Toy Warning-Galvanized Hooks

[Nerien]

This is a duplicate of what I posted under "Hookbills", but I think the issue is serious enough that it is okay to put it here also, to make sure more people are aware of and can watch out for this danger.

Bought a "Super Pet Forage-N-Play Ladder" for my parrotlets' cage for Christmas. Opened it up, and was shocked to find that the metal hooks at either end, all four of them, are galvanized metal!!! As several other discussions on the site point out, the zinc used to galvanize is TOXIC.

My birds love to attack a new toy at the hooks, so that would be the first thing they chew at. Going to replace the hooks with safe stainless steel only hooks, and scrape away the wood where the original hooks were screwed into it to remove any residual galvanization.

Also going to put a warning in a review on Amazon where I bought this from, and complain to the company.

Be careful to check all parts of toys you buy, if this mistake was made on this product, there are probably others out there as well.

[lovepoodle]

How can you tell that it's Galvanized. Or stainless? ?I have a few parrots..so all toys have clips. Or hook ..

[Nerien]

Stainless steel should be smooth and shiny and solid feeling.

These hooks have a thick dull, powdery rough grey coating. Feels like it's rubbing off on your fingers. Like an old metal bucket. No doubt that they are galvanized.

[lovepoodle]

Ok, Thanks ! I need to watch out for that !!!!

[chirpy]

Yes galvanized look dull and have that spotty weird look right?