List of things safe and unsafe for birds

Things safe and unsafe for Birds

As bird owners, we can all attest to the fact that our pet birds really love to chew on things, (food and otherwise). It is important to keep yourself educated around what's toxic to your bird and what isn't so that your companion bird is around for you to love for a long time. 

The following lists were derived from a variety of bird care sources and represent primary things known to be toxic to birds.  (Please check with your avian vet if in doubt). With regard to wood/trees remember, ANY chemicals that are sprayed on trees are toxic and may kill your bird. The Parrot Spot sells a wide variety of safe parrot bird toys for your parrot to chew on.

Safe Fruits & Veggies

Apple
Apricot
Banana
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Blood orange
Blueberry
Cantaloupe melon
Cherry
Cranberry
Dried dates
Figs (fresh)
Gooseberries
Grape
Guava
Honeydew melon
Kiwifruit
Lychee (Litchi)
Mandarin
Mango
Melon
Nectarine
Orange
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plum
Pomegranate
Quince
Raspberry
Red Currants
Strawberry
Tangerine
Yellow Plum

Note: Please ensure that all seeds are removed before letting your birds eat fresh foods and supplement them with vitamins or other nutritional additions as necessary. In additon, make sure you wash all fruits and vegetable thoroughly.

Rule of thumb: It's always better when picking fruits and veggies for your pet parrot and avoid pesticides.

Artichoke
Beans, cooked only
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery stalks
Chinese Cabbage
Corn (milky & soft)
Cucumber
Eggplant (fruit only)
Endive
Fennel
Green Beans
Hot Peppers
Kale
Lettuce
Parsley
Peas
Potato (cooked)
Pumpkin (and seeds)
Radish Red Beet (fresh)
Radicchio
Romain Lettuce
Spinach
Sprouts
Sweet Potato
Turnips
Watercress
Yams
Zucchini

Toxic Foods

Avoid anything high in salt, sugar, and fat
Alcohol
Apple seeds
Apricot pits
Asparagus
Avocado (entire plant and fruit)
Beans - Kidney, Lima
Beans, any dried
Butter
Caffeine
Carbonated beverages
Cherry pits
Chocolate
Cigarette tobacco
Dried fruits (containing sulfides or sulphates)
Egg Plant
Gatorade
Milk/cream in large quantities
Nectarine pits
Olives
Onions (raw or cooked)
Peach pits
Pear pips
Plum pits
Raw Peanuts
Rhubarb
Tobacco
Tomato (entire plant, a little fruit okay)
Houseplants (most are toxic, not all)

Other Foods to Avoid

Fatty foods Commonly overfed fatty foods include nuts, French fries, crackers, marbled meat, peanut butter, butter, fried chicken, fried anything etc.

Sugar foods Obviously, frosting is high in sugar and undesirable. Similarly, soda pop, candy and these types of foods are not recommended.

Dairy Birds lack the digestive enzymes needed to break down milk sugar and milk proteins. Uncultured milk products such as milk, cream and butter should not be fed but yogurt, cheeses and dried milk can be supplemented in the diet in moderation (they are also high in fat).

Lettuce A typical filler food, lettuce is low in everything except water. It is not recommended as a food supplement since it offers little, if anything, for the bird. If leafy foods are desired by your bird, try feeding spinach, collard greens, tops of bok choy, carrot tops or kale.

Avocado Although higher in fat than other veggies and used in other countries to condition birds for breeding, avocado has been shown to be toxic in some birds and its feeding is no longer recommended, as mentioned above in the Toxic Foods list

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