How To Tell if Your Bird Has Been Poisoned and What To Do About It Now

bird poisoning

Birds poisoning is a frequent occurrence. Bird’s have very unique bodies including specialized respiratory systems and digestive systems. They may be exposed to a variety of toxins and poisons in their cages or as they explore or perch around your home.

Bird poisoning can occur through inhalation of fumes, consuming poisons, or even by absorbing poisons through their skin.

Lead paint from foreign manufactured bird cage bars or toys, consuming too much salt from human snacks such as crackers or chips or chewing on pop cans may lead to death or thousands in veterinary bills. Look for bird cages, cage accessories and bird toys manufactured in the USA or by US manufacturers.

Symptoms of Bird Poisoning

Look for these common symptoms of bird poisoning. Depending on the toxin, your bird may display one or more of these common poisoning signs:

Vomiting
Diarrhea
Lethargy
Increased urination
Blindness
Tremors
Excitability
Depression
Staggering or lack of coordination
Falling from perch
Convulsions
Coma

First Aid For A Poisoned Bird

Immediately get your bird to safety.
Foreye contact, flush the eye with lukewarm water or an eye wash.
Forskin contact, flush the affected area with water.
Forfume intoxication, remove the bird from the area altogether. Head over to your vets office immediately.
Stabilize your bird in a clean, warm, safe bird hospital cage.

Call your veterinarian now!

Bring a sample of the poison and its packaging.
Bring a sample of the bird's most recent droppings.
Provide general supportive care.

Common Culprits in Bird Poisoning

Respiratory Poisoning in Parrots

Cleaning fumes
General household cleaners
Paint fumes
Teflon
Exposure to chemicals that irritate your respiratory system
Insecticides
Bleach fumes

Ingested Products

Chocolate
Onions and Garlic
Comfrey (herb)
Avocado
Fruit Pits and apple seeds
High fat, sodium or sugar foods
Sugar-free candy
Alcohol
Mushrooms
Caffeine
Tomato leaves
Dried, uncooked beans
Certain household plants
Human medication
Certain household plants

(The following is a list of some potentially toxic plants. Be sure you correctly identified all plants in your bird's environment.When using these lists, ensure you use the Scientific Name to identify Plants, if uncertain remove the plant )

(Abbreviations: Spp=subspecies, Sp=species)

Plant Name	Scientific Name	Parts Known to be Poisonous
Acokanthera	Acokanthera spp.	all parts toxic
Amaryllis	Amaryllidaceae	Bulbs
American Yew	Taxus canadensis	Needles, seeds
Angel's Trumpet	Datura spp.,	leaves, seeds, flowers
Apricot	Prunus armeniaca,	pits, leaves, and bark
* Autumn Crocus	Colchicum autumnalle	bulb
Avocado	Persea americana	pit, leaves, unripe fruit, and stems
Azalea	Rhododendron occidentale	Leaves
Balsam pear	Memordica charantia	Seeds, outer rind of fruit
Baneberry	Actaia spp.	Berries, roots
Belladonna	Atropa belladonna	All parts
Bird of Paradise	Caesalpina gilliesii	Seeds
Bittersweet	Celastrus spp.	All parts
Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia	Bark, sprouts, foliage
* Bleeding Heart	Dicentra	all parts
Bluegreen algae	Schizophycaea spp	Some forms toxic
Bracken Fern	Pteridium aquilinum	All parts
Some forms toxic Boxwood	Buxus sempervirens	Leaves, stems
Buckthorn	Rhamnus spp.	Fruit, bark
Burdock	Arctium spp.	All parts
Buttercup	Ranunculus spp.	Sap, bulbs
Calla lily	Zantedeschia aethiopica	Leaves
Caladium	Caladium spp.	Leaves and rhizome
Castor Oil Plant	Ricinus communis	Beans, leaves
Catclaw Acacia	Acacia greggii,	twigs and leaves
Chalice vine	Solandra spp.	All parts
Cherry tree	Prunus spp.	Bark, twigs, leaves, pits
Chinaberry	Melia azadarach	All parts
Chokecherry	Birdcherry Prunus	seeds (stones),
Christmas candle	Pedilanthus tithymaloides	Sap
Clematis	Clematis spp.	All parts
Coral plant	Jatropha multifida	Seeds
Cowslip	Caltha polustris	Seeds
Crocus (autumn)	Cholchicum autumnale	All parts
Cycad, or Sago Cycas	Cycas revoluta	All parts
Daffodil	Narcissus spp	Bulbs
Daphne	Daphne spp.	Berries
Datura	Datura spp.	Berries
Deadly amanita	Amanita muscaria	All parts
Death camas	Zygadenis elegans	All parts
Delphinium	Delphinium spp.	All parts
Devil's Ivy	Epipremnum aureum	All parts
Dieffenbachia	Dieffenbachia picta	Leaves
Eggplant	Solanaceae spp.	All parts but fruit
Elderberry	Sambucus mexicana,	roots, leaves, stems, bark
Elephant's ear (taro)	Colocasis spp.	Leaves, stem
English ivy	Ilex aquafolium	Berries, leaves
English yew	Taxus baccata	needles, seeds
Euonymus	Euonymus spp.	fruit, bark, leaves
European Pennroyal	Mentha pulegium
False henbane	Veratrum woodii	All parts
Figs	Ficus spp	sap
Fly agaric mushroom (deadly amanita)	Amanita muscaria	All parts
Four o'clock	Mirabilis jalapa	All parts
Foxglove	Digitalis purpurea	Leaves, seeds
Golden chain (laburnum)	Laburnum anagyroides	All parts, especially seeds
Heliotrope	Heliotropium spp.,	leaves
Hemlock	poison Conium spp.	All parts, especially roots and seeds
Hemlock	water Conium spp.	All parts especially roots and seeds
Henbane	Hyocyanamus niger	Seeds
Holly	Ilex spp.	Berries
Horse chestnut	Aesculus spp.	Nuts, twigs
Horse Nettle	Solanum carolinense	All parts
Hyacinth	Hyacinthinus orientalis	Bulbs
Hydrangea	Hydrangea spp.	Flower,bud
Indian turnip (jackinthepulpit)	Arisaema triphyllum	All parts
Iris (blue flag)	Iris spp.	Bulbs
Ivy (Boston, English, and some others)	Hedera spp.	All parts
Japanese yew	Taxus cuspidata	Needles, seeds
Java bean (lima bean)	Phaseolus lunatus	Uncooked beans
Jerusalem cherry	Solanum pseudocapsicum	Berries
Jessamine, Yellow	Gelsemium sempervirens,	leaves, stems
Jonquil	Narcissus jonquilla	All parts
Jimsonweed (thornapple)	Datura spp.	Leaves, seeds
Juniper	Juniperus virginiana	Needles, stems, berries
Lantana	Lantana spp.	Immature berries
Larkspur	Delphinium spp.	All parts
Laurel Kalmia, Ledum	Rhododendron spp.	All parts
Lilly of the valley	Convallaria majalis	All parts, including the water in which they have been kept
Lobelia	Lobelia spp.	All parts
Locoweed	Astragalu mollissimus	All parts
Lords and ladies (cuckoopint)	arum sp.	All parts
Lupine	Lupinus spp.	All parts
Marijuana	Cannabis sativa	Leaves
Mayapple	Podophyllum spp.	All parts, except fruit
Mescal bean	Sophora spp.	Seeds
Mistletoe	Santalales spp.	Berries
Milkweed	Asclepias spp.	All parts
Mock orange	Poncirus spp.	Fruit
Monkshood	Aconitum spp.	Leaves, roots
Moonseed	Menispermum canadense	All parts
Morning glory	Ipomoea spp.	All parts
Mushrooms	Amanita spp. and many others	All parts
Narcissus	Narcissus spp.	Bulbs
Nightshades (all types)	Solanum spp.	Berries, leaves
Oak	Quercus	acorn, young plant
Oleander	Nerium oleander	Leaves, branches, nectar of blossoms
Pennyroyal	Mentha pulegium	All parts
Peach	Prunus persica,	leaves, pit, bark
Peony	Paeonia officinalis	All parts
Periwinkle	Vinca minor, Vinca rosea	All parts
Peyote	Lophophora williamsii	All parts
Philodendron	Philodendron spp.	Leaves, stems
Pigweed	Amaranthus spp.	All parts
Plum	Prunus spp.,	leaves, pit, bark
Poison Hemlock	Conium maculatum	All parts
Poison ivy	Toxicodendron radicans	Sap
Poison oak	Toxicodendron quercifolium	Sap
Poison Sumac	Rhux vernix	All parts
Poinsettia	Euphorobia pulcherrima	Leaves, flowers
Pokeweed (inkberry)	Phytolacca americans	Leaves, roots, immature berries
Poppy	Papaver somniferum and related spp.	All parts
Potato	Solanum tuberosum	Eyes and new shoots
Pothos	Eprimemnun aureum	All parts
Primrose	Primula spp.	All parts
Privet	Lingustrum volgare	All parts, includling berries
Ragwort	Senecio jacobea and related spp.	All parts
Red Maple	Acer rubrum	All parts
Rhododendron	Rhododendron spp.	All parts
Rhubarb	Rheum rhaponticum	Leaves
Rosary pea (Indian licorice)	Abrus precatorius	Seeds
Sage	Salvia officinalis	All parts
Sedum	Sedum	All parts
Shamrock Plant	Medicago lupulina, Trifolium repens, Oxalis acetosella	All parts
Skunk cabbage	Symplocarpus foetidus	All parts
Snowdrop	Ornithogalum umbellatum	All parts, especially buds
Snow on the mountain (ghostweed)	Euphorbia marginata	All parts
Sorrel	Rumex spp., Oxalis spp.	All parts
Spindle Tree	Euonymus	leaves, fruit, bark
Spurges	Euphorbia spp.	All parts
Star of Bethlehem	Ornithogalum umbellatum	All parts
Sweet pea	Lathryus latifolius	Seeds and fruit
Tansy	Tanacetum vulgare	all parts
Tobacco	Nicotinia spp.	Leaves
Tomato	Lycopersicon esculentum	stems and leaves
Tulip	Tulipa spp.	All parts
Vetches	Vicia spp.	All parts
Virginia creeper	Pathenocissu quinquefolia	Sap
Water Hemlock	Cicuta spp.
Waxberry	Symphoricarpos albus
Western yew	Taxus breviflora	Needles, seeds
Wisteria	Wisteria spp.	All parts
Yam bean	Pachyrhizus erosus	Roots, immature pods

Prevention

The best cure for bird poisoning is prevention. Bird-proof your home before your bird is exposed to or gets into a poisonous substance.

Teflon products
Cleaning solutions, especially aerosols
Heavy metals - use only reputable bird toys and bird supplies
Never give your bird pop cans to chew
Mop up all potentially poisonous spills immediately.

References:

http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/veterinary-advice/poisons-and-parrots

Avian First Aid DVD by Greg Burkett, DVM

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