The rawhide "teabag"

[darth_mint]

So I visited a pet accessories store and found some rawhide 'bones' (actually just strips knotted into the shape of bones) and bought a couple for Nicky. He loved them and chewed on them all day. Then he went and dunked one of them into his water! Not only dunked it, but bobbed it up and down like it was a teabag, and held it under until it was soft - then he pulled it out, rolled it in his snack dish until it was well coated with seed and seed husks, and started chewing again :sick:

 

I changed his water and retrieved the soggy thing and well, now I don't know what to do with it. It's mostly intact but very damp...is it safe to dry it out and give it back to him? Or is rawhide prone to developing mould and other nasty stuff?

[danmcq]

I have seen rawhide used on Parrot toys.

 

I have also seen those get wet from my dogs and they seem to last mold free for months. :-)

 

I sounds like BIG FUN for Nicky. I think I'll pick a couple of small ones up for Dayo and see what he does with them. Thanks for the idea!! :-)

[siobha9]

I bought a some rawhide bones for my birds a while back. I soaked one end in water until I was able to untie the knot. Then I retied the knot around the cage bars. The greys and my caique love them. They gnaw on them for ages!

 

And best of all they cant drop them;)

[judygram]

siobha9 wrote:

I bought a some rawhide bones for my birds a while back. I soaked one end in water until I was able to untie the knot. Then I retied the knot around the cage bars. The greys and my caique love them. They gnaw on them for ages!

 

And best of all they cant drop them;)

 

Thanks for the idea Siobhan, I never thought of soaking them to untie the knots and then put them on the cage, wonderful idea:P B)

[lovemyGreys]

Yes i use the rawhide bones for my flock,but never thought to soak them Yes a great tip Siobhan :side:<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2008/08/20 18:34

[darth_mint]

I never thought of untying them either, but Nicky beat me to it :woohoo: This morning when I gave the now-dried bone back to him, he promptly dunked it in the water and made it soggy all over again. Then he untied the knot himself! (Which got SO messy, because there was a second layer of compressed veggie stuff, dyed red, inside, and he was just after that red stuff and sprayed bits all over the place once he'd made it soggy enough to easily shred)

[judygram]

Aww what a mess but he had fun didn't he and that is what it is all about, I can't wait to get some and try them out on Josey.:lol:

[Carolyn]

Rawhide toys are great, but I have found and been told by vets to watch giving them to young puppies as the salt content is very high. Not from the rawhide its self but from the curing process they use. Also the coloured ones are very hard on the digestive system due to the dye and can give puppies the runs. Don't no if this info would apply to birds but just thought I should add it.

 

Carolyn & Mika:cheer:

[darth_mint]

Carolyn, I confess: after reading your post I went and got another rawhide bone...and then I spent several minutes chewing on it myself. And it IS very salty. :sick: But the human mouth is several dozen times wetter than a grey's mouth, so unless you have a pretty drooly grey, it "should" be safe. Operative word "should". I'm going to try soaking it and see if that washes some of the salt out.

 

My parents thought I was completely insane when they saw me chewing that dog toy. :laugh:

[siobha9]

:laugh: :laugh: I honestly think I've heard it all now!! You ate the dog treat!! Oh I wish you'd had a camera:laugh: :lol: :silly:

 

Yes they are salty but my birds have had them for a long time and havent managed to actually eat any of it. There are beak marks here and there, but none actually missing. A dog on the other can and will eventually eat parts of the raw hide.

 

I still can't believe you ATE it:whistle: :laugh:

[Carolyn]

Wish I could have seen that darth, let me no what you find. As I said it was not the rawhide but the tanning process they use, you may very well be able to soak it out.{Feel-good-0002006E}

 

Carolyn & Mika

[Carolyn]

Just thought this might be of interest to you darth:

 

The first step in making rawhide chews is transportation of animal's hide to processing plants where it is split, washed with degreasers and detergents, and cleaned. The completely clean rawhide is then sterilized in hydrogen peroxide at the required temperature for the required amount of time. This also has a desired side effect of making the rawhide the yellow-white color you are familiar with.

 

Carolyn & Mika

[darth_mint]

I can safely say I've had better experiences! Not at all recommended for a midnight snack. I have one of those little shoes soaking in a bowl of water now, going to leave it overnight and then...I guess I'll have a nibble tomorrow morning :sick:

 

The things I do for Nicky.

[Broomer]

lol :laugh: too funny!

[judygram]

You never hear it all and not much surprises me anymore, I just go with the flow but I ain't eating no dog bone, I'll take your word for it.:sick: :laugh: :whistle:

[Broomer]

Every time I check this topic .. I keep hearing this in the back of my mind....

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0iDk_SRKcU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: Blasted link didn't work .. <br><br>Post edited by: Broomer, at: 2008/08/26 00:48

[darth_mint]

8 hours of soaking, and the yellow rawhide shoe had turned a decidedly paler colour. The water in the bowl was a shade rather like parrot pee...

 

You can see the before and after in the photo (before on the right, after on the left). The soaked shoe hadn't dried out yet when I took it.

 

 

And then...I took a bite out of the soaked one. The texture of wet rawhide is...:sick: I performed a regurgitating act worthy of Nicky, and finished with five breath mints. But I can safely say that 80% OF THE SALT WAS GONE. So no matter how much my little boy chews and slobbers on it, he won't get much more than a trace amount of sodium.

 

I have yet to learn whether soaking the salt out will cause the rawhide to get mouldy - salt is the preservative agent, after all. In the meantime though, rawhide isn't likely to figure anywhere in my diet.

 

(edit: picture wouldn't upload until I shrank it)<br><br>Post edited by: darth_mint, at: 2008/08/26 04:43

[siobha9]

darth_mint wrote:

In the meantime though, rawhide isn't likely to figure anywhere in my diet.

 

 

:laugh: :laugh: I am sorry, but I am convinced you are mad! I can't believe you are still eating dog bones:P

 

So the verdict???? Was it tastier before or after soaking? :lol:

 

Thank you so much for making me laugh... again! Have some karma

[judygram]

Well I don't know about mad but definitely has a few screws loose, you can quit eating dog bones now for we believe you:sick:

 

:ohmy: The things we do for our greys, well at least some of us do for them, I draw the line at dog bones:S

[darth_mint]

siobha9 wrote:

So the verdict???? Was it tastier before or after soaking? :lol:

 

Moral of the story: never give anything to your grey that you wouldn't put in your own mouth.

 

:sick: :woohoo: :whistle: B)

[Tigerlily]

After reading this thread I decided to get my grey some rawhide to.

of cause she flew away from it at first so i had to spend 5 minutes PRETENDING to eat it myself and sound like i was enjoying it before tigerlily got stuck in!

no about to soak it so i can tie it to the cage!

[goldn1]

I have this image in my head of you sitting and knawing on rawhide.....it's hilarious! And somehow, disgusting all at the same time......

 

I too, will take your word for it and get some for Dorian and Oscar.....lol.

[judygram]

I got some rawhide dog bones today myself and gave one to Josey, she promptly threw it down, I am gonna soak one so I can untie the ends and put it around her cage bars then see what she does with it, to be continued...

[Suzzique]

I have lots of rawhide some of it I even died (with food color). Alex totally ignores it. Normally he is into EVERYTHING. If I have it he wants it to chew on with the exception of rawhide. The goof ball!

[rierie]

What kind of rawhide bones do you use for birds?

 

I have heard of this but haven't bought any as all I have seen is the ones for dogs and didn't know if there was ones made especially for birds or if the dog ones are safe for birds.