Chocolate is Toxic to Parrots
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
I was on my way returning home, passing by a void deck where I saw an old chinese man with a Green Ringneck Parakeet. It wasn’t the Green Ringneck Parakeet that caught my attention, but was actually the old man’s actions.
The old man was actually feeding the Ringneck Parakeet with some iced milo (a kind of chocolate beverage). I was alarmed.
I decided to go forward and confront the old man.
“Are you feeding the parrot with iced milo?” I asked the old man politely in mandarin.
The old man smiled and replied in mandarin, “Yes! He (Green Ringneck Parakeet) loves it! It is his favorite drink.” I wasn’t smiling, instead I was worried when I heard this.
“Uncle, please don’t feed him (Green Ringneck Parakeet) with milo. Milo contains chocolate, anything that contains chocolate is toxic to parrots!” I explained to him in mandarin.
The old man rebuked me in mandarin, “I’ve been feeding him all the time with small serving and it won’t cause any harm! Anyway he’s not dead yet!”
The old man was peeved. He ignored my advice and continued to feed the Ringneck Parakeet with iced milo.
I didn’t persist and left the place in the end. This incident left me deeply pondering whether is the old man being stubborn, being ignorant or being selfish?
Why Chocolate is Toxic to Parrots?
Chocolate contains a toxic substance called Theobromine. Parrots lack the ability to metabolize Theobromine effectively like humans. Other animals like dogs and cats also lack this ability to metabolize Theobromine.
When parrots consumed chocolate, Theobromine remains in their body and bloodstream for up to 20 hours.
With the accumulation of Theobromine, this leads to toxicity resulting in symptoms like lethargic, restlessness, vomiting, diarrhea and excessive urination. In severe conditions, it can leads to internal bleeding, seizures and death.
Other Toxic Food/Drinks includes:
- Avocado
- Apple seeds
- Uncooked beans (e.g. Raw Lima Beans, Soybeans*)
- Caffeine in drinks and food (e.g. Coffee, Tea, Coke)
- Excessive salt
- Mushroom
- Alcohol
- Raw onions or garlic (Read this article about the effects)
I felt that all parrot owners should know what food is safe and what food is toxic, right from day one when you brought your parrot home. This is a piece of information that is extremely crucial and also a matter of life and death!
If you had not know about the toxicity caused by the chocolate (or other toxic food) in the past, I forgive your ignorance, but after reading this article, I begged you please stop offering chocolate (or other toxic food) to your parrot right from today! Be a responsible parrot owner!
*Some parrots may have allergic reactions to soy products. Also do refer to article titled Dangers of Soy Based Products from The Parrot Society UK. Although the evidence are still not clear, but prevention is better than cure, it will be wise to avoid offering raw soy products to parrots.
Related Post:
Is Garlic Safe for Parrots
Tags: Bird, Bird Food, Bird Health, Parrot, Parrot Diet, Parrot Food, Parrot Health & Diet, Toxic Food for Parrots
Posted in Parrot Health & Diet
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One time Nani got into some chocolate that my daughter had dropped. It was under a low table and I didn’t see it. I was SCARED! I called the vet and she said that they haven’t proven that chocolate is toxic to parrots but since it is in other animals like dogs they recommend not giving it to parrots just to be safe. I didn’t notice any ill effects in Nani and needless to say she is still here. I don’t recommend giving chocolate to parrots being you never know but chocolate in tiny amounts probably won’t hurt that bird you saw.
Comment by Doodle Bird — 10 July, 2010 @ 2:30 am
Just so I’m clear, I would never feed chocolate intentionally. I don’t want to give someone the impression that they can give chocolate to parrots.
Comment by Doodle Bird — 10 July, 2010 @ 2:33 am
I guess you must be quite worried when Nani ate some chocolate. Glad that Nani is alright. Anyway I understand your point, but I guess it will be ideal not to take any risk.
In regards to that ringneck parakeet, I’m not sure how much chocolate he has consumed. The old man might have been doing it all the while, we never know. Although the ringneck seems alright, but I believed on the long run it will cause devastating impact on the ringneck’s health! I just hope that this will never happen to that little green bird!
Comment by Bryan — 10 July, 2010 @ 9:33 am
Good advice! However, we think you can take Number 3, uncooked beans, off the toxic list. There is no evidence that uncooked beans, especially if soaked overnight, are toxic. Also, wild parrots are seen eating green soybeans.
Comment by The Zen Parrot — 11 July, 2010 @ 8:16 am
Thanks for sharing this. Lima Beans clearly should never be served raw, because it contains cyanide compounds thus it should be cooked carefully to deactivate the cyanide compounds.
Well talking about soy it’s again we get mixed evidence about it, but there are still some data indicated that soy may contain some natural toxin that can have adverse effect in parrots. Furthermore, some parrots can have allergy reaction to soy too. Probably that’s one of reason why organic pellet doesn’t contain any soy products.
I personally do offer Kacy some soy products, but I always ensure it is cooked rather than offering raw as extra precaution. I guess prevention is better than cure.
Refer to article titled Dangers of Soy Based Products from The Parrot Society UK.
Comment by Bryan — 11 July, 2010 @ 10:01 am
Yes I agree, to be safe it’s best never to feed chocolate. Too bad that man didn’t take your advice. 🙁
Comment by Doodle Bird — 12 July, 2010 @ 10:47 am
I always knew that chocolate was bad for our feathered friends. I never knew the reason why. Thanks for explaining
Comment by Mark — 16 August, 2010 @ 9:07 pm
90% of all soybeans in the world are genetically modified, which means they are also insessently sprayed with poisons, and in some cases have them genetically spliced into them. As a farmer I have given my birds all sorts of organic beans, with the exception of soy, and they have been fine. Soy is even toxic to humans as it contains high amounts of oxalic acid and hormone disruptors. The only good soy is organic fermented soy which allows for some of the bad things to be broken down in the fermentation process. However, I have noticed that chocolate makes my birds miserable, which causes them to be grumpy and to bite. Who wouldn’t be grumpy with a belly ache!
Comment by Reia — 16 September, 2012 @ 8:59 am