Bird-safe - Safe Plants and Foods

Safe Plants and Foods

There are also many plants that may be harmful to pet birds. In some cases an entire plant can be harmful to a bird and in some cases only some parts of certain plants can be dangerous to birds The toxicity of a plant to birds depends upon the plant, the amount of the plant that has been ingested by the bird and also by the specific species of bird.

There are some foods that people can share with birds but all those that contain caffeine are dangerous to these pets. The inappropriate foods range from those that are just unhealthy to those that might kill pet birds. Fatty foods, foods with high concentration of sugar or salt and chocolate are toxic to birds and should not be shared. Alcoholic beverages are not to be drunk by birds as they are dangerous for their health. Fruits such as avocado should be avoided as well. The quality of the food that a bird gets is also very important, and this accounts not only for bird pets but for all pets. Fresh food is a must and one can avoid the food getting spoiled or growing mold by removing it from the cage before it has the chance to become potentially toxic for the bird. Raw onions should never be fed either.

Toxic foods are foods that can cause allergies and/or health problems in birds. Avocados, alcohol, and chocolate are poisonous to birds. Milk and excessively sugary, salty, and fatty foods should be avoided or fed rarely (some species of parrots do require larger amounts of fat or sugar in the diet, but this is provided with nuts or fruit and nectar, and not junk foods). Any food considered junk food for humans should also be considered junk food for pet birds.

Guacamole contains avocados and can cause almost instant death in birds. Seed-only diets are not healthy for most pet birds, contrary to popular belief. Most seeds are high in fat and low in nutrients (particularly sunflower and safflower seeds), qualities that can lead to obesity or malnutrition. The bird will live much longer if it is fed a healthier diet of pellets, fresh vegetables and fruit, and a limited quantity of low-fat seeds such as millet or sprouted seeds, only using fatty seeds as occasional treats.

Excessive salty foods are considered potentially toxic as bird species that do not live on the shore or at sea have very low salt in their diet. Salty food can lead to a condition known as salt toxicosis.

Foods that contain the mineral iron can be toxic to certain species of softbills, such as toucans, and to a lesser extent, to lories, where iron-storage disease can come about from the consumption of such foods. Special "low iron" softbill diets are available for iron-sensitive species.

Birds are not equipped to digest milk so milk and milk products are considered a poor choice by some keepers. However, cheese and yogurt can add helpful bacteria to a bird's digestive system and offer a calcium boost, for example, when a female laying eggs. Some captive birds enjoy milk products and show no ill effect from eating or drinking them.

The following plants are safe to be placed in the cage or next to the cage of the bird if they were not sprayed with toxic substances: ash, citrus, dogwood, elm, eucalyptus, guava, madrona, magnolia, Manzanita, nut (besides chestnut and oak), papaya, pine, prune, ribbonwood, sassafras, thurlow, vine maple, and willows.

Many plants are however toxic and should not be placed in the cage or where the bird can reach them. Bird owners are in fact recommended to check with their avian veterinarian on which plants are toxic in birds before getting a plant or a bird.

Despite the lengthy lists of foods and plants toxic to pet birds, a pet bird's resistance to toxic foods and plants varies by species and even the individual bird itself. A certain amount of food dangerous for a finch or budgie may not be dangerous for a macaw due to the difference in their digestive systems and size difference. Even within species, there may be difference among individual birds in their resistance to toxic materials—a bird that is on a usually healthy diet will be more immune to an accidental dose of toxic food than a bird that is usually on an insufficient diet; genetic dispositions also play a role. However, a rule of thumb amongst parrot owners is "prevention is better than cure", and most toxic food and plants lists are based on this rule.

It is believed that malnutrition is very common among the pet birds existent in the United States, although the owners may not notice it. Moreover, specialists think that a deficient nutrition is one of the most common reasons why pet birds die at young ages. Therefore, pet owners are recommended to choose the right dietary plan for their pet bird, according to its species. Malnutrition may shorten the life span of a pet bird with almost a decade in comparison with the life span of the same species that lives in the wildness and can cause life threatening diseases.

Seed diets are normally high in fat, especially when the seeds come from sunflower, safflower and peanuts. Also, they are low in calcium, low in protein and do not contain the required amount of vitamins. Most seeds are almost devoid of vitamins whatsoever. In order to establish a balanced diet for one's pet bird, owners are advised to keep seeds as the main food, as long as they do not exceed 50% of the total diet. Dairy products are recommended to be given to birds as they make a great calcium and protein source, one of the two foods that are most likely to miss from a bird's diet. Many wild birds consume fruits and, sometimes, vegetables. They are an important source of vitamins which are mandatory in a bird's diet. Birds that have been accustomed with a diet mainly based on seeds may be difficult to change to a balanced and nutritious diet.

In order to make sure that the diet they are feeding their birds is appropriate, many bird owners prefer buying the food from pet stores which contain a mixture of seeds and dried fruits with some type of flavoring agent.