Don’t Feed Your Pet Bird These 6 Foods

I love avocado and usually pick up a couple whenever they go on sale. The funny thing about being a bird person, though, is that it’s hard to even look at an avocado without the nagging thought in the back of my mind: “Of course, my bird can’t have any.”

Most bird people know that avocado can be toxic to parrots. But what about other foods you would typically find in a healthy salad, casserole or a scrumptious bowl of guacamole? Well, when considering parrot bird food, don’t pile up your plate with these fruits and vegetables bad for parrots.

1. Avocado

The avocado’s pit contains an oil that leaches a toxin called persin into the fruit. Signs of avocado toxicity include lethargy, anorexia, breathing difficulty and sudden death. Some birds have tasted avocado with no ill affects; however, that can depend on the variety of avocado and the bird species. Avocado seems to be especially harmful to lovebirds, budgies and cockatiels, but larger parrots can also be susceptible. Most avian veterinarians recommend playing it safe and keeping avocado off your bird’s menu.

2. Onions

Onions, whether cooked, raw or dehydrated, contain sulfur compounds that, when chewed, can cause hemolysis or a rupture of red blood cells, which can cause anemia. According to Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, they can also potentially cause irritation to a bird’s mouth, esophagus and crop, and they can even cause ulcers.

3. Garlic

Garlic adds flavor to our dishes but it can cause problems in parrots. Garlic is related to onions and has similar chemical compounds. Garlic contains allicin, which in rare cases, can cause Heinz body hemolytic anemia in birds.

4. Tomatoes

Because tomatoes are an acidic fruit, many veterinarians recommend not offering fresh tomatoes to birds, because they could potentially cause ulcers. Larry Nemetz, DVM, of the The Bird Clinic in Orange, California, does not recommend, at any time, feeding birds raw tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes) because of their acidity. Dried tomatoes (the drying process takes out most of the acid) and plain spaghetti sauce (tomatoes in spaghetti sauce are cooked, removing the acid) are fine in moderation.

5. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a type of fungus. Raw mushrooms have been known to cause digestive problems in parrots, and the stems and caps of certain mushrooms can potentially cause liver failure in birds.

6. Celery

Celery itself isn’t necessarily bad for parrots, it’s the stringy part of celery that can cause problems; namely crop impaction. Remove the stringy parts from celery if you wish to let your bird chomp into some.

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By: Laura Doering

Featured Image: via Stockbyte/Thinkstock