What Seeds Are Bad for Parrots?

Most people buy parrot food in ready-mixed packs that are available at local supermarkets and pet shops. The shops that do not seem to turn over their inventory quickly should be avoided as seed mixes have a short shelf life, and if not used fast enough, they become "webby" because of a small moth that completes its life cycle in the seeds. These moths are not harmful to the parrots but are an unnecessary nuisance. You can also buy seeds in bulk and mix them in the right proportion yourself, but you should be careful while selecting seeds as some seeds should be given in moderation and some seeds must be avoided at all costs.

  1. Apple Seeds

    • Raw apples are nutritious for your parrot, but while feeding an apple to your parrot, you must wash them to remove pesticides from the skin and remove the seeds as well. The seeds of apples, and all other fruits of rose family (Rosaceae) like pears, peaches and plum, contain a toxin named amygdalin which breaks down in the body to form the highly poisonous compound "hydrogen cyanide". Since the amount of toxin present in the seeds is very small, it doesn't cause harm to human being, but the parrots have a smaller body and can be affected adversely from this toxin. It can even cause death in some cases.

    Sunflower Seeds

    • Certain seeds like sunflower seeds and safflower seeds contain about 40 percent fats in them, while it is advised that a parrot's diet should contain 10 percent to 15 percent fats. If the fat content in a parrot's diet is too high, the fat gets accumulated in the bloodstream and is deposited throughout the body of the parrot, especially in the liver. If too much fat is deposited into the liver, the parrot is subjected to fatty liver disease. The symptoms of fatty liver disease include obesity, overgrown beak, enlarged fatty liver and black spots on the beak and toenails. If your parrot is showing any of these symptoms, you should immediately consult an avian veterinarian.

    Sweet Pea Seeds

    • Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is considered nutritious if it is eaten in small amounts. However, their seeds and seeds of some other Lathyrus species (Lathyrus sativus, Lathyrus cicera and Lathyrus clymenum) contain beta-aminopropionitrile (a toxic amino acid) which causes odoratism or osteolathyrism if they are eaten in large amounts. The odoratism is a combination of neurolathyrism and angiolathyrism. Its symptoms include weak and fragile connective tissues associated with angiolathyrism and the paralysis of lower body associated with neurolathyrism, not just in parrots but in humans as well.

    Yew Seeds

    • The yew is group of the various coniferous trees and shrubs of the Taxus genus. The common types of yew are: American yew (Taxus canadensis), English yew (Taxus baccata), Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) and western yew (Taxus breviflora). Their seeds, wood, bark and leaves contain a toxic compound known as taxine, a poisonous alkaloid with bitter taste. Taxine is capable of causing muscle tremors, convulsions, difficulty in breathing and collapse. It is also known to cause gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure leading to death.