branches from outside

[Pat H]

@Lady Jane -- I wanted to warn you about using Willow branches.. I put Curly Willow branches in our LB cage, which she enjoyed chewing.. Didn't realize that willow contains a form of aspirin... took her awhile to recover from it's toxicity once I realized there was a problem.
I'm going to read up on the link above-- 'bird safe, toxic'..

 

[Mizzely]

@Lady Jane -- I wanted to warn you about using Willow branches.. I put Curly Willow branches in our LB cage, which she enjoyed chewing.. Didn't realize that willow contains a form of aspirin... took her awhile to recover from it's toxicity once I realized there was a problem.
I'm going to read up on the link above-- 'bird safe, toxic'..

I'm curious what kind of toxicity she experienced? While it is true that that willow has some natural pain relief qualities (black and white willow seem to have higher amounts), I've been using willow in my cages for a decade and have never had any adverse effects. That's with several bird species as well as rats.

Willow species and aspirin: different mechanism of actions - PubMed

Many believe that willow is the natural source of aspirin. However, willow species contain only a low quantity of the prodrug salicin which is metabolized during absorption into various salicylate derivatives. If calculated as salicylic acid, the daily salicin dose is insufficient to produce...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Pat H]

@Mizzely -- boy, it's been quite awhile ago... think she became lethargic, droppings different, less appetite. She did get better, but then during a somewhat stressful transport a year later, she didn't last long afterward.