8 and 1 BIRD PROTECTORS - WARNING DO NOT USE

[cindy]

8 and 1 Bird Protectors - TOXIC Do Not Use These

"Birds exposed to paradichlorobenzene vapors may show weakness, head bobbing, anorexia, and depression.14 Signs of exposure in birds following ingestion of contaminated food or paradichlorobenzene itself include weight loss, immunosuppression, hepatitis, diarrhea, tremors, and seizures" The active ingredient in this is mothballs... they can be toxic to your bird, cause respiratory issues... do not use these. The manufacturer should really stop making these, they do nothing for mites.... here is the info on the toxicity of mothballs... http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PDBtech.html

The material inside these protectors can be lethal to birds, they are sold as mite protectors yet do nothing to prevent or cure the bird of mites. I run a fairly large finch and hook bill group, recently we had a lady they used these, covered her birds at night, lost some of the birds and others were symptomatic, took some figuring out, she posted a picture and on the cage was a mite protect near the perch where the birds slept at night. We had her remove the might protector, offer the remaining birds fresh air, change out the food and water.... the birds did recover but sad she lost the others. we have had other members using these and their birds were displaying neurological symptoms, once removed, fresh air given the birds did recover.

Mothballs main ingredient is a known cancer causing ingredient.... humans are not even suppose to breath them in let alone a little bird with delicate air sacs.

[Babs _Owner]

cindy

Those aweful things are still being sold at Petsmart. I wish they would take it off their shelves.

[Sally]

cindy

Those aweful things are still being sold at Petsmart. I wish they would take it off their shelves.

I wonder if it would help if we would all start telling management how bad those things are for the birds? Or writing letters to top management?

[Babs _Owner]

Sally

It might be easier to set up a webpage on this site with 1 letter, then allow people to sign a petition to go along with it.

Since we are dealing with a rather large company. Many signatures would be needed and a threat to their profits would have to be introduced (mostly what they care about is profit).

Something like.

"........Our signatures on this petition means that we are deciding to NO longer spend our $$ shopping at your establishment until the sale of 8and1 Bird Protectors is removed from your shelves........."

I'm more than happy to shop somewhere else (not everyone has that option). But it doesnt do me any good to stop shopping at PetSmart if the company doesnt KNOW they are losing $60-$100 a month from me.

Allow space with signatures for people who do go to Petsmart to give an estimate of how much they spend monthly there possibly....so their statisticians can start their number obsessions and begin calculating how much collectively they will lose from all of us.

And a warning that we will tell others of this hazard will also be good to add. That way we introduce the "unknown profit loss" into their equation (statisticians lose sleep over that).

If the company thinks our collective refusal to shop there does more damage to their profit than removing the product from the shelf......then and only then will they remove it.

Very sad the gross unethical practices of some of today's companies.

They want to sell you a pet bird, then want to sell you a product that will KILL your new pet bird. Often it takes a few weeks for this product to kill finches. And the warranty on a finch is only two weeks. I wonder how many people go right back and buy another one after that happens. Sigh...

PS Sally, it would also be great to introduce literature at your birds shows for venders and customers with a link to the petition and information on the products danger to birds. This would effectively create an "ongoing campaign" against the product.

[debbie276]

I personally, and this is just my opinion, think your time would be better served of we all spread the word that 8 in 1 bird protectors are dangerous to your birds.
After all the product is advertised as specifically for birds. You are asking the pet store to believe you over a company that they order many things from on a huge scale.

I for one will be spreading the word to every bird owner I know and then some. I'm not counting on a store to volunteer pulling it from the shelves.

[Babs _Owner]

debbie276

I totally agree with you about informing people, however, their number-keepers wont pull the product unless they KNOW what is causing the drop in sales. I personally dont know enough people in my sphere that gives a hoot about birds except my friends here on this site.

I myself have informed their staff, who are great kids (they hire good people). And they seem determined to not peddle the product (I did my part in blocking the some of the sales at the root....the store itself)

They have no control over what they have to stock, sadly. And they cannot tell a customer NOT to buy it (Ex: They can't yank it out of their shopping cart), they can only try and steer a customer in another direction to a different product.

So without direct dialogue with the corporate office, the product will continue to be sold to the unknowing consumer to infinity.

Such is corporate politics.

[debbie276]

Had anyone thought about contacting 8 in 1 and open a dialog to see where they stand on this issue?

[Babs _Owner]

debbie276

I can imagine a phone call to China would cost a fortune. And there are no solid enforced laws protecting people from their toxic products in the U.S.

China is pretty much a lawless manufacturing country.

The only way to stop it, is to stop the U.S. companies from stocking it.

[debbie276]

I never really looked into them because its just not something I would use. I am shocked how many excellent reviews there are. Most of the negative reviews don't tell of a problem they had as much as its poison don't use it.
Sadly I think you would be fighting an uphill battle.

[Babs _Owner]

debbie276

Yep, I've seen those reviews on amazon, ebay and I'm just shocked.

I think then their bird gets sick and dies, the consumer thinks "Well it wasnt mites, at least my "Bird Protector" worked.

And sadly they dont suspect such an innocent-looking item as being possibly the real reason their bird died.

Now think of the manufacturers, their knowledge of chemical engineering and toxins (which is taught in all manufacturing Universities)..........then it starts to really SINK IN how evil the industry is.

[Babs _Owner]

debbie276

Sally

cindy

Oh, about the "uphill battle". It really isn't that hard to get American companies to give-up stocking an item.

You just need a LOT of people getting ticked-off and backing it up with not only a signature, but their "Pet Perks" card no longer being swiped at their stores anymore and of course, some solid Avian veterinarian support.

Keep in mind, PetSmart, for example tracks all my purchases on a card for discounts I use.

If for example: They set their data to track my purchases after they see my name on a petition.......and my card doesnt show up in their data for 6 months after that.......hundreds of people do the same...You can bet that the corporate office will be like a beehive all buzzing about, calling the manufacturer, pulling them from shelves, sending out public apologies, blah blah blah.

Although they may not be sincerely apologetic, it at least gets the product off the market and away from the birds.

They have to think not only of getting back their customers lost, but also damage control, possiblity of lawsuits from dead birds (which is actually a good idea if people would have these dead birds lab tested for the toxins in those items).

Fortunately here, corporations DO have to answer to these issues. If we just say "I give up", then we give them permission to become like China.......toxic and lawless.

[debbie276]

Kudos to you for trying.
A lot of the positive reviews I read came from petsmart. I seriously doubt you will get enough people to join you in making a change.
All the best

[Babs _Owner]

debbie276

You have conquered gouldian genetics and breeding. You've taken babies so fragile a mere temperature change or an extra drop of formula could kill them and hand raised them into adult birds.

You've taken on Nature Herself....

For petes sake! You have them all molting at the SAME time.

Its not so much a fight, its more a cooperation. People get that toxin out of their cages, and the company can save face, be the "hero", and save the day.

It's very easy to blame their problem on a country that can't be prosecuted. They care more about the customer-base, than the foreign manufacturer.

Remember the pet food poison? All the U.S. companies that sold that poison from China didnt take a hit........China took the hit (only financially of course).

We just need enough people to care about birds, as they cared about dogs and cats when the pet food poison emerged.

Sorry to be long winded, but I'm a corporate gal, I know the politics and what it takes to get the wheels moving.

Trust me. One little $6 product is not worth the trouble to them. They would gladly get rid of it given the reason and the WORTH $$ to them.