Poisonous Foods for Parrots

What are Poisonous Foods For Parrots

Most of us serious bird enthusiasts love to include our parrots in our mealtime. In fact, many foods we eat are good for our pet birds. And, parrots love sharing mealtime with us, since they are so social by nature. Sharing meal time with our birds is good for their emotional health. Never the less, several common people foods are harmful and poisonous foods for parrots. Learn which "people foods" are safe to share with your parrot and which one's are unsafe and potentially even deadly. Read on to find out the top ten foods that are poisonous foods for parrots.

Top 10 Poisonous Foods for Parrots

1. Alcohol

While not technically a food, alcohol is a poisonous food for parrots. Beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages depress a parrots organ systems, just like it does ours. However,m alcohol can be fatal to birds. Make sure that your bird stays safe by not allowing him to drink alcohol. Even a little sip to quiet him down! Some birds enjoy a walking onto the table and taking a nip, but alcohol and bird health don't mix!

2. Apple Seeds

Many fruit seeds contain trace amounts of Cyanide. Not just apples, but peaches, cherries, apricots and pears have toxic seeds. While the fruit pulp is safe for your bird, the seeds need to be avoided. On top of poisonous seeds,fruit peel may have been sprayed with pesticides. Thoroughly wash and core all fruit that you share with your bird to avoid exposure to toxins.

3. Avocado

Although there is some debate regarding how toxic avocados are for parrots, it is generally advised to abide by a "better safe than sorry" attitude toward them. Don't allow your parrot to consume guacamole or other avocado products. Avocado skin and pits are suspected of causing cardiac distress and eventual heart failure in pet bird and parrots.

4. Caffeine

Caffeine is known to be toxic to parrots so don't allow your parrot to consume any caffeinated beverages including soda, coffee, and tea. We had a Caique named Rascal for a number of years who would sneak swigs of coffee between scrambled eggs. It made him act like a maniac. We simply had to make sure he was caged as we drank our morning coffee. Caffeine causes cardiac malfunction in birds, and is associated with increased heartbeat, arrhythmia, hyperactivity, and cardiac arrest. What affects us with a boost in energy is potentially deadly to our pet parrots.

5. Chocolate

While chocolate is a favorite treat for humans, it is a poisonous food for parrots and many other animals. The first symptom of chocolate poisoning is diarrhea and vomiting. Additionally, your birds central nervous system is affected. You'll see deadly seizures, too. Keep all chocolate out of reach of your bird.

6. Dried Beans

While cooked beans are a healthy supplement to your daily bird food, raw, dry bean mixes are poisonous foods for parrots. Uncooked beans contain a poison called hemaglutin which is very toxic to birds. To avoid poisoning, make sure to thoroughly cook any beans that you feed your bird.

7. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a type of fungus that not only may result in digestive upset for our pet birds and may even induce liver failure.

8. Onions

Very small amounts of onion in flavorings may be safe but too much onion will cause severe digestive problems including vomiting and diarrhea and they are considered a poisonous food for parrots. A bird that is fed too much onion for long periods of time will even develop a serious blood condition called hemolytic anemia. Finally, breathing problems develop and the bird ultimately dies.

9. Salt

While all living beings need moderate amounts of sodium to stay healthy, too much salt leads to many healthy problems such as excessive thirst, dehydration, kidney dysfunction, and even death. Many salty foods also contain a lot of fat. Our pet birds want to share our chips and crackers, but these food items are just not healthy for our pet birds.

10. Vegetable Leaves

The stems, leaves and vines of common garden plants such as tomatoes, potatoes and some other vegetables are poisonous to birds. Make sure that you only feed your parrot the actual fruit or vegetable part of garden plants and never the stems, leaves or vines.

Avoid poisonous foods for parrots. Please pass this article along via social media.