When my daughter was young and in school, I can remember a few times that I would wake her up in the morning and say: “How about skipping school today and going to the park instead?” Or keeping her up late on a school night because I had gotten tickets to a show that was in town. Her schoolwork might have suffered a little that week, but watching her face light up assured me I was doing the right thing. It was done infrequently and these occasions built a special bond between us. She knew that I understood that life was not always all about schedules and lessons and being where others insisted we be at all times. In addition to doing what is expected of us, LIFE IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!
No matter how hard we strive to be the perfect home for our companion birds, we will always fall short. The perfect life for a bird is one that is lived in the wild. But since so many are captive bred and will never know that life, it is up to us to do everything we can to make their lives as fulfilling as possible. That includes occasionally straying from the rigidity of rules. Breaking the rules sometimes can provide a cage bound bird with a richer life.
My last post suggested 5 recipes for sandwiches we can make for our birds. There were a number of comments that rebuked some of the ingredients such as cheeses and peanut butter. At first my heart sank, but as I continued reading I got excited about how many people are aware of no-nos in a birds diet. THAT is good news!
Technically, cheese and peanuts are on the no-no list. I use the word technically because while birds are lactose intolerant and peanuts might contain a fungus that might metabolize as an aflotoxin (corn too), most birds do fine with them, and really enjoy them. I use the term no-no because they are NOT dangerous ingredients that might kill your bird. There are some birds who will not react well to those ingredients letting you know not to use them again, but the vast majority do just fine.
A good rule of thumb is that if it is not good for us, it is not good for our birds. But how many of you have eliminated french fries from your diet entirely because they offer no nutritional benefits and are fattening and artery clogging? I bet not many. Unless your are in very ill health, you will sometimes allow yourself to be naughty and simply set limits.
When I reach into the freezer for that tub of Ben and Jerry’s that has been calling my name since I bought it, there is always a slight moment of hesitation. I know I am probably going to overindulge and eat the entire thing. I glance down at my thighs and wonder how tight my jeans will be later in the week. That hesitation takes all of 3 seconds and then I am eating and enjoying.
If we were to turn down every food that had some “bad” substance in it, we would be left with very little to eat. Kale, for instance, a very healthy food for our birds, interferes with calcium absorption in subsequent meals. This is not a good thing, but its benefits far outweigh that drawback. It is up to us to determine when to temporarily remove it from the diet, such as during egg laying times when calcium is very important.
My point here is that we must not allow ourselves to take away the opportunities we have to make our bird’s lives better by living in fear of busting loose every now and again. I will always say that we MUST feed an optimum diet that is heavy in fresh foods, I will always say safety first, but I also will say let your birds enjoy life. They like cheese. They like peanut butter. Small amounts of these foods will not harm your birds. And if you look closely, you will see them smiling as they eat it.
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
61 comments
I know that my cockatiels loved scambled eggs and people would tell me how terrible it was to give them this and I was basically making them cannibals. But I have read descriptions of them being scavengers and that eating their own would be part of that. Besides if you could watch Sweet Pea and Scarlet “birdface” O’Hara go to town eating their scrambled eggs…..you’d have to give it to them a couple times a week!
Hi Chet, I have a 10mth old Green Check Conure and was thrilled to see the snacks you suggested for me to reward him with now and then. I did not know however that peanuts are on the “no no” list. I give a little seed mix along with pellets and fresh fruit and vegetables but the seed mix has a peanut in them and I have seen you reward your birds in the videos with peanuts. Mine however still has not figured out how to eat them yet but is trying new fruits and veggies each day.
Hi Chet, Thank you for sharing your tips on bird treats. My cocatoo and mini macaw love spagetti and get some when ever we have it, they also love pizza and french fries which they also get every now and then and they are both very healthy. I agree with you they should be allowed a treat every now and then, just use commen sense and don’t over do it. Love all your advice and tips always look forward to your e-mails !!
My African Grey “Jewels” loves peanut butter. Don’t give often, but when I do… the pupils go nuts…. very excited. I give Jewels an occasional pience of shredded cheese and “it” likes that too…. Cheers to all bird lovers….
I’m lactose intolerant so I don’t drink “regular” milk. I drink a lactose-free brand called Lactaid, and I share a few sips with my Jenday every other morning. He LOVES milk and would drink the whole cup if I let him, but I love milk even more so sometimes I’m a greedy brat and don’t share. LOL. My cockatiel is far less adventurous when it comes to food, but he does like corn, peas and rice. I’ve tried to serve him fruit, but he doesn’t touch it. My conure though, he’ll eat anything you’re eating. He was given to me in 2006 by a nice lady who couldn’t take care of him anymore, about a week after my Pionus disappeared, and she shared everything with him. She even used to share her Dr Pepper soda with him whenever she had some, so he looooves soda and will have a fit if we don’t share a sip with him. I know caffeine is bad for birds and I don’t let him drink anymore Pepsi or Dr Pepper. My apple beer though, which is just carbonated apple juice (no alcohol to speak of), is caffeine free and he likes that too. I bookmarked and printed off the recipes from the previous post because I DEFINITELY need to enrich my boys’ diet more often than I do now. They really need some foraging toys as their primary feeding method, because I’ve just let them free feed from a dish for the longest time (I feed them ZuPreem)…but I don’t have enough money to indulge in all the bird toys and accessories that I want for them as often as I would like. I feel so horrible for being a boring, poor mom!
My Blue & Gold absolutely LOVES spaghetti! We eat it often, and he can tell by the sounds and smells coming from the kitchen (he can see the stove from his cage) when his favorites are being cooked. Occasionally, if there are a few noodles left over, I grab them and dab some sauce on top of them, and set a bowl in his cage. I can see the excitement in his eyes every time, and he devours every last scrap. We’ve used peanut butter sandwiches with him forever (he’s almost 30 y/o), and he’s never had a problem with it. Of course, he only gets them a few times a year. Red vines candies are one of his favorite treats too. Only a tiny bite a few times a year on that one though! :)
My Eclectus, Lucy, loves cheese and milk. I have given them to her in moderation for 2 years and she is very healthy. She can smell them and has a fit if she does not get some.
My rescued cherry head conure so loves sharing that it has been a major role player in getting her to trust again. She loves just about anything I eat. She demands to be given the opportunity to at least taste. She has become a true joy to watch her interact with my husband who claimed he was not a “bird person”. She shares all our meals with us and is blossoming into an incredible feathered companion.
My African Grey, Nigel, loves when I hang half open oranges and green apples (only the green for him) half covered in peanut butter and then rolled in special treat seed. He also loves to half some Oat Meal with me in the morning. I swear he eats more than I do! and we cannot forget peas for dinner…. makes a mess and covers his beak with them and when I laugh and get the camera he flings them…. somehow…. right on me. I love this guy. Hes beautiful, full feathered and my camping companion. Every day is a Nigel kinda day-
We have a green cheek conure, about 3 years old, i think, and i have to say that we’ve been breaking rules since we got her about a year ago. The birds name is Baby and frequently enjoys a bit of popcorn(holds it like a beer stine!), grapes, strawberries (her favorite) and even a few sips of red wine! I know…honestly i have to even admit it, but since everyone is talking about feeding their birds cheese and peanut butter, i felt i should share.
our conure loves a small piece of hobnob biscuit occasionally and ifs a good excuse for us to buy a packet of biscuits
Speaking of food, to anyone, I have a 5 month old B&G macaw, and will only eat bananas, oatmeal, sweet potatoes for me! Please I need suggestions for food for her! Tried lots of food but she is not eating! Please help!! Thank you!
Our Greys live primarly in the dinning/kitchen area of our house. Every meal is spent wtih the birds. This has become an important time for them. We share our meal with the “Birds” they look forward to this time, and have even learned to know what is being served. They each have their favorite foods. But if it should be something that one or the other does not like they go into their cage and eat from their dish while we eat our meal. We had split pea soup the other night with carrots, patatoes, and garlic we wound up giving each bird their own little bowl.
WooHooo! I am so pleased to hear this news! My African Grey Zammies keeps asking me for CHEESE, “Want yellow cheese, want orange cheese!” I do give her a small piece a couple times a month — and she is happy as can be. My Senegal Oscar loves a sip of LACTAID 2% milk once in awhile – - and like Zammies I let him have a sip a couple times a month. They are happy parrots – - and even happier when they get to have their special treats — so again, thank you! I love your emails!! Thank you for everything, your DVDs and training tips, recepies and just stories of your life with companion parrots has changed my life with my wonderful flock!!
my 7 month old eclectus, ruby, has a fruit loop about once a week and i let her pick the colour. her favourite colour is pink. she leaves crumbs all over the bench but really enjoys the sugary treat. she has a diet full of fruits and nuts so i concluded that a sweet treat occasionally wouldnt be harmful.
Almost all my birds love to crack peanuts. And just simple peanuts from cans, though I don’t give them from cans, too much salt. They are just shaking when they see cheese, I always share with them their favorite treats. I agree, it is OK to give them from time to time, it will not harm them and they will enjoy it so much!
I forgot to mention that my parrot LOVES the yougurt clusters in my cereal, as well as the milk, too! She grabs one out of the bowl, just after I pour it in, it’s her little nibble before breakfast. I totally agree, Chet, that anything done in moderation is good. It is so worth it to see those little smiles and excited eyes! Thanks for all that you do, and also, the wonderful photos.
well our bird gets peanuts, and dairy. He loves both. I was told by the breeder to only avoid chocolate, avacado, the teflon thing, candles, odorous type issues. When we have cereal he gets wild drinking the milk! It even cracks us up how much he likes meat, especially chicken. We don’t feed him a lot of these foods but he partakes when we are eating our meals. We really love our little bird, give him the run of the house when we are home and enjoy his company at the table. We mostly try to eat healthy but we do indulge sometimes and of course so does our bird. I am sure most people feel that way about their birds, he is just another member of our family. :)
I agree, my Amazon loves peanuts, mash potatoe with butter, milk and some grated cheese. She doesn’t always get these, they are treats which she thoroughly enjoys. Her favourite fruit is red cherries, which some parrot owners say are dangerous because of the pip inside the cherry. We all know that sweets/cakes can be bad for us – but hey the occasional treat makes us feel sooooo gooooood! and taken in moderation can do no harm.
Hi Chet, We have a female and male SI Eclectus and in an attempt to give them some variety we do break the rules. Mia (female) and the Tiki (male) both loves mozzerella cheese. We keep it in the house for us because it is lower in cholesterol then other shredded cheeses. When we open the bag they both almost fall off their perches in the kitchen. We indulge them with a pinch each to make them happy and you are correct you can see the smile. Also, when I eat my cereal for breakfast on weekdays Mia loves the yogurt clusters in the raisin bran crunch and Tiki loves to drink the cereal soaked milk from my spoon. Sometimes he leaves me a chunk of pellet in my spoon he like to share with me to. It is nice to know that there can be a small break in the routine by doing something special for our babies.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! For your comments.. I am so thrilled that you wrote this in response to your blog re; birds eating cheese and peanut butter etc..as I agree totally with you.. My almost 4 year old Jardine Newbie gets the odd no-no treat and loves them and he is still a very healthy bird… We are blessed to have you there for us in all the ways that you are..
I enjoy reading your posts Chet but I would be straying from the truth if I wasn’t to say that your approach to “bending the rules” has been very disappointing. If unprofessional if I’m honest. I would imagine you receive many “new parrot” owners looking to train their birds with your proven methods. Thus your posts will NEVER be taken with a pinch of salt, so you can bend the rules with peanuts and cheese? I strongly feel this shouldn’t article should never of been published. What’s next…. bend the rules for avocado pears and chocolate? You start bending the rules you can no longer draw a line, think you have opened up a can of worms for the less knowledgeable parrot owners relying on your advise when every other website you visit state these foods are on the NO list. Why would you want to create any sort of respiratory difficulty for your birds? Disappointing to say the least……
I love my bird and she loves me , she gets her treats but they healthy as she only loves the good stuff, a African grey who loves healthy more than cheats, she even turns her beak up at the ice cream.
I agree and feed my sun conure all sorts of variety. He loves plain yogurt, scrambled egg, dry whole wheat toast. He gets grapefruit, banana, kiwi, oatmeal, rice, all sorts of good food and al in little bird bites. Seeds are a treat he really enjoys and I use them in his training time. Greens and pettets are part of all he gets. He quit eating carrots, peas and green beans…I’ll try them again later. Thanks for being real and upfront. We eat home made icecream and enjoy every bite of real cream, pure maple syrup and lots fo raw egg yolk- so we understand about enjoying life!
I get bored with the same food all the time and hate doing the same routine with ALL my animals. Thank you for letting me know this is okay. Charlie my parrot had a problem eating new things but I stand at his cage and nibble all the new food (making a big deal out of it) eventually he will try a piece and so he has now ventured to new food. Thanks again for all the info
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