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Post by greyeagle1 on Oct 30, 2011 4:03:01 GMT 10
Does anyone have a list of natural foods that are unsafe for cockatiels? I know avocado is one that is toxic, but I was wondering what other table foods are off limits for birds? Any information on this would be greatly appreciated!
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Post by Robyn on Oct 30, 2011 6:47:47 GMT 10
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Post by greyeagle1 on Oct 31, 2011 7:29:59 GMT 10
Thank you so much for this link! When I clicked on it, it was like a whole handbook about cockatiels on-line. Lots of categories to look at.
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Post by dublinboy on Aug 24, 2013 20:44:35 GMT 10
Apple Seeds contain Cyanide. Be sure to always remove apple seeds before giving a portion to your birds. Avocado is toxic to birds as well due to the high fat content.
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Post by avinet on Aug 25, 2013 22:40:28 GMT 10
Apple Seeds contain Cyanide. Be sure to always remove apple seeds before giving a portion to your birds. Avocado is toxic to birds as well due to the high fat content. I have never worried about apple seeds when giving apple to my parrots over the last 20 odd years. While there is a compound in apple seed - amygdalin - which can break down in the stomach to release cyanide, it is present in very small amounts. A 100 gram parrot (cockatiel for instance) would have to eat and swallow around 100 apple seed in one go to ingest enough amygdalin to release enough cyanide to be fatal. The amount released from eating just 5 or 6 seeds from a typical apple core would be easily processed and removed by the liver without causing any harm to a bird. They would get more cyanide from inhaling the fumes from someone smoking in the same room. Some varieties of avocado are poisonous to parrots, but not all. The birds are affected by a toxin in the avocado and not by the fat content - there was a study done a while ago using budgies which identified the toxin involved. When I had my pet shop we had several customers who came to us after their parrot (mostly ringnecks) had died from eating avocado - mostly from accidentally gaining access to one lying on the kitchen counter. Death occurred within 24 hours in many cases. Since most of us are not good at identifying the different varieties of avocado it is best to not allow any bird access to avocado flesh, skin or the seed. cheers, Mike |
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Post by greyeagle1 on Jan 7, 2014 12:15:10 GMT 10
Any way to tell if the regular bird seed that they sell for birds is too old to use or moldy in any way if there's no expiration date?
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Post by avinet on Jan 7, 2014 22:28:52 GMT 10
Any way to tell if the regular bird seed that they sell for birds is too old to use or moldy in any way if there's no expiration date? By trying to sprout some - good seed should have at least 90% or more seed that sprouts - any less than 80% I give to the wild pigeons in my area, they eat anything without a problem. Soak a hand full in warm water for about 6 hours - then strain and rinse in cold water and drain. repeat rinse and drain every few hours, for about 2 to 3 days, depending on how warm it is, and most of the seed should have roots showing. cheers, Mike |
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Post by greyeagle1 on Feb 4, 2014 7:43:50 GMT 10
Can birds be fed peanut butter, or anything with peanut butter in it? I've heard that peanut butter can be a choking hazard. Not sure if birds even have saliva to aid in swallowing.
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Post by avinet on Feb 5, 2014 9:36:27 GMT 10
Can birds be fed peanut butter, or anything with peanut butter in it? I've heard that peanut butter can be a choking hazard. Not sure if birds even have saliva to aid in swallowing. Peanut butter is safe to give but definitely not recommended. Our pet and aviary birds get very little exercise compared to wild birds that may fly several kilometres in a day so they need to be fed predominately low energy foods. Peanut butter is a high energy food - 50% fat - and too much fat is a killer, particularly with the danger of Fatty Liver Disease where fat accumulates in the liver and gradually destroys it. Once around 70 to 80% of the liver is damaged a rapid collapse of the liver occurs and death is withing a few hours. It is likely that many of the casaes of an apparently healthy bird suddenly falling off the perch and dying is caused by FLD. When we had our shop any sudden death would be autopsied since of course we wanted to know if there was a disease risk to all the other birds. I quickly learned from our vet the indications of a liver with FLD and do my own initial autopsy - and well over 50% of these sudden deaths showed indications of FLD. So, avoid high fat foods as far as possible, and peanut butter offers no nutritional benefit at all. After saying that I might add that in certain circumstances I have used it added to a hand rearing mix where a sick and thin bird needs that extra boost of energy and weight as it recovers, but that is a specific use for a short period until the bird is on the road to recovery. cheers, Mike |
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Post by greyeagle1 on Feb 5, 2014 10:38:08 GMT 10
Thanks, Avinet. I had no clue this was such an unhealthy food for birds. After reading this, I happened to search the label of their favorite commercial treat(Lafeebeer's Nutri-Berries) and found no peanut butter in it. The peanut-like smell was evidently from ground peanuts. Relief. I have had to have a surface fat tumor surgically remove on one of my birds in the past because I made the mistake of feeding her one of her favorite foods, lots of loved sunflower seeds. Just didn't know about the liver hazard.
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Post by greyeagle1 on Jul 2, 2014 11:10:09 GMT 10
Just needed to know if flax seeds are a safe food for cockatiels and if they would be a beneficial addition to their diet. They are mentioned as being such a healthy food item for humans, but I know not everything out there are safe for birds.
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Post by avinet on Jul 2, 2014 13:31:05 GMT 10
Just needed to know if flax seeds are a safe food for cockatiels and if they would be a beneficial addition to their diet. They are mentioned as being such a healthy food item for humans, but I know not everything out there are safe for birds. Flax seed is OK for birds but is pretty high in fat so should only be given as occasional small amounts. Too much fat is the number one health problem with pet birds through too much fat in their diet. cheers, Mike |
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Post by zebra on Jul 5, 2014 6:57:10 GMT 10
I give my finches flaxseed. They love it.
Go Brazil!
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Post by saicolas on Mar 26, 2022 5:42:48 GMT 10
You should never feed your cockatiel avocado or olives. Also, do not feed your cockatiel canned fruits. These are very high in sugar and preservatives; fresh fruits are a much healthier option. They can eat most berries like strawberries, blueberries,....and cockatiels can also eat dried fruits such as raisins, prunes, and dates. You can also buy more seeds that cockatiles love. |
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