Lair Of dragons Bird Rescue

Lair Of Dragons Bird Rescue
Lancaster , PA 17601
ph: 717-431-8599
contact@lairofdragonsbirdrescue.com

Lair Of Dragons Bird Rescue

APPLE -
(Pesticide residue likely reason
for periodic issues)
AILANTHUS - Tree of Heaven
ALDER - white alder -
(See paragraph about
Alder / Buckthorn)
ALMOND
ARALIA - Fatsia japonica
ASH - Fraxinus
ASPEN - Populus
BAMBOO
BARBERRY- Berberis
BIRCH - see paragraph
BEECH - Fagus
BOIS D'ARC - horse apple tree
BOTTLE BRUSH
BUTTERFLY BUSH
CAMELLIA
CITRUS -
(lime, kumquat, grapefruit, orange)
CORK -
(not wood from cork oak, but cork)
CORN PLANTS
COTTONWOOD - Populus
CRABAPPLE - Malus
CRAPE MYRTLE -
(not the same as myrtle)
DATE
DOGWOOD - Cornus
DOUGLAS FIR - Pseudotsuga
DRACAENA
ELM - Ulmus
ESCALLONIA
EUCALYPTUS
FIG
FIR - genus Abies
GINKGO
GRAPE VINES
GRAPE PALM
GUAVA
HACKBERRY
HAWTHORN - Crataegus
HIBISCUS
HICKORY
IRONWOOD - apparently toxic leaves
JADE PLANT
KALANCHOE
LARCH - Larix
LILAC - Syringa
MADRONA / MADRONE - Arbutus
MAGNOLIA
MAPLE - Acer - see Maple Paragraph
MANZANITA - Arctostaphylos
MESQUITE - remove sharp parts
MIMOSA
MOCK ORANGE - Phladelphus
MOUNTAIN ASH - Sorbus
MULBERRY - Morus
NANDINA -common name is heavenly bamboo
NORFOLK ISLAND PINE - Araucaria
NUT TREES - exclude chestnut
ORANGE - several sources lean toward safe
OREGON GRAPE - Mahonia
PALM
PAPAYA
PEAR
PECAN
PINE - Pinus: see Pine paragraph below
PHOTINIA
POPLAR - Populus
PUSSY WILLOW - Salix
RAPHIOLEPSIS - Indian Hawthorn
RIBBONWOOD
ROSE - Rosa
RUBBER PLANT -
- - Ficus elastica - see paragraph below
RUSSIAN OLIVE
SASSAFRAS
SILK TREE
SPIRAEA
SPRUCE - Picea
STAGHORN SUMAC -
(Rhus - not Toxicodendron - see Sumac paragraph)
STRAWBERRY TREE -
(Arbutus like Madrone)
SWEET GUM - Liquidambar
SYCAMORE
THURLOW
TREE FERN
VIBURNUM
VINE MAPLE - Acer
WEEPING WILLOW - Salix
WIEGELA
YUCCA

see Alder / Alder Buckthorn paragraph
ANDROMEDA -
(Pieris / Lily of the Valley shrub)
APRICOT
ARROWHEAD VINE
AUSTRALIAN FLAME TREE
AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE
AZALEA - Related to Rhododendron
BANEBERRY - Actaea
BEANS -
(castor, horse, fava, broad, glory, scarlet runner)
BLACK LOCUST - Robinia
BOX ELDER
BOXWOOD - Buxus
BUCKTHORN -
(Cascara / Alder Buckthorn - see chapter)
BRACKEN FERN
BURDOCK
CACAO
CAMEL BUSH - Trichodesma
CANARY BIRD BUSH - Crotalaria
CANNABIS
CASTOR BEAN
CEDAR - Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus
CHALICE - trumpet vine
CHERRY see sentence below
CHINA BERRY TREE - Melia / Texas umbrella tree
CHINESE MAGNOLIA - uncertain for safety
CHINESE POPCORN (TALLOW)
CHINESE SNAKE TREE - Laquer plant:
-- sap contact is bad too
COMMON SAGE
CORIANDER - Cilantro
DATURA
DAPHNE - it's the berries
DATURA STRAMONIUM - Brugmansia:
- - angel's trumpet
DIEFFENBACHIA
ELDERBERRY
EUONYMUS - Includes burning bush and more
EUPHORBIA
FELT PLANT - Kalancho baharensis
FLAME TREE
FIRETHORN - Pyracantha
FLAME TREE - Brachychiton / Sterculia
FOXGLOVE
GOLDEN CHAIN TREE - Laburnum
GROUND CHERRY
CROWN OF THORNS
HEATHS
HEMLOCK - Tsuga
HOLLY - Ilex
HONEY LOCUST - Gleditsia
HORSE CHESTNUT - Aesculus
HUCKLEBERRY - leaves bad:
- - both evergreen or deciduous
HYDRANGEA
JASMINE
JUNIPER - Juniperus
KALMIA: also called Mountain Laurel
KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE
KUMQUAT
LANTANA - red sage
LAUREL - Prunus
LEUCOTHOE
LEMON
LIME
LUPINE
MANGO -
(fruit okay: not wood or leaves)
MEXICAN BREADFRUIT
MOCK ORANGE -
(fruit, see note in safe list)
MONSTERA
MOUNTAIN LAUREL
MYRTLE - is a broadleaf evergreen:
Is not the same as crape myrtle
NECTARINE
NUTMEG
OAK - Quercus - all parts / tannins
MISTLETOE
OLEANDER
ORANGE - several sources lean toward safe
PEACH
PEAR - some sources lean toward safe
PENCILTREE
PITCH PINE
PLUM
PRARIE OAK - safety uncertain
PRIVET
RAIN TREE
RED MAPLE - see Maple paragraph
RED SAGE - Lantana
REDWOOD -
- - Sequiadendron, Metasequoia, Sequoia
RHODODENDRON
RHUBARB
SAND BOX TREE -
- - sap has been used to poison fish
SOLANUM - Jerusalem cherry or pepino
SOPHORA -
- - includes Japanese pagoda tree & Mescal
SUMAC -
- - not all sumacs are toxic: see paragraphs
TOBACCO
TANSY
TOMATO
UMBRELLA TREE
WALNUT
WEEPING FIG -
(Benjamin Fig or Ficus benjamina - see paragraph)
WHITE CEDAR - China
WITCH HAZEL - Hamamelis
WISTERIA
YEW - Taxus

Pressure treated wood is dangerous to birds.
Some had arsenic or other. Also, if you find lumber, do you know what contacted it? Its similar to maintaining an unbroken chain of
possession for evidence.

If you left lumber in a shed that several people use and haven’t been there for a year, how do you know what may have spilled? What
kind of dust settled?

Most light, bright pine lumber sold in stores is not treated with anything. But ask anyway. It often comes in 4 foot to 12 foot lengths.
Pre-cut stakes, such as those used for surveying, may be treated due to the need to remain in the ground.

We can’t be certain 100% of the time, but every piece of information brings us near 100% accuracy. Be on the lookout for wood
treatment done to protect new buildings from moisture / mildew damage for short-term exposure to moisture. The treatment may be
almost undetectable, or found by coating, aroma or stamp.

Many better grade woods including pine can be dipped or treated. These include molding, trim and boards prepared for aesthetics.
Include high grade shelving to this. Some wood may not be treated down the length, but can have treated or dyed ends.

A square edge perch is not a good. You could remove square edges, and round wood is better. Natural branches are the best because
the diameter differs from small to large, allowing birds feet to stretch and contract.

Aromatic Substances

Refer to other bird sites for aromatic info. But I'm leaving this comment about Teflon. Switch from Teflon pans to something like
stainless steel or cast iron. Teflon pans over-heating, can emit substances deadly to birds. We try to keep perfume, aromatic scents and
colognes to an absolute minimum at our home.

Sumac: Some sources list these as bad for birds - wouldn't you think !! Poison Hemlock, Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac. Who
would handle the sticks anyway?

Check plant names: For our lists, or others, check common names to know the genus, scientific name and common name. For
example, Douglas fir is not a fir. Western cedar is not a cedar.

Poison Preparation: Contact a veterinarian about preparation for poisoning. Keep a list near the bird food or emergency numbers. Keep
a small supply of supplies you may need if your bird accidentally ingests a toxic substance. Keep an emergency after-hours contact
number. Contact your local poison control center for info.

Balsa Wood: This is our birds favorite to play with. Most sources indicate that balsa is safe for birds. I contacted avian veterinarians in
Oregon and California, and got the same feedback - that balsa wood is fine. You won’t want balsa for a perch. A cockatiel can chew
through balsa in minutes.

Cleaning Wood: One philosophy says clean bird perch wood before it’s used by soaking for an hour or two in tub of water with a cap of
household bleach. Then rinse the wood in clean water. Another says Chlorine bleach may cause an occasional sickness or fatality.
Maybe due to too strong of a solution. The second philosophy may use mild soap and water solution followed by rinsing with clean
water. Both viewpoints agree about allowing wood to dry thoroughly, including exposed to direct sunlight. Oven drying needs to be hot
enough to kill microorganisms, but cool enough to avoid combustion.

Coloring: Wood is colored for bird use with food color products that are sold for human consumption, like those found in grocery stores.

ALDER is not the same as ALDER BUCKTHORN and, there are at least 2 alders

This update was due to concern about a laxative that could be a potential toxin . The substance is Cascara sagrada. Cascara sagrada is
made from bark of Cascara Buckthorn. Cascara Buckthorn has a common name Alder Buckthorn. But it is not an Alder. Alder is the
genus Alnus, whereas Cascara Buckthorn is Rhamnus purshiana (also Frangula purshiana). There are many references to the Cascara
Buckthorn having that compound: hence it's name. To my knowledge, real Alder has no Cascara sagrada in it. Again, Rhamnus
purshiana is called "Alder Buckthorn" but is not Alder.

Here's a note someone forwarded to me from an Avian Vet:

"The alder we have here technically is Red alder, Alnus rubra. To quote from the Univ BC book - Its bark is used to make a red or
orange dye , especially valued for coloring inner redcedar bark......Variations in dye color are obtained from different ages and
quantities of the bark......A solution of the bark was used against tuberculosis and other respiratory ailments......as a wash for skin
infections and wounds, and is known to have strong antibiotic properties. From experience of having some pet birds chew the bark,
their droppings got very, very watery and there was red coloration of urates and feces. They also seemed to have mouth/throat
irritation, which may be expected as the astringent properties act like an expectorant......but I hesitate to use it that way for pet birds. I
made a dilute solution to try as a skin astringent wash - just had slight red coloration and made me itch. So there you go. Don't have
the poisonous plant book o hand, but I do remember that one of the chemicals contained within the bark of this alder tree is cascara"

Food for thought: The Vet said "seemed" to have irritation. For simplicity, ignore "seemed" and assume it "did" have. The wood source
is unknown. Assume its a clean wood source. That leaves us with the statement that the alder bark she used apparently caused watery
droppings with red colorations of urates.

This leaves 1 certain conclusion: That Vet with her alder, saw a problem. Now, on a USDA Forest Service Pacific NW lumber page, was
a footnote which corresponds with the Vet's skin experiment. The USDA page noted "Toxicity: van cause dermatitis" The Vet's message
leaves 2 uncertain issues. One, red alder is not "the" (only) alder that we have in Oregon.There is also Alnus rhombifolia called white
alder.

A source about white alder for medicinal use by an Ohlone Indian nation, said they used white alder for treating diarrhea with teas
made from it - the opposite effect of cascara sagrada that Indians used Cascara buckthorn for. So there are 2 alders here. The red alder
can cause dermatitus, and white alder is not laxative.

The Vet said that red alder contains cascara. Apparently, that's not possible. Cascara sagrada is the bark or product of the Cascara
purshiana (Cascara buckthorn). You could say that cascara sagrada = Cascara purshiana.

CONCLUSION: Pacific NW has 2 alders. Red alder bark can cause dermatitus and can't contain cascara sagrada, because cascara
sagrada is the product of Cascara buckthorn, already on the toxic list. I concluded that RED ALDER should be avoided; due to the
dermatitus factor, which is the only consistent piece of information.

For trivia sake...

The dried, aged bark of this Cascara buckthorn was used for at least 1,000 years by native and immigrant Americans as laxative, now
commercially called Cascara Sagrada; old-timers call it "chitticum bark". The name chitticum means "shit-come" in Chinook; chittam
comes from Chinook Jargon "chittam stick"; their equivilant of "laxative tree", borrowed from English "shit".

BIRCH COMMENTS - The following comments are a PARAPHRASE from Gillian Willis- toxicologist / author - with clarification:...

Birch is Betula species. LEAVES & BARK contain salicylates and a few substances with hemolytic properties (destroy red blood cells).
The low concentration of salicylates in birch BARK "is unlikely" to cause toxicity in avians. Salicylates can be provided to avians (birds)
as an analgesic. WOOD of birch (Betula) is used for ice cream and popsicle sticks and toys. Removing bark would eliminate any
exposure to salicylates. Birch should be considered safe for natural wood perches. The seeds inside the cones are a special treat and are
safe for the birds to eat. (end of paraphrase) Think about this: Automobile fumes can be toxic. We don't want to be enclosed where the
fumes are trapped. But walking down the street where those fumes are in the air at low concentrations, we feel safe to breath. As
noted, Birch should be considered safe and the risk of leaving bark is inconsequential.
Birch: on the safe list. Genus Betula

CHERRY COMMENTS - Some sources debate about cherry wood being toxic to birds, with a lack of substantial confirmed cases -
although confirmed cases of toxicity to a few dogs and horses is apparent. Some folks lean toward using cherry wood, but not the
bark, under the premise that the toxins are primarily in the cambium - ONE layer under the bark. But suppose that the toxins were only
in the cambium - do you know what that layer is? If you used cherry and took off the bark, did you take off the cambium with it? Did
that cambium removal take the toxins away with it? Or should you have gone deeper? Do you see what I'm getting at here? When
there are an abundance of sure safe woods, why use one that has bark with toxins, when you can use a tree free of toxins in both wood
and bark?

Suppose there are no confirmed cases of dead birds from cherry. If cherry turns out to be a subtle problem, would you want your bird
to be the first confirmed case? I suspect there are cases not documented. How many birds have you lost, or how many have you heard
about, where the dead bird was not taken to a vet to determine the cause. There must be hundreds of birds dying each year due to real
causes that we don't know about.

DRIFTWOOD - Driftwood is not recommended for a few reasons: 1. There is no certainty - for the average person - about what the tree
genus is. 2. The ocean water and environment contains a few toxic organisms not to mention every kind of feces and animal waste in
addition to residue from ships. It is an uncertain environment.3. Driftwood can have high salt content. It's in the water so long, salt
can be embedded deep into the chunk of wood. Even river driftwood is from an uncertain environment.

LARCH or DAWN REDWOOD? - Larch is in the safe wood list. In case you did not know it, Larch is a deciduous conifer. It looses it's
needles in winter. The needles are attached in little clusters on pegs like little tufts. There is another tree Dawn Redwood which is also a
deciduous conifer. It's needles are attached to the twigs individually and somewhat two-ranked on either side of the twig. Initially, new
spring growth looks like little tufts, but these elongate into tiny mini-twigs lined with ranks of individual needles. Dawn Redwood is not
on the list above. It's genus is Metasequoia (sp. glyptostroboides). Avoid using Dawn Redwood - feel free to use limbs from Larch
(Larix).

MAPLE - Originally, this page only listed two maple trees: vine maple as safe, and red maple as toxic. I've included "maple" in the safe
list now, but with this condition: remove / scrape off the bark. It may not be absolutely neccessary, but its the only way that I'll
suggest the bulk of that tree genus. From what I've read, the bark of many maple trees, like vine maple or Japanese maple, etc., is fine.
Meaning, the bark "in itself" is not deemed toxic. But red maple (Acer rubrum) - at least - also known scarlet maple and swamp maple,
can harbor a fungus which may grow on the bark. Inhalation of that fungus can cause maple bark disease (form of allergic alveolitis).
Maple wood - most in general - should be safe to use for natural wood perches once the bark is removed.

One toxicologist wrote that "Maple seeds and sugar-rich young leaves are edible except to horses. Wilted and dry, not FRESH, maple
leaves produce an oxidant which has caused hemolytic anemia, renal failure, pulmonary edema and death in horses." Many other
sources and tree lists for horses, simply list "red maple" as toxic to horses, not really specifying why.

Currently, here's my feeling on this: I'd use almost any maple branch for a perch. The bark of most maples is probably not a hazard,
but I'd remove the bark anyway just to remove the element of doubt.

PINE - We've read an article about Pine and Cedar containing compounds that can cause respiratory problems. But we noticed the
article was primarily about BEDDING, like the mat of shavings put in bottoms of animal cages; more commonly done for hampsters
and other pets.

When we listed pine above, that's meant as perch wood, which this page is geared for. Also be certain that the pine for perches - if you
use it - is dry pine that has aged for as much as a year or two. Otherwise the pitch in the pine will be an awful thing for your birds
feathers.

SUMAC / RHUS - One sumac on this page is Staghorn Sumac - a safe tree. It's fruit berries have been clean washed, and made into a
good lemonade when sweetened. Native American Indians even mixed it's leaves and fruit with tobacco for smoking. A broad range of
plants may be called sumac, some safe, some not. Poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac also fit within the Rhus genus, or
Toxicodendron. Maybe either genus.

Some species in the genus Rhus are highly toxic and can also cause severe skin irritation to some people. Other species like Rhus
typhina are not poisonous. Most poisonous species have axillary panicles and smooth fruits. The non-poisonous species have upright,
dense, conical drupe type fruits, covered with crimson hairs. The toxic species mentioned, may be found under their own genus,
Toxicodendron.

Copyright 2004 - 2007 by Mario D. Vaden: M. D. Vaden - Trees & Landcapes

He also has a wonderful descriptive page on Making natural wood parrot and bird perches.