and cut into shapes -- like others, I wouldn't worry about toys made from reputable dealers. I have been collecting and posting stories on Birdsafe.com for over 10 years (and the site only contains a fraction of the stories I have received), and I have yet to hear of an issue with a balsa toy.

I am much more worried about many other toys that are on the market today -- toys that contain batteries (talking toys -- those could be deadly under the right circumstances), toys that attach to the side of the cage that spin, toys that contain long rope/leather strands that could wrap around a bird's neck, and many others that have been shown to be a problem with some birds. Not that I wouldn't even give some of those to my birds, if I feel they can safely play with them -- as I say -- any bird can find trouble with anything given the right circumstances.

But if my bird loves balsa toys and has been playing with them for years without issue, I wouldn't take them away
 

chompie_puppy

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
10/24/09
Messages
2,099
I actually emailed a company about their Balsa Wood a few months ago. :)

Here is a copy of their very friendly and prompt reply:

Our balsa wood is kiln dried, and treated with methyl bromide to kill any bugs (a legal requirement before it's allowed in the country)
regards
Maree
Very nice people over there. :) However, because of the information I got from this I stopped giving Balsa immediately. I don't like chemicals in my food so I won't give it to my parrots to chew on either.
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
I'll be the first one to admit that you can go overboard on this stuff but when they say that balsa cannot be imported into this country without being treated by either formaldehyde or a chemical used to kill rats and moles, I start to have some serious questions. I will not get the flu shot because it has formaldehyde in it, I certainly wouldn't want my birds chewing on wood that was treated with it. The long term effects may not be seen for years and may even go unreported because when a bird dies of cancer, we have no idea what initially caused it.

To each his own, but in this case and in my eyes, this particular subject kind of gives me the heebie jeebies.
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
I actually emailed a company about their Balsa Wood a few months ago. :)

Here is a copy of their very friendly and prompt reply:

Very nice people over there. :) However, because of the information I got from this I stopped giving Balsa immediately. I don't like chemicals in my food so I won't give it to my parrots to chew on either.


Looked up methyl bromide and it's not good stuff. It's used as a pesticide and kills bugs and rats. You can read more here:

Bromomethane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From what I can tell, the safest treatment would be sulfur dioxide since it is routinely used in our food as a preservative.

I also read on the site about methyl bromide that most imported woods are treated with methy bromide or something similar.
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
Pest Control is an extremely important matter for ALL countries. It is not something to be messed with. The consequences to not taking the proper actions could be deadly. I can understand the purpose behind different types of chemicals used for fumigation. Some insects are incredibly Hardy and resistant to certain chemicals so it is imperative to use chemicals and concentrations which are effective. Fumigation not only helps protect countries and its citizens against epidemics of "pest infestation" but also against disease.

On a personal level, I will not be throwing out any of the toys that I have purchased from any of the vendors . Although my parrots aren't heavy chewers of ANY kind of wood, I will not stop buying toys made out of balsa from reputable parrot toy vendors. I don't believe that there is any consumer good on the planet that can be purchased and be 100% risk free. I believe in taking calculated risks, and at this point, I see no reason to stop purchasing Balsa or any other type of wood that I have already purchased.

I have been learning alot about Abaca plant as well. It is not grown in North America.

Abaca is what the Get A Grip NET is made out of. If the fibers of this plant were fumigated before being processed to come into North America and other Continents, then so be it.:)
 
Last edited:

lotus15

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
3/23/10
Messages
11,517
Location
Bay Area
Real Name
Coco
I think that's a well thought out and fair decision :) I completely respect it, even though I will be removing all the balsa from my birds' toys. I am going to aim to buy domestically produced things only from now, but I'm sure that this will be difficult in the shredders/seagrass department. Let's see how I do.
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
I can respect that Lotus. :highfive: I know you are doing what you think is the best for your feathered babies and that's very commendable. I'll keep my eyes and ears open for you.
 

saroj12

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
60,180
Location
fl
Real Name
saroj
...
Hello Saroj,


The ropes are not treated in any way. Plus, since the rope is completely made by hand, there are
no oils or tars used either (unlike the rope you get in a hardware store or marine store that was machine made).


Hope that helps,


Ronny

Ronny Uehling

StarBird Parrot Products

Tel. 310.740.7855
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
I guess that's what they mean by "natural and untreated".

Nonetheless, Abaca is an import. Not a domestic North American plant.:)
 

Merlie

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
7,858
Location
NW 'Burbs of Chicago
I'm with Saemma and a few others ...

I love my birds .. I spend a small fortune on high quality toys and food for them each month.

I carefully check every toy I purchase, I wash what can be, and spray what can't be washed with F10 Biocare. All quick links are either SS, nickel or heavy plastic .. same for chain. I even specialty ordered coils of heavy duty SS wire to make certain types of toys and boings where wire worked best.

If I became paranoid and hyper sensitive to every single thing I gave them, well, they'd have nothing, because I don't believe anything can be truly bird safe. Even organic foods .. how truly "organic" can they be when our water and air supplies are becoming so tainted with pollutants?

I believe there are calculated/cautious risks that we take, but over all, I don't want to live in a "bubble", and I don't think my birds want to live in a "bubble" either.

Sometimes .. ya gotta just live life .. and hope for the best!
 

saroj12

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
60,180
Location
fl
Real Name
saroj
Nonetheless, Abaca is an import. Not a domestic North American plant.:)
:lol: i told Ronny somebody is bound to bring up this point so.....
 

lotus15

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
3/23/10
Messages
11,517
Location
Bay Area
Real Name
Coco

:lol: i told Ronny somebody is bound to bring up this point so.....
I just got off the phone with him and he said they are NOT fumigated-- they are never treated with any sort of chemical, preservative, oil, etc. I don't really understand how that is but he seemed very sure of it. He said the only time they are fumigated is when they export them to Australia because legally they must be fumigated there.
 

saroj12

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
60,180
Location
fl
Real Name
saroj
I just got off the phone with him and he said they are NOT fumigated-- they are never treated with any sort of chemical, preservative, oil, etc. I don't really understand how that is but he seemed very sure of it. He said the only time they are fumigated is when they export them to Australia because legally they must be fumigated there.
Thanks Coco!!:highfive:
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
I could always make a phone call to the US and Canadian department of Agriculture. I will do that next week. :D Hopefully the mystery will be resolved. I have the numbers handy thanks to some fumigation companies that I called today.
 

lotus15

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
3/23/10
Messages
11,517
Location
Bay Area
Real Name
Coco
I could always make a phone call to the US and Canadian department of Agriculture. I will do that next week. :D Hopefully the mystery will be resolved. I have the numbers handy thanks to some fumigation companies that I called today.
That would be really fantastic if you could do that!! I would very much appreciate it :)
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
Gladly Lotus!!:)
 

Sharpie

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
11/5/09
Messages
4,376
Location
Now TN


I just got off the phone with him and he said they are NOT fumigated-- they are never treated with any sort of chemical, preservative, oil, etc. I don't really understand how that is but he seemed very sure of it. He said the only time they are fumigated is when they export them to Australia because legally they must be fumigated there.
That's interesting news. I'm not sure I believe it however. Not that I think he's lying, certainly, but my GAG DID smell like it had been treated with something when I got it. http://forums.avianavenue.com/toys-cages-bypass/17051-get-grip.html The smell went away after airing it outside in the sun for a week, and hasn't come back, so I'm not super worried about it. But then, as is probably clear, I am not the type who tends to worry either. How do they get them/the fiber into the country without it being treated?
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
I am definitely not an expert on this stuff. Never really thought about all this until this thread surfaced.

I forgot to mention that I also learned through my recent research that ALOT of food that enters North America from abroad is also fumigated. I read this on the Federal Government website (Canada and US). Things that fall in to the category of grains, crops, rice, fruits, vegetables, etc... Yes.. alot of us have been eating food that has been fumigated.:o: All this to say, when we are in the markets buying the food source, it sure looks "natural" and "untreated" nonetheless, in reality it really was treated in some form or the other to gain permission to cross the border.

In the warmer months, I make it a point to buy locally, not only for my health but also to support local merchants.

Here is a small article about hempseed. There's a little blurb about fumigation towards the end.

Hemp Seeds
 
Last edited:

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
Here's a small update. :)
Jacqueline from Rosie toys has been following this thread and sent me an email. She imports and sells "Get a Grip nets" as well.
In her email she wrote that Starbird had sent her a notice a while back to state that none of their "naturals, i.e vine leaves, palm leaves, coconuts etc.. are fumigated".
 
Top