Story Bird: Merlin, Green Cheek Conure

I am 13 years old and received my first parrot, a Green-cheek Conure, Merlin, in February. When we bought him, the store recommended that we get a toy that had a block of wood at the top, and strips of fabric about an inch wide hanging from it. The store was correct, because he loved the toy, would sleep in it and hide in it. He chewed the toy so there were threads coming out of it. One day, I was at a friends house, and my parents were on vacation, and my grandparents were taking care of me. When I came back, my grandparents informed me that Merlin had gotten the threads wrapped around his neck. Being a noisy bird, they didn't suspect that something was wrong, but they said that Casey, my Golden Retriever, seemed panicked. My grandparents rushed over to the cage and got him out, but they guess they were too late in finding the scissors. I had had my first parrot for barely 3 months. When we went to the store, they said that they had never heard of such a thing happening, and I don't know if they still sell them, but I hope that people don't make my mistake and leave the toy unchecked.

Thanks to Sean for sharing his story with us in the hopes that we all can learn how dangerous fabric materials, and toys with fabrics can be.