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Parrots are highly social eaters -- they love to share a meal with human companions. Trouble is some foods eaten by humans are not good for parrots to eat. You cannot count on your parrot's natural instincts to guide his dietary choices. In the wild, parrots learn which foods are safe to eat from their flock mates. Most captive parrots do not have this advantage and rely on their human caretakers to make appropriate choices.
Parrots can safely eat many fruits, but the ones they should avoid are highly toxic to them. Avocado tops the list of fruits parrots cannot safely eat. This fruit's pit and skin are the most toxic parts of the fruit to parrots. However, even its flesh is highly dangerous. As explained by Bird Channel, avocado persin acts as poison in a bird's digestive system. While some parrots have eaten avocado and guacamole with no incident, veterinarians advise against including it in your parrot's diet because for most birds, it is deadly. Rhubarb is another fruit you shouldn't feed a parrot. It contains oxalic acid -- another potentially poisonous substance for birds. The seeds and pits of apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums are off limits as they contain a cyanide-like substance.
Many fruits are not only safe but encouraged in a parrot's daily diet. Fresh fruit offers birds many nutritional benefits. Safe fruits that are also often included in parrot pellet mixes according to Avian Web are apple, apricot, banana, cranberry, mango, nectarine, orange, papaya, peach, pear and pineapple.
Onions -- either cooked, raw or dehydrated -- contain sulfur compounds that can cause red blood cells to rupture and lead to anemia. Garlic, cabbage, kale and mushrooms can give some parrots an upset stomach. The stems and caps of mushrooms contain amatoxin. It causes liver failure. Celery isn't necessarily harmful for parrots. Just remove the stringy section that can cause bowel blockages. Fresh tomatoes are high in acid that causes ulcers.
Sharing a drink with your parrot is an effective way to bond. Select an appropriate beverage such as water or fruit juice that does not have added sugar. As with other animal companions, drinks such as coffee or other caffeinated beverages, alcohol and carbonated concoctions are harmful to parrots.
It isn't a "sweet" idea to share chocolate with your parrot. Chocolate is made by roasting the seeds of the theobroma cacao plant. Theobromine -- a bitter alkaloid with an incredibly slow metabolism rate often leading poisonous saturation levels in animals -- is one of the byproducts of this process that is contained in chocolate. It speeds up metabolism to dangerous levels. Chocolate also contains caffeine, which is a methylxanthine. In animals -- including birds -- its effects on the central nervous cause hyperactivity, excessive thirst, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizure and even death.
Most of us serious bird enthusiasts love to include our parrots in our mealtime. In fact, many healthy plant based foods that 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. Nevertheless, several common "people foods" are harmful and poisonous foods for parrots.
Learn which "people foods" are unsafe to share with your parrot and why they can be deadly. Read on to find out the top ten foods that are on the poisonous bird foods list for parrots.
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While not technically a food, alcohol is a poisonous food for parrots. Beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages depress a parrot's organ systems, just like it does ours. More so, alcohol can be fatal to birds.
Make sure that your bird stays safe by not allowing him to drink any alcohol whatsoever. Even if just a little sip to quiet him down! Some birds enjoy walking onto the table and taking a nip, but alcohol and bird health don't mix!
Fruit Seeds
Many fruit seeds contain trace amounts of Cyanide. Not just apples, but peaches, cherries, apricots and pears have toxic seeds. While most 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.
While on the topic of feeding your bird fruit, avoid acidic fruits, like oranges. Opt for low-sugar, antioxidant rich fruits like berries, melons, kiwi, and the like.
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 birds and parrots.
Caffeine
Caffeine is known to be toxic to parrots so don't allow your parrot to consume any caffeinated beverages including soda, coffee, and caffeinated tea. We had a Caique named Rascal for a number of years who would sneak swigs of coffee between scrambled eggs.
One little swig made him act like a maniac. We simply had to make sure he was caged as we drank our morning coffee. Caffeine may cause 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.
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 bird's central nervous system is affected. You may see deadly seizures, too.
Keep all chocolate out of reach of your bird.
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 hemagglutinin 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.
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.
Click here to learn How To Tell If Your Bird Has Been Poisoned
Learn more about healthy foods and get bird friendly recipes in this great book.
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Tomatoes, like potatoes and other nightshades, have a tasty fruit that is fine as a treat for your bird. The stems, vines, and leaves, however, are highly toxic to your pet.
When you offer your bird a tomato treat, make sure it has been properly cleaned and sliced with the green parts removed so that your bird will avoid exposure to toxins. Due to their high acidic content, tomatoes aren't the best option; there are many other vegetables that you can feed your bird.