Corn-cob litter & Aspergillus

[bratbird]

Please, please, please, do not, under any circumstances, use corn-cob litter for your fid's cage! Almost all harbours a fungal spore called Aspergillus which can cause death!

I learnt this in a devastating way. I saw the litter in the pet store and thought "What a great use for what would otherwise be a waste product, and it's biodegradable!"

Everything went well (or so I thought) for a couple of years, then Chico suddenly sickened. What had appeared to be a happy, healthy, active 16 1/2 year-old cockatiel passed away in my hands within 12 hours. It wasn't until almost a year later that I found out what killed him.

It breaks my heart to know that something I did, however well-meant, caused his death. PLEASE pass along this information to everyone you can and remove this litter immediately if you're using it.

[kiwi]

Thank you so much for posting this warning. I'm so sorry for your loss

[Scully]

thanks for the info, but im sorry how you had to find that out
so sad

[laurie]

:'(I am so sorry for your loss, but I have disliked this product for many years becauseof his very thing, I knew it harbored fungus & tried telling the lady I got some of my birds from, as she uses it alot! but some people you cant tell anything too! thanks for posting this because until I seen it I didnt even think of posting the warnings..