What Can Birds Not Eat? 10 Toxic Foods for Pet Birds

Never give a pet bird avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, salty snacks, xylitol (sugar-free products), onions or garlic, fruit pits and apple seeds, raw dried beans, or moldy food. All ten show up on veterinary and poison-control warning lists for pet birds, and a bird's small body has very little margin: with avocado, a small amount has been enough to kill a budgie.

The other big kitchen danger isn't food at all. Fumes from overheated nonstick pans can kill a bird suddenly, often with no warning signs.

If your bird just ate something on this list, call your avian vet, an emergency vet, or an animal poison line now, and don't try to make your bird vomit. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435. Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661. Both answer around the clock; a consultation fee may apply.

10 Foods Birds Should Never Eat

Keep all ten off your bird's menu and out of its reach, including the food on your plate when your bird is out of the cage.

1. Avocado

Pet Poison Helpline puts it plainly: owners of caged birds should never feed avocado. Every part of the plant contains persin, including the fruit, skin, pit, leaves and stems, and persin damages the heart muscle. Budgies, canaries and cockatiels are known to be susceptible, and caged birds appear more sensitive than other animals. The Merck Veterinary Manual describes budgerigars becoming agitated and pulling feathers after very small amounts, and dying within 48 hours of eating a small amount of mashed avocado.

Signs include lack of energy, labored breathing, not eating, swelling under the skin of the neck and chest, and sudden death. There is no antidote. Rush a bird that ate avocado to an emergency vet, even if it seems fine: if it was eaten recently, the vet may be able to remove it from the crop (the pouch at the base of the neck where food is stored before digestion).

2. Chocolate

Chocolate contains two stimulants, theobromine and caffeine, and birds handle both poorly. The darker the chocolate, the more of them it holds. A bird that gets into chocolate can become hyperexcitable and develop tremors, changes in heart rate and rhythm, and seizures, and it can die.

3. Caffeine

Coffee, tea, soda, coffee beans and used grounds all carry caffeine. In birds it acts as a strong stimulant, causing hyperactivity, tremors and seizures, and it can disturb the heart's rate and rhythm. A shared sip of your morning coffee is not a treat. Fresh, clean water is the only drink your bird needs.

4. Alcohol

Birds are susceptible to alcoholic drinks, and alcohol can cause depression, breathing problems and alcohol poisoning. Birds that roam the house freely are the ones most likely to find a glass left on the table, so put your bird in its cage when drinks are out.

5. Salt and Salty Snacks

Chips, pretzels, crackers, salted nuts and seasoned leftovers are all salt-heavy. Too much salt can lead to dehydration and damage to the kidneys and liver, and it can be fatal. Over time, a diet heavy in salty and fatty foods also adds up to obesity, heart disease and liver disease.

6. Xylitol (Sugar-Free Products)

Xylitol is a sugar substitute found in sugarless gum and some diet foods. In dogs it causes a dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver damage (our post on xylitol toxicity in dogs explains how). There is little data on xylitol in most bird species, so veterinarians generally assume it is unsafe. Avoid it as a precaution, and check the label of anything marked "sugar-free" before you share it.

7. Onions and Garlic

Onions, garlic, leeks, chives and shallots contain compounds that damage red blood cells and can cause severe anemia. A bird with onion or garlic poisoning may be lethargic, have pale skin in the mouth or around the eyes, and struggle to breathe. Onion and garlic powder turn up in a lot of seasoned food, which is one more reason not to share your plate.

8. Fruit Pits and Apple Seeds

Most fruit is a fine treat. The seeds and pits are the problem. Apple seeds and the pits of cherries, peaches, plums and apricots contain compounds that can release cyanide, so core apples and pit stone fruit before serving. Not every seed is off limits: ripe papaya and pomegranate seeds are safe.

9. Raw Dried Beans

Uncooked dried beans contain hemagglutinin, a plant toxin, and hard raw beans can also be a choking hazard. Bird-specific research is thin, so treat this one as a precaution. The fix is easy: plain, well-cooked beans appear on veterinary lists of foods birds can eat, so cook them through and keep the dry bag sealed and out of reach.

10. Moldy Food (and Peanuts)

Birds are susceptible to mold. Raw peanuts that are stored badly can carry aflatoxin, a mold toxin that harms the liver, and peanuts in the shell can turn moldy inside if they get damp. That is why PetMD's veterinary guide discourages peanuts, corn and other grains for pet birds. Fresh food can spoil in the cage too, so take out uneaten fruit and vegetables before they sit too long, and wash food and water bowls every day.

Also Skip These

• Mushrooms: they can upset the gut, and some varieties damage the liver.
• Leaves, stems and vines of tomato plants and other nightshades: the ripe fruit can be fine, but the rest of the plant is not.
• Milk, cheese and other dairy: birds can't process much lactose, so dairy is a tiny-amount food at most.
• Sweets, chips and fried food: too much sugar, salt and fat for a small body.
• Herbs and spices: little is known about their effects in birds.
• Human medicines: birds are susceptible to them; never give one unless your avian vet prescribes it.

Have a dog too? The foods that hurt dogs overlap with this list but aren't identical; see our guide to human foods toxic to dogs.

The Kitchen Danger That Isn't Food: Nonstick Fumes

Many pans and drip pans have a nonstick coating made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), best known as Teflon. When a PTFE surface overheats, it gives off a clear, odorless gas that is deadly to birds. The Merck Veterinary Manual says PTFE poisoning happens commonly in pet birds kept in or near kitchens. Often the only sign is sudden death, and small birds can die after very little exposure.

Why birds? Their lungs exchange gas very efficiently, so more of whatever is in the air reaches the blood with each breath. It is the same reason miners once carried canaries underground.

Merck puts the danger point at about 536°F (280°C), which an empty pan heated on high or a pan that boils dry can reach. Sources disagree about everyday cooking: Pet Poison Helpline says routine cooking is not expected to poison a bird, while veterinarians at the University of Illinois warn that worn or flawed coatings can release fumes at lower temperatures, and one says the gas forms even at normal cooking temperatures. With that uncertainty, the safe habits are simple:

• Keep your bird out of the kitchen, ideally in a distant room with the door closed while you cook.
• Never heat an empty nonstick pan or leave one on a burner unattended.
• Run the hood fan and open a window.

• Consider stainless steel or ceramic cookware, as some bird households do.
• Remember the other PTFE sources: irons and ironing board covers, some self-cleaning ovens, drip pans, some heat lamps, and stain-guard treatments.

Other fumes can harm birds too: tobacco smoke and vaping, aerosol sprays, air fresheners, scented candles, strong cleaners such as bleach and ammonia, paint and glue, and burning food or cooking oil. Move your bird to a separate, ventilated room before using any of them, and consider boarding it during painting or renovation.

Chewing is the other household risk. Lead and zinc in costume jewelry, curtain weights, blinds, pennies, galvanized wire and some bird toys cause heavy metal poisoning, so check what your bird can reach and chew.

Signs Your Bird May Have Been Poisoned

With some toxins (avocado, nonstick fumes) the first sign can be collapse or death, and small birds can die after very little exposure. So call as soon as you know your bird ate or breathed something on this page, not when it starts to look sick.

Emergency: go to the nearest vet or emergency hospital now

• Breathing with an open beak, tail bobbing with each breath, wheezing or other breathing sounds, or exaggerated chest movements
• Collapse, wobbling or weakness
• Seizures
• Any bird that ate avocado or was near overheated nonstick, even if it looks normal

Call your vet now

• Hyperactivity, trembling or twitching
• Sitting fluffed up and quiet, or suddenly not eating
• Pale skin inside the mouth or around the eyes
• Anything unusual after your bird got into something on this list

My Bird Ate Something: What to Do Now

1. Take away the source. Remove any leftover food. For fumes, get your bird away from them and into fresh air in another room first.
2. Don't try to make your bird vomit. Inducing vomiting is unsafe in birds because they can inhale the vomit, and the drugs used to make other pets vomit don't work in birds. Don't give any home remedy either.
3. Call now. Your avian vet, the nearest emergency vet, ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435, or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. A consultation fee may apply.
4. Have the details ready: what your bird ate, roughly how much, when it happened, and your bird's species.
5. Bring the packaging or a photo of the label to the clinic.

At the clinic, care is mostly supportive, and there is no specific antidote for avocado or inhaled fumes. That is why speed matters: a recently eaten food may still be in the crop, where a vet can sometimes remove it. Your vet decides what fits your bird.

What Birds Can Eat Instead

The healthiest everyday diet for most pet birds is built on pellets made for their type and size, with small amounts of fresh vegetables and some fruit every day. Seeds are fine now and then, but they are high in fat and shouldn't be the main meal. Nectar eaters such as lorikeets need their own diet, so ask your avian vet.

Good fresh options from veterinary lists include:

• Orange, red and yellow produce, which is rich in vitamin A: carrots, sweet potato, squash, pumpkin, bell peppers, mango, papaya and cantaloupe
• Broccoli, kale and peas
• Cored apple slices, blueberries, banana, and cherries without the pit
• Plain cooked beans and brown rice, with no salt or seasoning

Wash produce well (birds are sensitive to pesticides), and skip canned fruit and vegetables, which are often packed with salt or sugar.

Easy swaps when your bird begs for your snack:

• Avocado toast: a strip of mango or papaya
• Chips or crackers: a piece of bell pepper or carrot
• Cookies or chocolate: a few blueberries
• Coffee, juice or soda: fresh water
• A whole apple: a cored apple slice

Dog and cat food isn't bird food, no matter how eagerly your bird raids the bowl. Keep your bird on pellets made for its own type and size.

If You Feed Wild Birds

Backyard feeders bring their own set of rules. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch recommends three habits:

• Clean feeders at least every two weeks. Take them apart, remove old seed and debris, and wash them.
• Make windows safer. Put feeders within 3 feet of the glass, or mark the outside of nearby windows so birds don't fly into reflections.
• Keep cats indoors.

Whether your bird lives in a cage or visits your yard, the rule is the same: when in doubt, leave it out, and call a vet the moment something goes wrong.

Sources

• Merck Veterinary Manual: Toxicoses of Pet Birds
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Food Hazards
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Feeding a Pet Bird
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Managing Pet Bird Toxicoses (Richardson et al., Exotic DVM)
• ASPCA: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
• Pet Poison Helpline: Top 5 Toxins in Companion Birds
• Pet Poison Helpline
• University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine: Three Household Items Toxic to Birds
• University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine: Bad for Birds, Prevent Poisoning in Avian Pets
• PetMD: Toxic Foods for Birds
• VCA Animal Hospitals: Fruits and Vegetables in Birds' Diets
• Chewy (with veterinary input): Foods That Are Harmful or Poisonous to Pet Birds
• World Parrot Trust: Human Foods, Are Some Dangerous for Parrots?
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Project FeederWatch: Safe Feeding Practices

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.