Is painting a cage safe?

[LizardKing]

Is painting a cage safe? I had a friend give me a cage that was used and had some rust on it. I took it and had it sandblast.
I have read some people say that it is safe to paint a cage using RustOleum paint or Krypton paint as long as it is sprayed outside and allowed to dry for several days. I also heard its safe as long as the paint doesnt contain zinc, or lead.

I do not own a bird as of yet so theres no worry about putting the bird back in the cage right away. I just wanted to know if it is safe and does it need to be primered and painted and clear coated as well?

any help would greatly be appreciated it, I didnt know if my question should have went in this Heath and Safety topic or under the DIY topic

[tabooh]

There are some products out there that are safe, you may want to check on line what types of paints the companies that are selling cages are using for starters. Good luck

[chapala]

I would love to know a safe paint. What I do know is RustOleum is NOT safe. I contacted them and asked them if any of their spray paints were safe with birds that might chew on the bars, and they told me no, not safe.

[Xray Susie]

I repainted a cage and was going to keep it for a sleep cage or extra emergency cage. I think I used Krylon, but after reading about it on this board I'm afraid to use it for a bird. I decided to put it in my garden and put some clematis or some other climbing flower on it...like a trellis.

[BIG MACAW]

I have used a spray paint to touch up some rust on my cages i have not done it in awhile so i forget the brand i used but what i did was look for a paint that is safe for childrens and their toys

[RubyMuse]

Well, it would be great if there was a paint that was safe for birds on the market but sadly there is not. Safe labels are generally not safe for birds who are much more at risk if the paint gives off fumes, flakes off, or if they peel it up with their beaks and eat it.

I have heard and been told that professional powder coating is the only safe thing to do and I have heard of people actually seeking this out if they liked their cage enough.

[sugarbeth]

I agree, take it in for powder coating. Paint isn't going to be durable enough anyway.

[failurebydesign]

I have never heard rustoleum was not safe - I have heard their metallic series was not,
google "is rustoleum safe for birds" and you will get different sites saying krylon h20 paint and rustoleum are the safest paints to use.

I also used rustoleum on my cage

[failurebydesign]

Here is a link about rustoleum and krylon paints with a pasted e-mail from both companies.

Cage Painting - Quaker Parrot Forum