Wool Yarn?

[Teknogeddon]

I'm quite handy with a crochet needle.

So I had the idea that I could make (very loose, plyable) chains out of yarn for my bird to play with as a foraging toy, preening, or even a little hammock.

I understand that acrylic yarn can be harmful if ingested and cotton yarn is ok but a bit tricky to find natural/organic at times....- but that made me wonder about wool. I've scoured the net for information and came to no solid conclusion that wool is safe or not if all natural (undyed of course on all this).

I would be using a thinner yarn with a thicker needle to make nice thick, but easily torn or ripped loops in easy to pull apart patterns. For the hammock, this is not true as I'd make them almost solid in nature unless he/she starts picking at it (and best part is, I could easily fix it).

I've even debated just giving the feathered child a ball of yarn and letting it play, monitored for this of course.

I'm curious about that bamboo silk yarn too....

 

[SailBoat]

There is a general problem with both natural and created fibers when it comes to our Parrots. As you have stated that will cotton, finding cotton fiber that has not been chemically treated as part of processing is not easy. The same holds true for Wool. And both, as with any fiber, there is always the problem with the Parrot ingesting the fiber strand(s) and their becoming lodged in the crop.

The goal with natural fibers is that they are very tightly wound and rarely separate or stray releasing strands. Some Parrots are happy walking, climbing, or landing on ropes and they are of no more interest to the Parrot. The problem develops when the Parrot has or develops and 'over' interest in the rope and begins to 'work' it until it starts releasing stands. If that happens, you must be willing to continually trim it or pull it from use.

No experience with Bamboo silk yarn, but all the same basic problems are likely there also.

So, whether natural cotton or wool, the goal is to ensure that the Parrot does not work at the rope and start pulling strands.