What Can Birds Not Eat? 12 Toxic Foods For The Birds

You may want to offer your birds a nutritious meal. You are also likely to try to attract more birds to provide different types of foods. Sharing food with your bird gives you plenty of enjoyments. In that time, you must consider one thing, “What can birds not eat?”

• Avocado
• Caffeine
• Chocolate
• Salt
• Fat
• Fruit Pits and Apple Seeds
• Onions and Garlic
• Alcohol
• Tomato Leaves
• Spoiled Seed
• Pesticides
• Honey

Poor foods can lead to malnutrition and diseases that reduce birds’ immunity. Even birds cannot consume many common human foods because they are not suitable for birds. So, birders need to know which foods are appropriate and have no serious risks.

Besides, the same food doesn’t cause illness for all species of birds. So, birders should not get to the conclusion that a specific item can be harmful to their birds. If your bird also consumes excessive amounts of foods, it can be fatal and even cause to death.

Now, we will show you some specific foods that can be fatal for the birds. You should avoid these foods to keep your birds safe from deadly diseases.

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12 Toxic Foods for the Birds

#1. Avocado

Avocado is one kind of vegetables, whose leaves contain a fungicidal toxic named persin.

It can cause a cardiac attack to birds.

When a bird digests avocado, this food may cause respiratory difficulty, and lead to sudden death within one to two days.

Small birds like budgies and canaries seem to be more prone to this toxin. But, avocado may be safe and can be fed Lories without problems.

Considering the outcomes, you should not feed avocado or guacamole, one kind of avocado-containing food to birds.

#2. Caffeine

Caffeinated beverages like tea, coffee, soda, and soft drinks are favorites to us because of their exceptional taste. They stimulate and wake us up for a long time.

You might want to provide these tasty beverages to your birds. But a small amount of these beverages can be toxic to your beloved birds.

Caffeine can develop heart diseases and cause arrhythmias and hyperactivity. So, it’s better to avoid caffeinated products into birds’ meals.

Instead, you can provide a safe fruit drink, such as apple juice to your birds. As a result, this type of food will satisfy your bird’s taste and fulfill the nutritional requirements to keep its heart healthy.

#3. Chocolate

Chocolate can be toxic to birds, even in minimal amounts. It contains both caffeine and theobromine that can be classified as methylxanthines.

These elements can cause diarrhea and vomiting, and increase hyperactivity and heart rate. Thus, the birds’ main nervous system is affected and led to death.

These elements can cause diarrhea and vomiting, and increase hyperactivity and heart rate. Thus, the birds’ main nervous system is affected and led to death.

Remember, the darker the chocolate, the more toxic it will be to your birds.

Instead, you can give a sugary fruit treat to the birds, such as some juicy grapes and a slice of ripe banana.

#4. Salt

Many of us casually add salt to all sorts of foods without thinking. Although salty chips, popcorn, pretzels, and crackers are favorites to us, it isn’t suitable for our birds.

When a bird takes salty chips, its electrolyte can be bothered. Even, the fluid balance in a bird’s tiny body doesn’t remain all right. Consuming salt by birds can also cause too much thirst, dehydration, and kidney failure, even leading to death.

Instead, you should offer unsalted popcorn or pretzels to them.

#5. Fat

Fatty foods can lead to the buildup of fat deposits inside the body of the birds. It can even make some birds prone to heart disease and stroke. Quakers and Amazon parrots have the chance of high cholesterol and triglyceride levels with coronary artery disease.

You may want to provide birds some cooked meat to eat, but you shouldn’t give them too much of these fat-filled foods, especially to the small enough birds.

On the other hand, plenty of medium-sized birds love nuts, but one unsalted almond or walnut every day. Again, larger birds eat more fat through a few nuts in the wild.

Remember, smaller birds have a higher risk of high fatty foods.

#6. Fruit Pits and Apple Seeds

You may find hardly any bird which doesn’t love eating fruits. Most of the fruits around us are safe for the birds. But you have to avoid providing an excessive amount of fruits to the birds.

Some specific fruits that contain seeds, such as apples and pits, should not be offered to birds without removing the seeds and pits first.

In a small amount, these pits and seeds usually contain a cardiac-toxic cyanide compound. So, by removing the seeds and pits, you can make them entirely safe for birds.

#7. Onions and Garlic

Many of us think that onions and garlic are healthy for birds as they have heart benefits in people. But, if you feed the birds, whether raw or cooked, onions and garlic are toxic to birds.

It can irritate the lining of a bird’s mouth, gullet, crop, or cause ulcers in their stomach.

It can also reduce red blood cells, containing allicin, which can cause anemia, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive problems in birds.

Instead of garlic and onions, you need to fill up your bird’s diet with a small piece of vitamin A enriched in hot pepper.

#8. Alcohol

Responsible bird owners never offer their birds an alcoholic drink as it hampers the organs of the birds. Keep your birds safe in its cage when alcohol is served at your home.

#9. Tomato Leaves

When you are going to provide a tomato treat to your bird, you only have to make sure that it is properly cleaned and sliced. As a result, your bird will avoid the danger of toxins.

#10. Spoiled Seed

If you improperly store bird seeds in poor conditions, they will allow creating bacteria to make seeds wasted and cause diseases among bird feeders.

Make sure that the bird seeds remain dry and fresh without sharp odors. Change spoiled seeds frequently at least once in a week.

#11. Pesticides

Don’t give birds any fruit or seed with pesticides, herbicides, or other toxic chemicals as they are fatal to birds. If you provide the birds those chemicals, they may build up bleeding problems inside their bodies.

When you find some problematic offered foods, you need to wash them before adding to the feeders. Sunflower seeds may be the best in this case.

#12. Honey

Whether honey can be healthy for humans, but it is not suitable for birds. The best-quality organic honey can also be fatal for them. So, you should avoid using honey to make any suet cake recipes or homemade meals.

Not Recommended but Can Sometimes Be Fed

#1. Peanuts

Peanuts are one of the most nutritious food items for birds. But a toxin-producing fungus can contaminate the moldy peanuts and peanut products, such as corn and other cereal grains. So, should keep these seeds away from your birds.

#2. Dairy

Birds cannot easily digest lactose, which is mainly found in dairy products, such as milk. If the bird eats the dairy product, they can develop diarrhea and fatal diseases.

Some dairy products, such as cheeses and yogurts, don’t contain lactose. So, you can feed the birds these foods as an occasional treat in small amounts.

#3. Mushrooms

Eaten mushrooms by people are also safe for birds. But, there are a few toxic mushroom varieties, such as Gyromitra mushrooms, you shouldn’t offer the birds. Cooking can decrease the toxin from these mushrooms, but cannot eliminate the danger of death.

#4. Dried Beans

Dried beans can extremely be harmful to your pet. Uncooked beans contain hemagglutinin, a poison which is very toxic to birds.

#5. Bread

If you are going to offer the birds a tiny amount of bread, it is acceptable, and you should choose healthy bread made of whole-grain varieties as a special treat.

Besides, you can make a sandwich, including seed, suet, peanut butter, and other appropriate ingredients. You will only avoid offering moldy or rotten bread to birds.

#6. Cookies

You may provide some sweet baked foods to the birds, such as scraps of cookies, donuts, cakes, cupcakes, etc.

But if these food items are offered packed with processed ingredients, they are no longer suitable for birds.

Instead, make bird cookies from suet, cornmeal, peanut butter, and other healthy foods

Frequently Asked Questions

Q-1. Can birds eat rice?

Answer: Some birds, such as pigeons, doves, and pheasants, may eat uncooked rice. But, other bird species may not be eager to eat this food.

Q-2. Is it ok to feed birds cheerios?

Answer: We think unsweetened cheerios are toxic. But, they are made from wheat. So, it is ok to feed cheerios to birds. You can give your birds this food item per week.

Q-3. Is vinegar harmful to birds?

Answer: Yes! Vinegar has acetic acid that can kill some bacteria and fungi. So, it is potentially harmful to birds.

Q-4. What should conures eat?

Answer: Conures should eat specialized pellets made up 60 to 70% of the diet. They usually include fresh vegetables, fruits, and small amounts of fortified seeds. You also have to provide them filtered and chlorine-free water.

Conclusion

Many other toxic foods can be harmful to birds. If we only use common sense, we can save our birds by taking care of them while they are out of the cage.

We must offer them only non-toxic foods so that our pet remains healthy and feels comfortable.

After that, if you still have doubts about what can birds not eat, you need to contact a bird-savvy veterinarian immediately.