by David Dewitt

Created on: November 04, 2008   Last Updated: November 16, 2008

Bird owners often enjoy a great deal of interaction with their birds. Birds are incredibly social animals and they love interaction with people. One of the things that most parrots and other larger birds enjoy is eating with their owners. It can be a great deal of fun feeding a pet bird during mealtime but foods that are perfectly safe for human consumption can be hazardous or even deadly to your pet bird. There are a number of foods that should never be given your pet bird.

Unusual Foods

Chocolate

While you might be a chocolate lover, your bird most certainly is not. Chocolate can effect the digestive tract and can eventually damage the central nervous system which leads to death. Chocolate is also harmful to dogs and cats. The relatively small size of birds only increases the danger of poisoning. Even a small amount of chocolate can be deadly to your bird.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a favorite appetizer, salad topping, or pizza topping. We often forget that mushrooms are a form of fungus. Mushrooms can kill your pet birds by producing problems in the digestive tract. Various parts of the mushroom can live failure in birds. Keep your birds away from mushrooms.

Fruits and Vegetables

Avocado

Guacamole is a great dip for serving at parties but avocado is hazardous to the health of your pet birds. The skin and the pit can cause heart problems including cardiac distress. Many times the birds die after exposure.

Apples and Berries

You might not realize this but apples contain trace amounts of cyanide in their seeds. Apple trees are part of the rose wood family and all of these seeds contain cyanide. This includes cherries, pears, apricots and peaches. While there is not enough to harm a human being, trace amounts could easily kill you pet bird. The fruit is perfectly safe but stay away from the seeds.

Beverages

Alcohol

Alcohol acts as a depressant in the system of a human and it does the same in the system of a bird. The alcohol has a much greater reaction in birds. The depressive qualities of the alcohol cause the internal organs of bird to simply shut down. These situations usually lead to the death of the bird.

Hold the Caffeine

We might need that early morning start up that comes from caffeine. Whether you drink soda, coffee or tea, you get that intake of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and helps us to wake up in the morning but it also causes our blood pressure to rise. Caffeine can cause a number of heart related problems due to the effect of raised blood pressure. Caffeine has been known to cause the death of birds. When you enjoy that morning cup of coffee, never let your bird join in.

Make sure that you have a tight control on the things that your bird has access to and what your bird is eating. One feeding mistake can lead to creating a toxic situation for your bird and ultimately endanger your pet. Be sure to provide a safe environment for your birds and keep your pet birds far away from these foods, to ensure a long and happy life for your birds.

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