Zinc that hurts parrots -- does nickel plating contain zinc?

A. Hi Joanna. Zinc is more poisonous to nickel plating processes than it is to parrots :-) Even a small amount as a contaminant renders the nickel plating process unworkable. So the answer is, no, there is no zinc in nickel plating.

However, here are still three possible sources of confusion and/or problems.
1. If, underneath the plating, the toys are actually made of zinc. A lot of common things are zinc diecastings.
2. If the toys are made of aluminum they cannot be electroplated with nickel, or other metals, without first "zincating" them. This is a non-electrolytic immersion plating process involving zinc and it leaves a layer of zinc underneath the eventual nickel plating.
3. Sometimes things are bright acid zinc plated and then lacquered which looks quite a bit like nickel plating, while being less expensive, so you need to insure that your toys are actually nickel plated; it's not good enough to go "by eye".

Luck and regards,

A. I've seen stainless cages turn slightly black in areas with prolonged exposure to animal waste. I would not consider it "severe" though. It wipes off easily with a towel and cleaner and in the worst cases I've seen its just slightly etched afterwards. To me it sounds like you have been given a plated cage. You mentioned severe rusting and striping ... stainless can discolor and even rust, but it takes quite a bit to make it do so.

My recommendation to you is get a new cage asap. I've read numerous times that plated cages can lead to heavy metals poisoning of animals. You said cage is "striping" is a layer peeling off? I've seen plating flaking away and the animal (sugar glider in this case) eating the metal flakes, which are quite sharp, and slicing up the inside of their mouth, throat, and anywhere else in the digestive tract it makes it to.

A. One way to check the cage that you have is to test it with a magnet. Most cages are made of 300 series stainless. If the magnet sticks or you feel any magnetic attraction at all, then it is made of carbon steel or of some other type of stainless. Stainless can corrode, even 300 series, however it should just wipe off and should never have anything flaking off of it.

A. Hello Mina,

In response to your letter dated in March 2004, about your Stainless Steel cage. Sorry to hear about your problem with the Stainless Steel cage rusting. The shame of it all is that there are thousands of consumers in the US that are being misled because they are not informed that there are definitely big differences in the quality of stainless steel today.

The leading supplier of Stainless Steel is in Germany. Use 304 Medical grade stainless steel. All of the stainless steel coming from China and the middle east is mixed with other elements such as chrome which is a lot less expensive and gives a very shiny look. This misleads consumers to think that it is true stainless, when it is not. If you leave these cages outside they will rust and corrode immediately. Many pet stores know this and don't care what they sell to the consumer. They only sell it to make fast big profits.

I recommend you go back to the store and return your cages because it will only get worse. Some stainless steel cages have been outside for over 1 year at the Theater of the Sea in Marathon Florida and are still in great condition; also at the Parrot Jungle Island in Miami. No rust, or corrosion and this is over 1 year in the salty, humid Florida climate.

BUYER BEWARE, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, ESPECIALLY COMING OUT OF CHINA OR PAKISTAN.

A. Hi, Caroline.

I and most of the readers are from the metal finishing industry and can't knowledgeably comment on the toxicity of zinc to parrots. We'd need an avian veterinarian to stumble upon the page for that kind of input.

Yes, zinc will react with oxygen in the air to form zinc oxides on the surface of zinc plated, zinc galvanized, and solid zinc components. And, if exposure conditions are favorable, carbon dioxide in the air will react with the zinc, forming zinc carbonates instead of or in addition to the zinc oxides. From a corrosion-resistance standpoint, these carbonate reaction products are preferable because they are more adherent, less porous, sort of glassy, and can greatly slow the corrosion rate. But from the point of view of the parrot, it probably makes little difference whether he licks at and pecks at zinc metal, zinc oxide, or zinc carbonate because it's the zinc, not the oxygen or carbon dioxide that is of concern.

I believe that you are correct that stainless steel is the ideal material of construction; nickel plated steel is probably second choice. Zinc should probably not come within a parrot's reach, either in the form of a coating on an object or as a solid zinc diecast object. Considering your statement about parrots eventually gnawing through bolts, I don't think any coating on a zinc object will protect the zinc from their reach.

Regards,

A. Hi, Caroline.

Countless small items are made of diecast zinc, because it is inexpensive to cast it into complicated shapes, thus saving a lot of labor over machining it from steel or aluminum. For example: carburetors, door handles on cars, the brackets that hold the towel bars in your bathroom, the bases of small kitchen appliances like food processors, lamp bases, the knobs on your kitchen cabinet doors, etc. I am suggesting that even if you plate or coat zinc diecastings, they are probably not appropriate for parrots because they can gnaw until they get to the zinc.

Similarly, you can try to protect galvanized metal with an automotive clearcoat, a plastic coating, or whatever -- but the parrot apparently will be able to get to it.

Yes, vinegar and a [on eBay or Amazon], or prolonged outdoor exposure (probably better) can reduce loose white rust. The vinegar dissolves the zinc oxide (white rust) so it wipes away, but leaving a zinc surface again. The prolonged outdoor exposure allows carbon dioxide to react with the zinc surface and form zinc carbonates instead of zinc oxide -- and they are tougher and glassier. But galvanized zinc is not a food-safe surface even for people, no matter how you pretreat it; since parrots are far more susceptible to zinc poisoning than people, I would think that galvanized steel is simply not safe for them to chew on regardless. Good luck.

Regards,

Thanks Ted. You've been very helpful!

A. Muriatic acid; buy at hardware store. If you put a drop on it and it foams it's zinc. Afterwards rinse in cold water. Use goggles and rubber_gloves and long sleeves. It's an acid so to be safe. You can Google it.