We caution you…please do not feed these foods to your feathered friend.
Chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine. Chocolate can cause birds to suffer heart problems, depression, regurgitation, seizures and liver damage. Even a small bite of chocolate can be fatal to a bird.
Avocado, The pit of an avocado contains an oil that leaches toxin into the fruit. The toxin is persin, a fatty acid-like compound that has cardio-toxic effects. In birds, avocado toxicity can produce lethargy, anorexia, breathing difficulty and sudden death within 12 hours.
Caffeinated beverages Birds should not be allowed to drink caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, black tea and soft drinks. Caffeine is a stimulant and can induce an irregular heart rhythm seizures, as well as other health problems.
Alcoholic beverages Alcohol consumption can produce the same problems in pet birds as it does in humans. It can impair a bird’s judgement and cause the bird to fall off a perch and injure itself. Or, the bird might land in a water bowl and drown, or crash into something if trying to fly. Larger amount of alcohol could cause liver damage, anorexia or death.
Dairy Products It’s best to avoid giving dairy products to your bird. Birds do not have lactase, the enzyme that helps digest lactose. Consumption of these items can cause severe allergic reactions in birds as well as severe diarrhea and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract – either of which can be life threatening. If you insist on giving milk or cheese, make it only a small taste and offer it once or twice a month at most.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Junk Food Birds, like most people love junk foods, such as chips, salty crackers, french fries, as well as sweets. The problem is that these foods are high in fat and sugar or salt, non of which your bird needs. Give them just a taste occasionally – not more than once weekly.
Bird is the Word has lots of treats and staples that are good for your bird! Come in and one of our staff will be happy to suggest fun, nutritious treats that will keep your bird happy and healthy.
