{"topic_id":"exotic_tox_parrot","category":"exotic-pet-toxicology","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_tox_parrot\ncategory: exotic-pet-toxicology\ntitle: \"Toxicoses of pet birds (parrots and related species): lead, zinc, and PTFE\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — Toxicoses of Pet Birds (first-hand server-rendered HTML, stripped to text; retrieved 2026-07-29 via curl -A Mozilla/5.0)\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/merck/pet_birds_toxicoses.txt\nsource_type: veterinary_reference\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-29\ntokens_estimated: 165\nverification: C1_substring_match\nclaims: 3\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual, Toxicoses of Pet Birds\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Toxicoses of pet birds (parrots and related species): lead, zinc, and PTFE\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/pet-birds/toxicoses-of-pet-birds\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-29\"\n  ref: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (first-hand HTML, stripped to .txt)\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary reference (first-hand English text)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Toxicoses of pet birds (parrots and related species): lead, zinc, and PTFE\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual article \"Toxicoses of Pet Birds\" (first-hand, retrieved 2026-07-29 via curl, HTML stripped to plain text). All bullets are exact verbatim substrings of the cited source_file and C1-substring verified.\n\n## Toxic substances for psittacine (parrot) and other pet birds\n- `Lead toxicosis is commonly reported in companion birds as well as in free-ranging avian species, especially waterfowl. In pet birds, toxicosis often occurs from ingestion of metal in the home, such as blinds, costume jewelry, mirror backings, bird toys, hardware cloth, and curtain weights.`\n- `Zinc toxicosis is frequently reported in pet birds. Sources of zinc include any galvanized toys, chains, mesh, bells, keys, and pennies (post 1982). Galvanized wire contains mainly zinc, but some may also contain lead.`\n- `Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gas poisoning occurs commonly in pet birds housed in or near kitchens. The gas is released from certain types of nonstick cookware when the pans are overheated, at temperatures reaching 280°C (536°F).`\n","sources":["exotic-pet-toxicology — Toxicoses of pet birds (parrots and related species): lead, zinc, and PTFE (retrieved 2026-07-29)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-toxicology","title":"Toxicoses of pet birds (parrots and related species): lead, zinc, and PTFE","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/pet-birds/toxicoses-of-pet-birds","retrieved":"2026-07-29","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual, Toxicoses of Pet Birds","verification_file":"pdf-raw/merck/pet_birds_toxicoses.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual, Toxicoses of Pet Birds","source_file":"pdf-raw/merck/pet_birds_toxicoses.txt","tokens_estimated":165,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}